E3 2021 schedule, news, attendees and all the biggest games so far E3 2021

E3 2021 is officially underway, but it looks a little different than in previous years. The gaming conference is online-only, running from June 12 to June 15, with publishers and developers hosting their own live streams as part of the event.

Following the cancelation of E3 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it remained unclear whether E3 2021 would still go ahead in some form. A digital event was set to take place in 2020 but, due to a lack of support, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) decided to scrap the event altogether – with Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest taking center stage for gaming announcements instead.

But this year is different and we’ve seen a few conferences already, with showcases from the likes of Xbox and Nintendo still to come. With all these conferences, it can be hard to keep track of who is streaming when. So we’ve put together this handy guide to all the biggest gaming conferences happening in June and July, so you can keep track of each one. Read on for everything we know so far about E3 2021.

Key announcements so far

What we’ve seen so far

Below, we’ve rounded up the biggest showcases that have happened so far and what was announced:

June 3

Warhammer Skulls Showcase – June 3

[embedded content]

Games Workshop’s annual event, previously called Skulls for the Skull Throne, has been rebranded to Warhammer Skulls. This week-long Warhammer event was kicked off with a showcase live on June 3.

The showcase included 14 big announcements including the reveal of Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters and updates for Total War: Warhammer 3 and Vermintide 2. You can watch the full showcase above.

June 5

Indie Live Expo – June 5

[embedded content]

The Indie Live Expo took place on June 5 and is Japan’s largest indie game festival. This showcase (obviously) focused on indie titles, with 300 games showcased over the stream’s nearly six-hour running time. You can catch up on the full showcase above.

Guerrilla Collective Day One – June 5

The Guerrilla Collective is a digital games festival that primarily focuses on indie titles. This was the first of two Guerrilla Collective events, which seen a myriad of announcements on games including Omno, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Aeon Drive.

This stream was followed by the Black Voices in Gaming stream, which showcased games created by Black developers and titles featuring a Black protagonist.

June 9

Battlefield 6 reveal – June 9

[embedded content]

EA DICE revealed the new Battlefield, called Battlefield 2042, with an official reveal trailer on June 9. Battlefield 2042 features huge maps, dynamic weather and three multiplayer modes. You can read all about it right here.

June 10

Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live! – June 10

[embedded content]

Summer Game Fest kicked off on June 10 with the Summer Game Fest: Kickoff Live showcase. The showcase was packed with announcements, trailers and reveals and, while not all of them were particularly awe-inspiring, there were some standouts.

The biggest ‘surprise’ of the night was the reveal of a full-length Elden Ring trailer, which gave us our best look yet at the collaboration between George R.R. Martin and FromSoftware and a release date: January 21, 2022. Elden Ring looks to be the natural progression of the Dark Souls series, featuring FromSoftware’s iconic melee combat while adding in a giant open world and horseback traversal. It will be available on last-gen consoles as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X/S via a free upgrade.

There was also the official announcement of the Borderland’s spin-off, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, which is a standalone title based around (you guessed it) Tiny Tina. This standalone title is releasing in early 2022 and has a star-studded cast that includes Andy Samburg and Will Arnett. 

Metal Slug Tactics followed up with a gorgeous anime trailer, taking the revered arcade shooter to a turn-based setting. Elsewhere, the newly announced Planet of Lana looked phenomenal, presenting a gorgeous world contrasted with monstrous creatures. We also got the news that a Death Stranding Director’s Cut is coming to PS5, with a full reveal to take place “in just a few weeks”.

We also heard more about Call of Duty Warzone: Season 4, got a glimpse of Overwatch 2’s redesigned characters and Giancarlo Esposito even popped by to taught about his role in Far Cry 6. 

Overall, while there wasn’t the breadth of big announcements that we hoped for, the Elden Ring reveal more than made up for.

June 11

Koch Primetime Gaming Stream – June 11

[embedded content]

The Koch Media conference was a bit dull but we knew that would potentially be the case when the company told fans not to expect Metro, Dead Island or Saints Row at its showcase. 

Instead, Koch announced a new publishing label: Prime Matter. One of the first games announced for Prime Matter is Payday 3, which will be developed in partnership with Starbreeze Studios. 

There aren’t any further details for the game at this time except that Payday 3 is being aimed for a 2023 release window on consoles and PC.

IGN Expo – June 11

The IGN Expo featured further details on Gearbox’s Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands plus exclusive reveals of Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, World War Z: Aftermath, AudioClash: Battle of the Bands, Core Keeper, Bramble: The Mountain King and more.

