E3 2021 and Summer Game Fest schedule: Your complete guide

E3 time is nearly upon us once again, with publishers from all over the world lining up to show off their upcoming wares for this year and beyond.

After taking a break last year, E3 has returned for 2021, but this won’t be the traditional E3 we’re used to, with queues of press and players on a massive showroom floor.

Instead, it’s going to be a fully digital event, with a live broadcast available for everyone on platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, as well as a free E3 2021 app that gives access to exclusive features.

It may not be a conventional convention, then, but it will at least include the thing that most people love E3 for: video game news and announcements.

This year isn’t quite as scattergun as 2020, thankfully, but there’s still a spread in publisher schedules, with some companies choosing to stick to the traditional E3 timings, others choosing to support new rival event Summer Games Fest, and some like EA and Sony opting to not show a presentation at all (at least, not during the E3 window).

This can easily lead to confusion, so here’s our definitive guide to every stream that has been officially given a time and date so far. Pop these all in your diary and you won’t miss a second.

In Brief: The full E3 2021 Schedule

• June 10, 11am PT / 7pm BST: Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live
• June 11, 12pm PT / 8pm BST: Koch Primetime
• June 11, 1pm PT / 9pm BST: IGN Expo
• June 12, 8am PT / 4pm BST: Guerrilla Collective Part 2
• June 12, 10am PT / 6pm BST: Wholesome Direct
• June 12, 12pm PT / 8pm BST: Ubisoft Forward
• June 12, 1.30pm PT / 9.30pm BST: Devolver Digital
• June 12, 2pm PT / 10pm BST: Gearbox Entertainment
• June 12, 3pm PT / 11pm BST: UploadVR
• June 13, 10am PT / 6pm BST: Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase
• June 13, 12.15pm PT / 8.15pm BST: Square Enix Presents
• June 13, 2pm PT / 10pm BST: Warner Bros. Back 4 Blood presentation
• June 13, 2.30pm PT / 10.30pm BST: PC Gaming Show
• June 13, 4pm PT / 12am BST: Future Games Show
• June 14, 10.15am PT / 6.15pm BST: Take Two panel
• June 14, 1pm PT / 9pm BST: Limited Run Games
• June 14, 2.30pm PT / 10.30pm BST: Capcom Showcase
• June 14, 3pm PT / 11pm BST: Razer E3 Keynote
• June 15, 9am PT / 5pm BST: Nintendo Direct
• June 15, 2.25pm PT / 10.25pm BST: Bandai Namco

E3 2021 schedule: Thursday, June 10

Summer Game Fest – Kickoff Live

Times: 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm BST

The Game Awards founder Geoff Keighley returns with his Summer Game Fest event, which this time includes a ‘Kickoff Live’ show featuring world premieres on June 10 – two days before E3 officially launches.

UPDATE: Here’s all the news shared during the 2-hour show:

Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live News

• Elden Ring has finally reappeared with a new trailer and 2022 release date
• Elden Ring will feature online multiplayer ‘for up to 4 players’
• Gallery: 12 Elden Ring screenshots show the first glimpse at From’s blockbuster
• 2K reveals ‘high-fantasy’ Borderlands spin-off Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
• PlayStation has signed a new franchise from Call of Duty Black Ops veterans
• Death Stranding Director’s Cut is ‘coming soon’ to PlayStation 5
• Metal Slug Tactics turns SNK’s run ‘n gun into a turn-based strategy game
• Hands-On: Vampire The Masquerade Blood Hunt is a battle royale with fangs
• The Xbox Summer Game Fest demo event returns next week
• Tales of Arise’s E3 trailer features a new region and ‘powerful attacks’
• Starbreeze has shown the first ever image from Payday 3
• Koch Media has announced its new ‘premium’ label Prime Matter, plus 12 new games
• A new Painkiller game is in development
• Sega has now officially announced the previously leaked Two Point Campus
• Here’s the first look at Call of Duty: Warzone Season 4
• Frontier premieres Jurassic World Evolution 2 at Summer Game Fest

E3 2021 schedule: Friday, June 11

Koch Primetime

Times: 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm BST

Saints Row and Dead Island parent Koch Media will hold its own dedicated E3 presentation ahead of the weekend – but don’t expect its biggest IPs to show up.

“To give you a head’s up, you won’t see Dead Island, Saints Row, Metro or TimeSplitters there (or at any other E3 2021 event),” Deep Silver tweeted ahead of the event. “We’ll let you know when we have news to share.”

Koch is the parent company of Deep Silver, the German-Austrian publisher best known for Dead Island, Metro, Saints Row, Maneater, Shenmue 3 and Hunt: Showdown. It also recently set up a new Free Radical studio to revive classic FPS TimeSplitters.

IGN Expo

Times: 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST

IGN hosted five separate events during its own Summer of Gaming series last year, but the return of E3 has led to the site’s decision to focus its efforts into a single event this year.

IGN promises new game reveals and announcements, as well as a partnership with the Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live show, where more information will be shared on some of the games announced the previous day at Geoff Keighley’s event.

E3 schedule: Saturday, June 12

Guerrilla Collective – Showcase 2

Times: 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm BST

Guerrilla Collective is a relatively young event dedicated mainly to digital indie titles.

Last year over 70 games were shown off over the course of three nights, and this year Guerrilla announced two separate presentations a week apart, with the first having already premiered the week before E3 properly kicked off.

Wholesome Direct

Times: 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST

Wholesome Direct returns on June 12 promising new game reveals, exclusive footage, and even games that will launch during the show.

Ubisoft Forward

Times: 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm BST (pre-show starts an hour earlier)

Ubisoft will kick off its big E3 / Summer Game Fest event at 11am PT / 7pm BST with a pre-show featuring news on upcoming updates for For Honor, Trackmania, The Crew 2, Brawlhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion, and more.

