It’s hard to believe that the Xbox 360 turned 20 a couple of months ago, the biggest icon in Xbox’s history celebrating two decades with us. Though, late-2026 will see the silver anniversary of Microsoft’s gaming brand as the big black box and its chunky controller celebrate 25 years of gaming.
With lots to expect from Xbox this year including many of it’s biggest franchises – Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day and Forza Horizon 6 – many eyes are on the platform and what moves it makes next. Later this month, the first event of the year will take place with the annual January Developer Direct. This years showcase will feature 2026 titles including the Playground Games reimagining of Fable; the eagerly awaited Forza Horizon 6 which will take us to Japan; as well as Game Freak’s new IP, Beast of Incarnation which debuted at the Xbox Games Showcase, summer 2025.
With lots to come this year, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer has released a video to LinkedIn showing that Xbox are taking the anniversary year seriously. For easier public access, Tom Warren has shared the video to X/Twitter:
Though the video doesn’t promise anything from Xbox’s most recognisable face, Spencer talks about the Developer Direct and the three confirmed games for the show. Whether there will be a secretive fourth game at the show is unknown, but Microsoft have a history of dropping surprises at the show including Hi-Fi Rush in 2023 and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black last year.
A full anniversary event for the Xbox’s 25th birthday is not yet announced and may not even happen, but there will be a lot of fans – myself included – hoping that something special is lined up for 15 November 2026.
What surprise announcements are you hoping to see for the Developer Direct? How should Xbox celebrate its 25th anniversary? Let us know in the comments below or join the friendly and active Gamer Social Club Discord to chat about all your Xbox games.