Guerrilla Collective Day Two – June 12

The second day of Guerrilla Collective featured games including Among Us, Akatori, Aragami 2, BPM: Bullets Per Minute, Demon Turf, Ghostrunner and more.

Ubisoft Forward – June 12  

Ubisoft’s pre-show event featured updates on live games such as For Honor, Trackmania, The Crew 2, Brawlhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion. But the main event from the publisher offered world premiere gameplay and trailers for Rainbow Six Extraction as well as further details on Far Cry 6. In addition, there was news on Riders Republic and a new Assassin’s Creed Valhalla DLC pack.

But the big news was left for the end: Ubisoft showed off a trailer for a gorgeous new Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora game, set in the world of James Cameron’s Avatar movies.

Gearbox Entertainment – June 12

It was a relatively quiet showing from Gearbox, letting us see a little bit more from Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, revealing Homeworlds 3 is in the works and showcasing some Godfall DLC. 

But the most exciting part of the brief event was a behind the scenes look at the Borderlands movie during the conference – with director Eli Roth and star Kevin Hart talking to Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford about how production on the still-shooting film is going.

E3 2021 schedule

Below, we’ve rounded up all the confirmed dates and times for E3 2021’s conferences. We will continue to update this article as more conference details are confirmed. 

June 12

Wholesome Direct – June 12

Date and time: June 12 at 10am PT / 6pm BST / 1pm ET (or June 13 at 3am AEST)

How to watch: YouTube

What we’re expecting: Wholesome Direct is an independent showcase ran by Wholesome Games that aims to “spotlight uplifting and thoughtful indie games”. This year’s event is set to showcase an hour of exclusive footage, new game reveals, developer interviews and announcements from 75 titles. 

TechRadar’s Take: In a particularly dark year for many of us, Wholesome Direct couldn’t come at a better time. If you want to watch a stream that showcases games with only good vibes, then this is the one for you.

June 13

Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase – June 13

Date and time: June 13 at 10am PT / 6pm BST / 1pm ET (or June 14 at 3am AEST)

How to watch: Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook

What we’re expecting: This showcase will be around 90 minutes long and is featuring games from Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.

TechRadar’s Take: We’re hoping E3 2021 will see Microsoft giving us a solid release date for Halo Infinite as well as officially announcing a new Forza Horizon game is in the works. We’re also hoping to hear more about Fable, which was confirmed to be in the works last year. We’re also hoping Bethesda will give us more details on Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, and set the record straight about whether both games will be Xbox platform exclusives.

Square Enix Presents – June 13

Date and time: June 13 at 12:15pm PT/ 3:15pm ET/ 8:15pm BST (or June 14 at 5:15am AEST)

How to watch: Square Enix’s Twitch and YouTube channels

What we’re expecting: This stream is going to last around 40 minutes and Square Enix has even given a vague list of what we can expect to see during the presentation, including the announcement of a new game from Eidos-Montréal, an update on Babylon’s Fall, fresh details on Marvel’s Avenger’s upcoming expansion and a deep dive on Life is Strange: True Colors.

TechRadar’s Take: There have been rumors of a new Marvel Xcom game and we’re hoping for these to be confirmed during Square’s conference. In addition, we’re hoping for a release date for the Life is Strange Remastered Collection. 

Warner Bros Games – June 13

Date and time: June 13 at 2pm PT / 5 pm ET / 10pm BST (or June 14 at 7am AEST)

How to watch: Twitch

What we’re expecting: The publisher has confirmed that Back 4 Blood is the only game that will be featured at this event.

TechRadar’s Take: While this event will only feature Back 4 Blood, we’re still hoping that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Gotham Knights and Hogwarts Legacy pop up during another E3 2021 conference – maybe the Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live event? We’re hoping to finally get a look at gameplay for Hogwarts Legacy and Suicide Squad – with maybe even rough release windows thrown in?

PC Gaming Show – June 13

Date and time: June 13 at 10:30pm BST / 5:30pm ET / 2:30pm PT (or June 14 at 7:30amam AEST)

How to watch: Twitch

What we’re expecting: The PC Gaming Show will see Sean “Day9″ Plott, Frankie Ward and Mica Burton hosting E3’s biggest celebration of PC games to date, with 39 new trailers, game announcements, and interviews beamed to audiences around the world.

TechRadar’s Take: Our friends at PCGamer have been hard at work bringing you another fantastic PC Gaming Show which will be packed to the brim with reveals and deep dives into the best PC games on the horizon.

