Next Xbox Console Might Launch in 2026, According to New Rumor

The next generation of consoles might be closer than we thought, at least for Xbox fans. Today, Call of Duty leaker TheGhostofHope relayed a rumor from trusted sources that the next Xbox console might launch in late 2026, way earlier than most analysts and fans predicted, with Call of Duty as a launch day title.

To be fair, this is not the first time we have heard of a potential late 2026 launch for the console. YouTuber RedGamingTech first reported the rumor in December 2023, adding that Microsoft could pick an AMD Ryzen Zen 5 CPU as the Zen 6 wouldn't be released in time. That report also suggested Microsoft would ditch the double SKU strategy used this generation with the Series S and X, going for a single SKU instead.

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The goal would be to try replicating Microsoft's most successful Xbox generation so far, the Xbox 360, which launched a full year before Sony's PlayStation 3 and reaped the benefits of this strategy. As of 2014, the Xbox 360 sold 84 million units, whereas the original console only sold 24 million units, and the Xbox One stopped at around 58 million units. The Series S and X duo is currently at just over 27 million units.

Getting to the market ahead of its main competitor in the console market is a risky tactic, but it's also one of the few available to Microsoft as it is currently lagging far behind in console sales. Interestingly, Xbox president Sarah Bond recently said Microsoft is focused on delivering the largest technical leap ever with the next-generation console.

To do that, Microsoft seems to be ditching the mid-generation refresh (unlike Sony, which is expected to launch the PS5 Pro later this year with an announcement possibly due in the next few weeks) to focus everything on a powerful next-generation console to launch in late 2026. With Sony unlikely to be able to follow with its PlayStation 6 before 2027 or