Microsoft’s fantasy franchise Fable is set to make its big return on the Xbox Series X|S and PC in what is informally known as Fable 4. Here is everything to know about Fable 4, including its release window, its released trailers, and what we know about its development so far.
Currently, Fable 4 has an announced release window of 2026, though the month or even the quarter has yet to be specified by publisher Xbox Game Studios. This is a one-year delay from the originally announced release window of 2025, which was shared by developer Playground Games in June 2024 at the Xbox Games Showcase. The change in release window was confirmed by Head of Xbox Games Studio Craig Duncan on February 25, 2025 as new pre-alpha gameplay footage of Fable 4 was displayed during the Xbox Podcast.
Reassuring fans not to be concerned, Duncan shared that Playground Games had made considerable progress in finishing the game, with the additional time giving the project the detail and quality it deserves. Duncan hinted that Fable 4 would retain the fantasy elements and signature British humor present in earlier installments of the series, while building a beautifully detailed version of the fantasy realm of Albion for the upcoming game. The gameplay footage unveiled with the change in release date ran for approximately 50 seconds and included brief snippets of combat and exploration in both urban and wilderness settings.
Fable 4 released its announcement trailer on July 23, 2020, confirming Playground Games being named as the franchise’s new developer. Though no gameplay footage was shown, nor a release window provided at the time, it offered fans an idea of the game’s look and tone, while noting the game would be available on the then-upcoming Xbox Series X|S and PC.
The first full trailer for Fable 4 was released on June 11, 2023 and hosted by British comedian Richard Ayoade, playing a character named Dave, a self-proclaimed vegetable enthusiast. Rendered in graphics similar to the game’s cinematics, Dave provided his explanation on what he thought of heroes while the trailer offered the first in-game footage from Fable 4 and its revamped vision of Albion.
The most recent full trailer, which included the initial 2025 release date, was released on June 9, 2024 as part of that year’s Xbox Games Showcase. In addition to providing brief glimpses of combat gameplay, cinematic sequences within the trailer hinted at an older character named Humphrey, played by British comedian Matt King, stepping up to defend Albion years after mentoring a younger hero, with Humphrey leaving his retirement to rescue her.
Fable 4 is slated to be the first game in the franchise since 2011’s Fable: The Journey for Xbox 360 Kinect, not counting the 2018 digital card game spinoff Fable Fortune, and the first mainline installment since 2010’s Fable III. Development comes after the canceled planned online game, Fable Legends, which was quietly shelved in 2016, which also marked the closure of original franchise developers Lionhead Studios. Playground Games was first reported as the new Fable developer in January 2018, less than two years later.
Given Playground Games’ history with the Forza franchise, Fable 4 will be developed using ForzaTech, Playground’s in-house game engine. Providing additional development support to Playground Games is Eidos-Montréal, whose involvement in the project was announced on June 9, 2024 along with the reveal of the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 trailer. Among confirmed members of the development team are Anna Megill, formerly of Remedy Entertainment, as the game’s narrative lead and Andrew Walsh, the senior writer of Horizon Forbidden West.
