Fable Series

0:00 The Fable series began with Lionhead Studios' Fable on the original Xbox in 2004, continued with Fable II and Fable III, and ended when Microsoft closed Lionhead in 2016; the new Fable by Playground Games is a reboot of it, "not a remake or a sequel" in the words of its director, Ralph Fulton, so no earlier game is needed to play it. In the Developer_Direct of Jan 22, 2026, Playground says it is "carrying on the work of the legendary Lionhead Studios, the original creators of the franchise", and that its game, though "a new beginning", is "really faithful to the spirit of the classic Lionhead trilogy".

Quick facts

The games in order

• Fable (Xbox, 2004): the first game, by Lionhead with Big Blue Box. A boy from Oakvale grows into a Hero whose deeds shape how people see him and how he looks.
• Fable: The Lost Chapters (2005, Xbox and PC): an expanded edition of the first game. When Microsoft bought Lionhead on Apr 6, 2006, Fable and The Lost Chapters had sold over 2 million copies.
• Fable II (Xbox 360): released in the US on Oct 21, 2008 (GameBanshee), set centuries later, with a dog companion and a more open Albion.
• Fable III (Xbox 360, then PC): announced for Oct 26, 2010 at E3 2010 (Shacknews), in which the Hero becomes ruler of Albion.
• Fable Heroes (2012) and Fable: The Journey (2012, for Kinect): spin-offs.
• Fable Anniversary (2014): a remaster of the first game, revealed on Jun 4, 2013.
• Fable Legends: a cooperative game canceled on Mar 7, 2016, when Microsoft proposed closing Lionhead; the studio closed that spring.
• Fable Fortune (2017): a card game by Flaming Fowl Studios and Mediatonic.
• Fable (2027): the reboot by Playground Games, launching Feb 23, 2027 (Release Date and Time).

A reboot, not Fable 4

People search for "Fable 4", but the new game has no number. Fulton told the PlayStation Blog that "Fable is not a remake or a sequel", and GamesRadar+ reported him saying the team "needed to reboot the franchise" and "put our stamp on it". The new game is not bound to the trilogy's timeline: Fulton calls it a "new beginning" and says "we're not Lionhead" (Xbox Wire). Its in-world history of Albion is on Lore and History of Albion.

37:34 Digital Foundry put the reboot beside the original in its DF Direct Weekly of Jun 15, 2026: John Linneman recalls that Peter Molyneux promised a world where "you could do anything", that the 2004 game turned out to be "broken up into tiny little segments" with loading screens, and that the sequels "never fulfilled" the promise, while the new game "actually does seem to", offering the life-management features Fable "was originally promising to deliver" at scale.

What returns from the old games

5:21 Playground says that when it asked people about their favorite memories of the original games, many were about "the normal everyday stuff" with the people of Albion, "almost a complete other game" inside an RPG, and that it built "that same experience" into the reboot: houses, jobs, romance and marriage (Living Population, Romance, Marriage and Children, Property and Jobs).

The reboot brings back, by Xbox's and Playground's own words (Xbox Wire, official FAQ):

• Albion, its capital Bowerstone and the Heroes' Guild (Albion, Bowerstone).
• Creatures: Hobbes, Balverines and Trolls (Enemies).
• Demon Doors, the talking stone doors.
• Chickens (Chickens).
• The Jack of Blades, the first game's masked villain, teased in the June 2026 trailer (Jack of Blades).
• Strength, Skill and Will: Heroes still fight "with a combination of strength, skill, and will", as the Developer_Direct puts it (Combat).

What changes

• Morality: the trilogy's good and evil meter and the Hero's changing looks are gone. Deeds earn Reputations that each person judges in their own way (Reputation and Morality).
• An open world: the old games' Albion was split into areas; the reboot's is "a truly open world, for the first time" (Fulton, as CGMagazine reported).
• No dog: the dog companion of Fable II does not return; Fulton said it was cut "for development reasons" (Insider Gaming).
• PlayStation: "For the first time in the franchise's history, Fable is coming to PlayStation 5" (PlayStation Blog).

Frequently asked questions

Is the new Fable a reboot? Yes. Fable (2027) is a reboot of the Fable series by Playground Games, "not a remake or a sequel" according to its director, Ralph Fulton.

Is Fable 4 coming out? There is no game called Fable 4: the next Fable is a reboot simply called Fable, launching Feb 23, 2027 on Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5.

Do I need to play Fable 1, 2 and 3 before the new Fable? No. The new Fable is a fresh start, "a new beginning" not tied to the trilogy's story, so no earlier Fable game is needed.

Who made the original Fable games? The original Fable games were made by Lionhead Studios, founded by Peter Molyneux, which Microsoft bought in 2006 and closed in 2016.

What are the Fable games in order? The Fable games in order are Fable (2004) with The Lost Chapters (2005), Fable II (2008), Fable III (2010), the spin-offs Fable Heroes and Fable: The Journey (2012), Fable Anniversary (2014), Fable Fortune (2017) and the reboot Fable (2027).

Is the Jack of Blades in the new Fable? Xbox said the June 2026 Fable trailer "teased the return of the legendary Jack of Blades", and that his role will be revealed later.

Sources

• Welcome Lionhead Studios, Xbox Wire, Apr 6, 2006
• Fable II release date confirmed, GameBanshee, 2008
• Fable 3 coming in October, Shacknews, Jun 2010
• Fable Anniversary reveal, Xbox Wire, Jun 4, 2013
• Fable Legends canceled, Lionhead closure proposed, GameSpot, Mar 7, 2016
• Lionhead is officially no more, PC Gamer, Apr 29, 2016
• Fable launches on PS5 Autumn 2026, PlayStation Blog, Jan 22, 2026
• Fable isn't a sequel, Playground Games lead says, GamesRadar+, Jan 22, 2026
• Fable: Answering the Big Questions After that Long-Awaited Developer_Direct Deep-Dive, Xbox Wire, Jan 22, 2026
• Xbox Developer Direct 2026 Shows Off More Details For Fable - Including More Chickens, CGMagazine, Jan 22, 2026
• Fable Reboot Won’t Include Dog Companions, Insider Gaming, Jan 22, 2026
• XBOX Games Showcase 2026 Recap: The Return of Exclusives, World Premieres, and Anniversary Hardware, Xbox Wire, Jun 7, 2026
• Fable FAQ, Playground Games, read Oct 20, 2026
• Fable Gameplay Overview | Xbox Developer Direct 2026, GameSpot, Jan 22, 2026 (video)
• DF Direct Weekly #268: Ocarina of Time Remake, Nintendo Direct, Fable Gameplay, RTX 3060 Returns, Digital Foundry, Jun 15, 2026 (video)