Fable

After a lengthy absence, Fable is returning for more folk hero fantasy sometime in 2026. That's still a bit of a wait, albeit a shorter one if you're among those still hanging on since Fable 3 launched over a decade ago. 

Fable 4—officially just "Fable" as Playground Games reboots the series—shows more signs of life with one very cheeky, very British trailer right after another. So far, the bits and pieces of Fable we've seen capture the same tone and sense of humor the series has maintained since day one, tapping into UK talent like Matt King and Richard Ayoade for a bit of artistic snark and sarcasm in its first few trailers. 

Here's the crucial info to know about Fable, including the latest trailers, release date information, and our coverage for its upcoming return.

• Release date: Sometime in 2026
• Developer: Playground Games, the makers of the Forza Horizon series

Is there a Fable release date?

Fable will launch sometime in 2026. It was originally planned for a 2025 release but in March of 2025 was delayed to the following year. Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan says will be "definitely worth the wait."

Previously, according to Phil Spencer, we'll play the new Fable before The Elder Scrolls 6 is out, but that's not much to work with if Bethesda's vague 2026 window for The Elder Scrolls remains accurate. It's hard to say how those two things will stack up now that Fable has been delayed to 2026.

Here's the latest Fable trailer

Fable - Xbox Games Showcase 2024 - YouTube

Watch On

During the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase, Playground Games debuted its latest look at Fable with actor Matt King narrating the life and adventures of a girl "who made all the wrong choices." It's a bit of a wink and nod to perhaps both the setup for the next game and the series' core appeal in prioritizing player choice. Life and death, good or evil, it's all up to the protagonist.

Either way, Fable's latest trailer puts the paths you'll take front and center as King, playing Humphry, rambles on about Albion's former young and "terrifying" hero fumbling her role despite his apparent mentorship. If you watch the footage with subtitles, another character dubbed "the Hero" steps in at the end to warn Humphry, "She's back." Cue the dramatic Rival Hero sequence.

So, who is Humphry talking about in his version of events? Is it that shadowy figure at the end? Is she his former mentee and the historical screwup? We've still not really seen ye olde gameplay footage. The people yearn for medieval real estate systems. 

Fable saw its big reboot reveal in 2020 and remained rather quiet until 2023's Xbox Games Showcase, where narrator Richard Ayoade made quite a few tongue-in-cheek jabs at the stereotypical hero in Fable's first extended story trailer. Albion's looming "dark threat" be damned. Like so many of us, Ayoade's got vegetables to conquer.