Future Games Show – June 13

Date and time: June 13 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET /12am* Midnight BST (or June 14 at 9am AEST)

How to watch: Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and GamesRadar

What we’re expecting: The Future Games Show returns on June 13, as part of a double-header show alongside the PC Gaming Show. The Future Games Show will see a range of announcements and reveals on games across all platforms and genres, from AAA to indie. 

TechRadar’s Take: We can’t wait to see what our friends at GamesRadar have in store for this special E3 edition of Future Games Show. What we do know that the show will be packed with over 40 games across all major console and PC platforms, from publishers including SEGA, Private Division, Team17, XSEED Games and more. You don’t want to miss it.

June 14

Take-Two Interactive – June 14

Date and time: June 14 at 10:15am PT / 1:15pm ET / 6:15pm BST (or June 15 at 3:15am AEST)

How to watch: Twitch

What we’re expecting: Take-Two hasn’t confirmed what we will see at its conference but we’re expecting details on the enhancements and new features coming to GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X and news about upcoming GTA Online updates.

TechRadar’s Take: We’re not necessarily expecting Take-Two to announce GTA 6 (though, who knows), but it’s likely we’ll see an update on some 2K sports titles and maybe find out more about BioShock 4 or those Marvel XCOM and Borderlands spin-off rumors (though we may see the latter at the Gearbox conference).

Date and time: June 14 at 2:30 pm PT / 5:30 pm ET / 10:30 pm BST (or June 15 at 7:30am AEST)

How to watch: Twitch

What we’re expecting: Capcom has confirmed that its showcase will feature Resident Evil Village, Monster Hunter Rise, Monster Hunter Stories 2 and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. We’re expecting the Resident Evil Village news to be about the game’s delayed ReVerse multiplayer mode, while we could see DLC for Monster Hunter Rise. It’s likely news on the latter two titles will be updates on their development ahead of their releases in July.

TechRadar’s Take: We still don’t know about Capcom’s sci-fi adventure Pragmata, which was announced last year, so we’re hoping for a better look at it at E3 2021. We’re also hoping to see more of Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Street Fighter 6.

Razer – June 14

Date and time: June 14 at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BST (or June 15 at 8am AEST)

How to watch: Twitch, YouTube and Facebook

What we’re expecting: The company has said it will be announcing some new products and giving viewers chances to win Razer prizes.

TechRadar’s Take: We’re excited to see what Razer has in store for us at E3 2021. We’re sure there are going to be some mouth-watering (and wacky) products on show.

June 15

Nintendo Direct – June 15

Date and time: June 15 at 5pm BST / 9am PT / 12pm ET (or June 16 at 2am AEST)

How to watch: Twitch

What we’re expecting: We know there won’t be any hardware at Nintendo’s E3 2021 Direct, with the publisher confirming its showcase will be focused exclusively on Nintendo Switch software. This conference is going to run for around 40 minutes, with a three-hour gameplay session happening afterward.

TechRadar’s Take: We’re hoping Nintendo will use E3 to give us a release date (and more details) on Breath of the Wild 2, gameplay footage of Splatoon 3 and Bayonetta 3, and maybe a closer look at the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes and Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Bandai Namco – June 15

Date and time: June 15 at 10:25pm BST / 2:25pm PT / 5:25pm ET (or June 16 at 7:25am AEST)

How to watch: Twitch

What we’re expecting: We’re also not sure what Bandai Namco will be showing, though Scarlet Nexus is a possibility ahead of its release. It’s safe to say Elden Ring fans will have everything crossed that the game might make an appearance, but nothing is certain. 

TechRadar’s Take: While Bandai Namco is most likely to give us an update on Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus, whether we’ll see Elden Ring remains to be seen. Since its reveal at E3 2019, we haven’t heard much about the FromSoftware/George R.R. Martin collaboration – and fans are getting impatient. We’re hoping we see even a glimpse of Elden Ring during Bandai Namco’s conference on June 15 – the final day of E3 – what a closer that would be.

E3 2021 Awards Show – June 15/16

Date and time: June 15 at 4:45pm PT / 7:45pm ET (or June 16 at 12:45am BST / 9:45am AEST)

How to watch: Twitch, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

What we’re expecting: The E3 2021 Awards show will be wrapping up E3 2021. Selecting from titles shown across the four-day show, “editors from IGN, GameSpot, PC Gamer, GamesRadar, IGN China and  GameBonfire will determine the winners for the Official E3 2021 Awards Show.”

