Even though E3, Gamescom, and other summer gaming events have become online-only or outright canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s still going to be a lot of gaming news this summer. Publishers and media have already scheduled many digital events, promising news and announcements, which could help fill the void left by the loss of the big tentpole events. And it seems likely that some of these events will provide early looks at the first Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 games, making them particularly intriguing.
To help you keep track of everything that’s planned, we’ve collected every event that we know about in this post. We’ve put together details about each event, when they’re scheduled to happen, and how to watch them. Be sure to check back here often; we’ll be updating this post as more events are announced.
Summer Game Fest
What: Geoff Keighley, who created The Game Awards, will be hosting a series of digital events throughout the summer featuring “breaking news, in-game events, and free playable content.” Many large publishers are already on board, including Bethesda, Blizzard Entertainment, CD Projekt Red, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Riot, Sony, and Square Enix.
When: There will be multiple events in May, June, July, and August. You can see the full schedule here, which is updated as events are added.
How to watch: Watch Summer Game Fest events on Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube. (Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards.)
June Events
GameSpot’s Play for All
What: Play for All is a “multi-week event” with news, previews, interviews, and more. The event will also be raising money for COVID-19 relief efforts in partnership with Direct Relief and for Black Lives Matter. Publishers including EA, Bethesda, CD Projekt Red, Deep Silver, Devolver Digital, Larian Studios, Google Stadia, Bandai Namco, Private Division, Square Enix, Sega, and 2K Games will be participating in the event.
When: Play for All began on June 1st. You can view the current schedule here, which so far runs through the middle of July.
How to watch: Watch Play for All on gamespot.com as well as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Destiny 2 event
What: Bungie says it will be revealing “next chapter of Destiny 2.” The studio shared a teaser video on Twitter.
When: Tuesday, June 9th, 12PM ET
How to watch: TBA
IGN’s Summer of Gaming
What: IGN will be hosting a “global, digital event” to “bring you the latest news and impressions around upcoming games and the next generation of console hardware.” There will be live broadcasts and on-demand programming. IGN’s event will also feature many publishers, including Blizzard, CD Projekt Red, EA, Facebook (including Oculus), Google Stadia, Humble, Microsoft, PC Gaming Show, Sega, Square Enix, Twitter, and Ubisoft.
As part of the event, IGN will be hosting IGN Expo, a “showcase for exclusive announcements and reveals from developers across the industry.”
When: Events will take place throughout June starting on Wednesday, June 10th. The IGN Expo events will happen on June 10th, 11th, 12th, and 15th. You can view the full Summer of Gaming schedule here.
On June 2nd, IGN announced that it would be delaying the start of its Summer of Gaming events “out of respect for and in support of those rightfully demanding justice and change across the United States and the world.”
How to watch: You can watch IGN’s coverage on Facebook, Mixer, Twitch, and Twitter
Sony’s The Future of Gaming event for PS5
What: Sony is hosting an event to provide “a first look at the games you’ll be playing after PlayStation 5 launches this holiday” on June 11th.
The event had originally been scheduled for June 4th, but it was postponed. “While we understand gamers worldwide are excited to see PS5 games, we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration and for now, we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard,” Sony said.
When: Thursday, June 11th, 4PM ET
How to watch: You can watch the event on Twitch and YouTube
Guerrilla Collective
What: Guerrilla Collective is a new “digital games festival” taking place from June 13th to June 15th, produced by Media Indie Exchange and the Kinda Funny Games Showcase. Studios on board with the event include Humble Publishing, Larian Studios, Paradox Interactive, and many more. The event was delayed from its original June 6th start date out of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
When:
- Saturday, June 13th, TBA time
- Sunday, June 14th, TBA time
- Monday, June 15th, TBA time
How to watch: Watch the Guerrilla Collective events on Twitch
The PC Gaming Show
What: The PC Gaming Show will showcase “new games, never-before-seen gameplay footage, and announcements from some of PC gaming’s biggest and most interesting developers.” You can see the full lineup of developers involved here. The event will be two hours long, though unlike previous years, it will be pre-recorded instead of shown live.
