Fable Could Reportedly Be Delayed to Later This Year to Avoid Clashing With GTA 6 Release

Fable, the upcoming RPG from Playground Games, could be delayed. The game is currently scheduled for release in autumn 2026, but could be pushed back later into the year. Microsoft reportedly wants to avoid clashing Fable's launch with the release of Rockstar Games Grand Tehft Auto 6, which releases November 19.

Fable Could be Delayed to Avoid GTA 6

The information comes from Giant Bomb journalist Jeff Grubb. In a recent episode of Game Mess Mornings podcast, Grubb claimed that the Xbox parent was considering delaying Fable, but it would still release in 2026. Microsoft reportedly wants to put some distance between the release of Fable and the long-awaited launch of Grand Theft Auto 6.

“We know Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming out later this year and we know that has caused these companies to think about how they are releasing their games,” Grubb said on the podcast.

Grubb added that he'd heard from his sources that internally, Microsoft was “moving Fable later into the year.”

“Now it's not being moved out of this year, it's still coming this year apparently. But they're moving it later to get out of the way of Grand Theft Auto,” he said.

If Fable was further delayed from its current launch window of autumn 2026, that would likely mean the game could release in December, after launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 — if Microsoft doesn't want to push it to 2027.

Rockstar Games has settled on GTA 6's November 19 release date after delaying the game twice before. The game's release, a hotly anticipated event, has pushed other developers to reconsider their planned launches in late 2026.

Earlier this year, Playground Games presented a deep dive into Fable and its gameplay systems at Xbox Developer Direct. The game is set in the fictional realm of Albion, a vast open world with diverse landscapes. Playground has said Albion will be “truly open world,” allowing players to explore the map seamlessly and without restrictions from early in the game.

Playground is also set to launch Forza Horizon 6 across PC and Xbox Series S/X on May 19. Last week, the studio revealed the full map of the racing title, featuring several famous Japanese landmarks.

Fable does not yet have a release date, but that could be revealed at Xbox Games Showcase, which is scheduled to take place on June 7.

The action-RPG will launch on PC (via Steam and Xbox app), PS5, and Xbox Series S/X in autumn 2026. It will also be available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one.