TechRadar’s Take: The E3 Awards show highlights the most anticipated games from the event, but it’s also set to be packed with announcements and reveals, so it’s worth watching.

June 16 – June 22

Steam Next Fest – June 16 to June 22

Date and time: Kicks off on June 16 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (or June 17 at 3am AEST) and lasts until June 22

How to watch: Steam’s YouTube channel

What we’re expecting: Steam Next Fest (formerly Steam Game Festival) is a multi-day celebration of upcoming Steam games, featuring hundreds of demos.

TechRadar’s Take: While we’re not expecting any big announcements at Steam Next Fest, it’s worth keeping an eye on the demos made available during the festival.

July 6

Nacon Connect – July 6

Date and time: July 6 at 6pm BST/ 10am PT / 9pm ET (or July 7 at 11am AEST)

How to watch: Nacon’s Twitch and YouTube channels

What we’re expecting: French publisher Nacon has announced its own show, Nacon Connect, which promises “new gameplay, exciting announcements, special guests and epic collaborations”.

TechRadar’s Take: It’s possible we could see an update on Lord of the Rings: Gollum here, given that the game is co-published by Nacon and Daedalic Entertainment. 

July 22

EA Play Live 2021 – July 22

Date and time: July 22 (time TBC)

How to watch: TBC

What we’re expecting: Electronic Arts (EA) has confirmed that it will be skipping E3 and will instead hold its own summer games showcase, called EA Play Live. The event will be held on July 22, 2021. So far we know that Battlefield 2042‘s third multiplayer experience will be revealed at the event. More details are set to follow, but you can check out the event’s website here.

TechRadar’s Take: For the last few years, EA has opted to hold its own event, but it’s usually fallen around the same time as E3. It’s surprising, then, that the company’s event will take place over a month later than E3 2021, which runs from June 12 to June 15. In addition to Battlefield 2042 news, we’re also expecting EA will share more on FIFA 22 and Madden 22.

What is E3 2021?

The E3 name stands for ‘Electronic Entertainment Expo’, and it’s been running in some form since 1995. Hosted by the Entertainment Software Association, E3 is a three-day convention to celebrate and showcase all things gaming, usually to publicize upcoming games and consoles – with a smattering of panel discussions and keynotes alongside the excitement of the show floor.

E3 2021 will be the 26th time the event is held, with the ESA cancelling E3 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But this year, rather than being held as an in-person event at the Los Angeles Convention Center (its home since 2009), E3 2021 is an entirely digital event.

When is E3 2021 and how much will it cost?

E3 2021 will take the form of an all-digital event that will run from June 12 to June 15, 2021. The ESA has confirmed that the event will consist of live press conferences and a four-day-long video stream. Digital attendees will also be able to keep track of everything that’s going on through the E3 app.

Despite speculation that parts of the event would be behind a paywall, the ESA has confirmed that E3 2021 will be entirely free for attendees. 

Who is attending E3 2021?

Xbox, Nintendo, Capcom, Ubisoft, Take-Two, Warner Bros., EA, Koch Media, Square Enix, Sega, Bandai Namco, Gearbox and Xseed Games are all confirmed to be making an appearance at E3 this year, however, Sony is noticeably absent from the ESA’s list of commitments – instead, taking part in Summer Game Fest.

One company that was scheduled to be present was Konami, which pulled out of the event “due to timing.” The company announced via Twitter that: “We want to reassure our fans that we are in deep development on a number of key projects, so please stay tuned for some updates in the coming months.”

It’s an impressive show of support for E3 2021, with many speculating that the online-only event would be largely ignored by the biggest companies in the industry. Having Xbox and Nintendo in attendance is a boon to the ESA, whose event was seen by many as ‘the Christmas of gaming announcements’ has diminished in recent years.

In a press release, ESA CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said: “For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games. We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”

E3 2021 vs Summer Games Fest

Summer Game Fest was set up by The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley and made its debut in 2020 – filling in the gap left by E3 2020. Last year’s Summer Game Fest was an online season of events bringing together 16 of the industry’s largest publishers, including Microsoft, Sony, Activision, Valve, Bethesda and Blizzard in a four-month cavalcade of news, trailers and game demos.

From May until August, the Summer Game Fest partnered with these publishers to release updates on game projects and announce new titles across social media platforms, as well as providing playable demos for attendees – Microsoft shared a staggering “between 75 and 100” game demos in total. 

