Normally, the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) happens in June — a major gaming industry trade show filled with announcements, demos and other programming.
Following a messy digital-only show in 2021, however, E3 has been completely cancelled this year, leading to a bit of a vacuum in terms of gaming events. As a result, various companies are seizing the opportunity to hold their own shows, which can make it a bit difficult to follow along with everything.
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up all of the confirmed events so far, as well as how you can tune in. We’ll also update this as more events and details are confirmed.
PlayStation State of Play — June 2nd
PlayStation is holding a State of Play presentation on Thursday, June 2nd at 3pm PT/6pm ET. Running for “nearly” 30 minutes, the showcase will feature “exciting reveals” from PlayStation’s third-party partners, plus “a sneak peek at several games” coming to PlayStation VR2.
It’s important to note that while PlayStation didn’t explicitly say first-party games wouldn’t be at this State of Play, it’s clearly emphasizing third-party and VR titles. Therefore, it would be best to not go in expecting an update on God of War: Ragnarök or other first-party titles.
You can tune in to the State of Play via PlayStation’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
Summer Game Fest — June 9th
While E3 is officially dead (for this year, at least), Canadian producer Geoff Keighley (The Game Awards) is bringing back his Summer Game Fest event, which ostensibly serves the same purpose.
Taking place on Thursday, June 9th at 11am PT/2pm ET, Summer Game Fest will tease “what’s next in gaming with huge new game announcements, world premieres, special guests, and much more.”
You can tune in to Summer Game Fest via The Game Awards’ official YouTube and Twitch channels.
Netflix Geeked Week: Gaming — June 10th
Every year, Netflix has a genre-focused showcase of upcoming content called ‘Geeked,’ featuring sci-fi, fantasy, superhero and more. On Friday, June 10th at 10am PT/1pm ET, the company has a gaming-centric event, which will be hosted by Geoff Keighley and YouTuber Mari Takahashi.
Expect to see video game-inspired shows like the Vancouver-made Sonic Prime, The Cuphead Show! and Tekken: Bloodline, as well as announcements related to Netflix Games.
You can stream Netflix Geeked Week: Gaming on Netflix’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
Tribeca Games Spotlight — June 10th
World-renowned film festival Tribeca is once again showcasing several games from around the world.
This year, nine titles are being given the spotlight, including Venba from Toronto’s Visai and Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course from Oakville, Ontario’s Studio MDHR. The full list can be found here.
Each developer will get a chance to feature their game in a special ‘Tribeca Games Spotlight’ stream on June 10th at 12pm PT/3pm ET. You can tune in on Tribeca’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as its website.
It’s worth noting that one unique element of the New York-based show is that fans in person and at home can try out all nine games. Information on how that all works, including how to purchase tickets, can be found here.
Future Games Show — June 11th
GamesRadar‘s digital gaming showcase is back, this time promising around 40 PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC games that will be featured, including those for Team17, Thunderful, and Amanita Design.
You can tune in to the show on June 11th at 12pm PT/3pm ET via GamesRadar‘s YouTube and Twitch channels.
Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase — June 12th
Bethesda’s long-awaited Starfield is expected to be shown off.
Xbox’s annual summer event is taking place on Sunday, June 12th at 10am PT/1pm ET, and it’s once again branded as an ‘Xbox & Bethesda’ presentation. This means we’ll likely see Bethesda’s recently delayed Starfield and Redfall, and potentially, other Xbox first-party titles like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. On top of that, Xbox has confirmed that third-party games will be shown as usual.
You can stream the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on Xbox’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
PC Gaming Show — June 12th
PC Gamer‘s annual PC Gaming Show returns on June 12th at 12:30pm PT/3:30 pm ET. Altogether, over 45 games will be featured, including the next title from Vancouver’s Klei Entertainment (Don’t Starve).
You can stream the PC Gaming Show on PC Gamer‘s YouTube and Twitch channels.
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That’s all that we know at the moment, but there are a few other wild cards.
To start, Nintendo has always held an E3 ‘Direct,’ with the company only missing that window in 2020 due to a) the show’s absence and b) disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, Nintendo will likely have something in June, and will likely confirm something shortly before, as it normally does. The last major Nintendo Direct was in February, so it makes sense. to have one to help spotlight the company’s remaining 2022 slate.
Many eyes are also on Square Enix. The company normally has an E3 event, but without E3 this year, it’s unclear what it may do. That said, the publisher has confirmed that some sort of news on both Final Fantasy VII and the larger Final Fantasy series will come in June as part of their respective 25th- and 35th-anniversary celebrations. We’ve also been promised a “spring” update on Final Fantasy XVI, a game we haven’t seen since September 2020’s big PS5 reveal event, as well as an update sometime this year on Final Fantasy VII Remake‘s sequel. It’s possible that Square Enix could hold its own stream to make any/all of these announcements this month, although it seems more likely that it will partner with PlayStation and/or Summer Game Fest to split up the news.
Capcom, Bandai Namco and Take-Two Interactive are other publishers that could, theoretically, hold their own events. That said, Keighley has noted that fans should expect fewer third-party showcases overall, so it’s likely that many of these publishers will just take part in other events if they have anything ready to show.
Which gaming events are you looking forward to this June? What announcements are you hoping to see? Let us know in the comments.
Image credit: Bethesda/Square Enix/Studio MDHR
