Our Final Predictions For The 2026 Xbox Games Showcase

We're right at the tail end of May now, which means we're starting to get very excited about the Xbox Games Showcase this year. We have a new Xbox boss at the helm and renewed enthusiasm surrounding the brand, so the summer show feels critical this year in continuing to build momentum around Xbox.

With that in mind, we have lots of thoughts about what Xbox could — and sometimes certainly should — go ahead and announce this year. From new game reveals to hardware announcements and maybe even a silly prediction or two, here are our final predictions for the 2026 Xbox Games Showcase:

Xbox Finally Unveils The Elite Series 3 Controller

Believe it or not, it's been almost seven years since the Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller was released. Microsoft opted to launch their second elite controller revision right at the end of the last generation, and we've got a funny feeling they're going to do the exact same thing this year.

That funny feeling isn't just baseless vibes, though - we've recently seen evidence that this thing is real in some fashion. It could be a prototype, but images of the Elite Series 3 recently leaked in their most believable form yet. So yeah, we're expecting this (along with the Xbox Cloud Gaming pad that leaked alongside it) to be officially revealed at the showcase.

New Backwards Compatible Games, Possibly Shadow Dropped

It's got to be time for more back compat announcements, right? Microsoft said that the program will be revived in some fashion for Xbox's 25th anniversary this year, and what better way to at least get that ball rolling than during the summer showcase? One of our most hyped E3 moments of all time is still Phil Spencer unveiling the program back in 2015!

As for the exact nature of this one, honestly, we're not sure. We'd love to see the show bring some real concrete announcements (and possibly shadow drops), but we could also see Asha simply tease more additions for later in the year. Either one of those should net her some sweet brownie points with the Xbox faithful.

Asha Sharma Brings Back An OG Xbox IP For Long-Time Fans

What's Asha Sharma been speaking on most since she took over as Xbox boss? Returning the brand back to its roots. And, with that in mind, we reckon she's going to speak to that core audience here by announcing the revival of a classic OG Xbox IP.

We're going to keep it broad for now and just say it'll be something that Microsoft itself owns, but other than that, we're not so sure. Phil Spencer famously brought back Voodoo Vince just because he seemingly had a soft spot for it, so what's next, a Blinx revival? Who knows, but we think Asha wants to evoke some of that 'renegade' energy this year.

Banjo-Kazooie Finally Returns To The Xbox Stage

We know, we know, every year or two we predict this one — so far to no avail — but we reckon 2026 could finally be the year for a new Banjo-Kazooie reveal. Since last year's showcase, we've heard that multiple studios may have pitched Xbox about a new Banjo game of some sort, and just like we mentioned earlier, this would be another win for the older Xbox fans amongst us.

Will long-time developer Rare be at the helm? We're inclined to say "no" given that Everwild was cancelled less than a year ago and the team is still working on Sea Of Thieves, but you never know. Which other studio would take it is anyone's guess - we're open to suggestions on that down in the comments!

Gears Of War: E-Day Will Open The Show, Release Date To Be Announced

We know that Gears of War: E-Day is getting its own Direct immediately after the main showcase, but we're expecting some sort of teaser before that as well. The game closed out the 2024 showcase, and with The Outer Worlds 2 bookending last year's show, we reckon Xbox will do the same this year with Gears.

We also think that the game will get a release date here, for around September/October time. We're not sure where in the show that date will pop up, but either during the early-show trailer or the final Direct, Gears is giving us a date. We can feel it in our age-old Delta Squad bones.

Halo: Campaign Evolved Will Also Appear, With A Summer 2026 Release

Halo is still Xbox's most iconic franchise, and in a year where both the platform and everyone's favourite big green Spartan hit 25 years of age, there's just no way the series doesn't have a big presence at the Xbox Games Showcase 2026.

This is another title, just like Gears, where we think a release date will come - and it'll probably be sooner than you think. Recently, reports around a July launch date surfaced, and given how busy the rest of the year looks for Microsoft and the industry at large, we're inclined to believe it.

New Limited Edition Xbox Hardware Will Be Shown Off

We know that things have been a little quiet on the limited edition hardware front in recent years, particularly consoles, but we have a feeling that this show will deliver on something in the regard. Whether the team goes full LE Xbox Series X or S we're not sure, but Sharma and co. have certainly been putting more attention on those consoles in recent months.

We've got Gears and Halo that have been mentioned in these predictions already, and those huge Xbox franchises are rife for limited edition hardware of some sort. Personally, I'd love to see a Gears of War: E-day console, especially considering Xbox has gone hard with goodies for that franchise in the past, but I suppose I'd take a controller and/or headset for it too. Maybe both Halo and even Fable will join that party as well... we'll just have to wait and see!

A Major New Xbox Initiative Will Be Announced

We're going to close out with a bold one - some sort of major new initiative will be announced by Xbox during the show. Think something like Xbox Game Pass, Play Anywhere, Backwards Compatibility or FPS Boost - we think Microsoft is going to go big on its new direction and announce a new program for Xbox fans.

We have a few options for what this could be, or it might be something that takes us by surprise. Microsoft could unveil this rumoured disc-to-digital program to get ahead of all the major Project Helix news next year, or what about something to do with official Xbox emulation on PC as the team continues to improve the Windows gaming experience? Those are our best guesses for now, but we think something big is coming from Team Green.

Agree with any of our predictions? Have some of your own you want to share? Talk to us about the show in the comments down below!