The event was originally scheduled for June 6th, but was delayed to June 13th to “make space for those speaking out and demonstrating about how to end the systemic oppression and police brutality experienced by black people.”
When: Saturday, June 13th, 2PM ET
How to watch: Watch on PC Gamer’s Twitch and YouTube channels
The Future Games Show
What: The hour-long Future Games Show will include “exclusive trailers, announcements, and deep dives on existing AAA and indie games.” Content will cover “40+ games on console, PC, and mobile,” according to GamesRadar, which is hosting the event. Publishers participating include Square Enix, Devolver Digital, and more. Nolan North and Emily Rose, who star in the Uncharted series as Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher, will be hosting.
The show was first planned for June 6th, but was postponed to June 13th “in support of the protests demanding justice and change over the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police.”
When: Saturday, June 13th, 5PM ET
How to watch: Watch on GamesRadar’s Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube channels
EA Play Live 2020
What: EA says its EA Play Live 2020 will be a live digital broadcast, but the studio hasn’t shared many details beyond that just yet. EA delayed the event on June 5th due to the “important conversations taking place and important voices being heard around the world right now.”
When: Thursday, June 18th, 7PM ET
How to watch: Watch on EA.com
Summer Game Fest Developer Showcase
What: The two Summer Game Fest Developer Showcases (one in June and one in July) will feature “a select group of upcoming indie and AAA video games” curated by Geoff Keighley and the Day of the Devs team, which includes Double Fine founder Tim Schafer. The showcases will have gameplay, news, and musical performances, and Annapurna Interactive, The Behemoth, Panic, thatgamecompany, and Ustwo Games are among the developers that will be part of the events.
When: Monday, June 22nd, 11AM ET
How to watch: Watch Summer Game Fest events on Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube. (Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards.)
New Game Plus Expo
What: 14 publishers from North America and Japan, including Koei Tecmo America, Natsume, Sega of America, SNK, and WayForward, are hosting New Game Plus Expo (NGPX), a digital event featuring “dozens of games,” including new game announcements and live demos.
When: Tuesday, June 23rd, 11AM ET
How to watch: Watch NGPX live on Twitch and catch the full event, trailers, and highlights on-demand on YouTube
Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City Wire
What: Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red will be hosting a digital broadcast about the game. It was delayed on June 2nd because “more important discussions are happening right now and we want them to be heard.”
When: Thursday, June 25th, TBA time
How to watch: TBA
July Events
Ubisoft Forward
What: Ubisoft is holding a digital “E3-style showcase” with “plenty of exclusive game news, exciting reveals, and much more.”
When: Sunday, July 12th, 3PM ET
How to watch: TBA
Summer Game Fest Developer Showcase
What: The two Summer Game Fest Developer Showcases (one in June and one in July) will feature “a select group of upcoming indie and AAA video games” curated by Geoff Keighley and the Day of the Devs team, which includes Double Fine founder Tim Schafer. The showcases will have gameplay, news, and musical performances, and Annapurna Interactive, The Behemoth, Panic, thatgamecompany, and Ustwo Games are among the developers that will be part of the events.
When: Monday, July 20th, TBA time
How to watch: Watch Summer Game Fest events on Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube. (Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards.)
August Events
Gamescom’s Opening Night Live
What: Geoff Keighley will be hosting another Opening Night Live event timed with Gamescom, which is now an all-digital event. It will be a “spectacular, industry-wide finale” to the Summer Game Fest, according to the Summer Game Fest calendar.
When: Thursday, August 27th, TBA time
How to watch: Since it’s a Summer Game Fest event, it seems likely you’ll be able to watch Opening Night Live on all of the Summer Game Fest platforms, including Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube. (Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards.)
TBA
Limited Run Games’ #LRG3
What: Limited Run Games says #LRG3 will be its “third totally-live, totally-bitchin press conference for the biggest announcements in the future of physical video games.” The event was postponed on June 4th.
When: TBA
How to watch: Watch on Limited Run Games’ Twitch channel
Update June 8th, 3:00PM ET: Many events have adjusted schedules due to the death of George Floyd and the ongoing protests against police brutality around the world.
Correction: We originally called the Cyberpunk 2077 event “Nightly Wire.” It is called “Night City Wire.” We regret the error.