How to watch the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 showcase: When it starts and everything you need to know

January has come around once more with the turn of another new year, and for Xbox fans, it's an exciting time. That's because this month is home to the 2026 edition of Microsoft's annual Xbox Developer Direct showcase.

Compared to other big-name gaming presentations like The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest, and the Xbox Games Showcase, the Xbox Developer Direct is a smaller show focused entirely on four or five games coming to Xbox systems, PC, and Xbox Game Pass later in the year.

Up until now, Microsoft has kept the date of this year's showcase under wraps. Now, thanks to Xbox itself, we know when it's coming and where you'll be able to watch it. For everything you need to know about when it starts, the platforms you can watch it on, and more, read on.

How to watch the Xbox Developer Direct 2026

As revealed by Microsoft and Xbox on Thursday morning, the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 showcase is scheduled to begin on January 22 at 1 PM ET (10 AM PT). The presentation will be livestreamed across various Microsoft and Bethesda channels on YouTube and Twitch, including the following:

• YouTube.com/Xbox
• YouTube.com/Bethesda
• Twitch.tv/Xbox
• Twitch.tv/XboxASL
• Twitch.tv/Bethesda
• Facebook.com/Xbox

You'll also have the option of watching the show through Valve's PC gaming platform Steam, as well as Microsoft and Bethesda channels on region-specific platforms.

In terms of length, the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 is expected to run about 45 minutes or so, though it could be a bit shorter or longer depending on what Microsoft and its partners have to show, like the length of its deep dive on Fable. This is significantly shorter than bigger presentations like the Xbox Games Showcase that comes in the summer, reflecting the more focused nature of the show.

Assuming this year's presentation offers the same options as 2025's, English closed captioning will be available on the primary YouTube stream, with other languages available on regional channels.

Last year, there were options for Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Czech, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

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