This year’s Summer Game Fest will apparently be more “condensed”, according to Keighley. The event still spans June and July, having kicked off on June 10 with a world premiere showcase.

This will be the first year we see E3 and Summer Game Fest taking place in the same timeframe, so it will be interesting to see which publishers and developers choose to showcase as part of E3 and which choose to do so at Summer Game Fest – and which decide to partake in both. 

E3 2021: what happened at E3 2019

Given that E3 2020 was canceled, the last E3 to take place was E3 2019. Even without Sony on show, there was still plenty to make 2019 a great year for E3. We had that wonderful Keanu Reeves appearance, and the news he was appearing in Cyberpunk 2077 (as seen above), new specs for the Xbox Series X, and that brilliant BOTW 2 teaser. We also got a full unveiling of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and updates on Apex Legends Season 2 from EA, and the announcement that Dark Souls dev From Software and Game of Throne‘s George R R Martin were collaborating on the upcoming game Elden Ring.

Square Enix had one of the better press events we’ve yet to see at E3 2019, packing in tons of new information on Marvel’s Avengers, Final Fantasy VII Remake and the remastered version of Final Fantasy 8.

It wasn’t all good news, though, with Animal Crossing: Horizons getting delayed, and the long-awaited Dragon Age 4 not getting so much as a mention. Ubisoft also didn’t show off a new Splinter Cell game (cowards!) or its much-delayed Beyond Good and Evil 2 – though it did find time for Just Dance 2020, and the announcement trailer for Gods and Monsters.

Here’s a full list of everything that was announced at E3 2019:

Nintendo

Microsoft

• Halo Infinite (release window, coming to Xbox Project Scarlett)
• Gears 5
• Blair Witch
• Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Xbox One and PC)
• Bleeding Edge
• Battletoads
• Age of Empire II: Definitive Edition (PC)
• Wasteland 3
• Microsoft Flight Simulator (PC first, Xbox One later)
• Minecraft Dungeons
• Spiritfarer (coming to Xbox Game Pass)
• 12 Minutes (Xbox One and PC)
• Forza Horizon 4: Lego Speed Champions Expansion
• Crossfire X
• Gears Pop!

Take-Two Interactive/2K Games

Electronic Arts and EA Sports

CD Projekt Red

Konami

• Contra Rogue Corps (Xbox One PS4, PC and Switch)
• Contra Anniversary Collection

Bethesda

• Deathloop (Platforms unknown) (Trailer)
• Doom Eternal (Xbox One PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch)
• The Elder Scrolls: Blades (debuting on Nintendo Switch; iOS, Android updates)
• Fallout 76: Nuclear Winter (Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC sneak peek)
• Ghostwire: Tokyo (Platforms unknown)
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood (PS4, Xbox One and PC)
• Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot (VR)
• Commander Keen (iOS and Android)

Square Enix

• Final Fantasy 7 Remake (PS4)
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (PS4, Nintendo Switch and mobile)
• Final Fantasy 8 Remastered
• Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers (PC)
• Circuit Superstars (Square Enix Collective, developer Original Fire)
• War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
• Romancing Saga 3
• Scarlett Grace
• Dragon Quest Builders 2
• The Last Remnant Remastered (coming to Nintendo Switch)
• Trials of Mana: Collection of Mana (coming to Switch)

Ubisoft

• Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC)
• The Division 2 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC)
• For Honor (Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC)
• Watch Dogs Legion (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Stadia) (game play available)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (game update)
• Roller Champions (PC download available now, other platforms unknown)
• Gods & Monsters (Xbox One,PlayStation 4, PC, Stadia and Switch)

Sega

• Panzer Dragoon: Remake (Nintendo Switch)
• Phantasy Star Online 2 (Xbox One)
• SEGA Genesis mini console coming September 2019 with mini games like Mega Man:The Wily Wars, Earthworm Jim, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2, Ecco the Dolphin and 35 more classic games.

Bandai Namco

• Tales of Arise
• Dragonball Z: Kakarot
• Code Vein
• The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
• RAD

Various

• Elden Ring (via FromSoftware)
• Dying Light 2 (from Techland)
• Way to the Woods (Team 17)
• Dauntless (coming to Nintendo Switch via Phoenix Labs)
• The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics (En Masse Entertainment)
• Dead by Daylight (coming to Nintendo Switch via Koch Media)
• New Super Lucky’s Tale (coming to Nintendo Switch via Playful Corp.)
• Empire of Sin (John Romero multi-console game)
• Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (Playtonic)
• Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (via Edelweiss and XSEED Games)