The main show will kick off at 12pm PT / 8pm BST featuring “big announcements, updates on some of Ubisoft’s live titles, and some surprises that you won’t want to miss.”

UPDATE: Here’s every major announcement from the show:

• Rainbow Six Extraction gets gameplay reveal video and September release date
• Rocksmith+ adds a subscription service to Ubisoft’s guitar tutorial series
• Riders Republic reveals new gameplay and September 2 release date
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will get a second year of expansions
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope has officially been revealed with its first trailer
• Ubisoft reveals first Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora trailer ahead of the game’s 2022 release
• Far Cry 6’s Season Pass DLC brings back cast members from Far Cry 3, 4 and 5
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a first-person action-adventure for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC
• Watch Dogs Legion’s Bloodline expansion brings back Aiden Pearce and Wrench in July
• Rainbow Six Siege adds cross-play and cross-progression for PC and cloud platforms this month

Devolver Cinematic Universe showcase

Times: 1.30pm PT / 4.30pm ET / 9.30pm BST

Devolver says it will reveal five new games during its Summer Game Fest showcase, as well as two release dates for previously confirmed titles.

“Should be fun,” it wrote. “Don’t forget to tweet us that it wasn’t funny after it’s over. We all love that.”

Gearbox E3 Showcase

Times: 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm BST

Gearbox and publisher 2K will reveal Borderlands spin-off, ‘Wonderlands’ during Summer Game Fest Kick Off Live on June 10, so this sessions is likely do dive deeper into the unannounced game.

Summer Game Fest confirmed on Monday that it will reveal “a new adventure from Gearbox and 2K” during the two-hour show on Thursday, June 10.

A teaser site, BeChaoticGreat.com has also been launched and its code contains references to a yet-to-be-launched website for ‘Wonderlands’.

Upload VR Showcase

Times: 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BST

As its name suggests, the Upload VR Showcases are a celebration of what’s to come for VR content.

This year, Upload promises “plenty of new content to share across all platforms… So if you’re a fan of Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR or PC VR headsets you’ll want to make sure you tune in.”

E3 schedule: Sunday, June 13

Xbox and Bethesda Showcase

Times: 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST

The first platform holder showcase of E3 and Summer Game Fest promises world premieres, Game Pass announcements and “games, games, games”.

The showcase will last for 90 minutes and will be viewable on platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter and Facebook.

UPDATE:

Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 news

• Starfield trailer confirms Xbox exclusive console release in 2022
• Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer gets reveal trailer and holiday 2021 release
• Forza Horizon 5 is officially set in Mexico and coming this year
• Redfall is Arkane’s new vampire-themed co-op Xbox Series X/S exclusive
• Xbox announced 41 new games for Game Pass in its E3 Showcase
• Stalker 2 gets first gameplay trailer and April 2022 release for Xbox Series X/S and PC
• Warner confirms day one Game Pass release for Back 4 Blood
• Jack Sparrow is coming to Sea of Thieves later this month
• Here’s the first look at real Battlefield 2042 gameplay
• 10 more Bethesda titles are coming to Game Pass today
• Psychonauts 2 will be released in August 2021
• Hades will be coming to Xbox Game Pass in August
• Xbox shares new look at ex-Playdead boss’s Somerville
• A Plague Tale: Requiem will be on Game Pass at launch
• Diablo 2 Resurrected trailer confirms release date and open beta
• The Outer Worlds 2’s comedy trailer says the game’s nowhere near ready
• Flight Simulator console release date and Top Gun expansion confirmed
• Microsoft revealed the Xbox mini fridge during its E3 showcase
• Just Cause studio reveals Xbox exclusive ‘co-op smuggler’s paradise’ Contraband
• Shredders is an Xbox Series X/S snowboarding game inspired by the Amped series
• Starfield is ‘like NASA meets Indiana Jones’ with a Skyrim structure
• Microsoft to hold ‘Xbox Games Showcase: Extended’ event on June 17

Square Enix Presents Summer 2021

Times: 12.15pm PT / 3.15pm ET / 8.15pm BST

Taking place shortly after the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, Square Enix Presents Summer 2021 will include “the world premiere” of a new game from Eidos Montréal.

According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, the game in question is a Guardians of the Galaxy game developed by the Deus Ex studio.

Square Enix said on Thursday that its e3 showcase will also include “an exciting update” on Platinum’s Babylon’s Fall, details about Marvel’s Avengers’ Black Panther War for Wakanda expansion, a deep dive on Life is Strange: True Colors and a first look at Life is Strange: Remastered Collection.

Noted insider ‘Navtra’, who has a good recent track record when it comes to PlayStation and Square Enix information, recently claimed two major Square Enix reveals were being lined up for June: a cross-gen Eidos game and a PS5 exclusive Final Fantasy title.

PC Gaming Show

Times: 2.30pm PT / 5.30pm ET / 10.30pm BST

The annual PC showcase hosted by PC Gamer will be a more concentrated 90-minute presentation this year.

PC Gamer is promising a total of 39 new videos, game announcements and interviews, including new information on the likes of Dying Light 2, Naraka Bladepoint, Hello Neighbor 2 and Humankind.

Valve will also be making an appearance to announce something related to Steam. Many have assumed this is in relation to the portable gaming handheld it’s reported to be making, but the latest mention of Valve’s appearance on PC Gamer suggests it may only be turning up to discuss its own Steam Next Fest event.

Future Games Show

Times: 4pm PT / 7pm ET / 12am BST

Hosted by Troy Baker and Laura Bailey from The Last of Us Part II, the Future Games Show will feature 40 multi-format games.

There will be new gameplay clips, developer walkthroughs and world premieres, as well as a new section called the Virtual Show Floor, which contains games that will have playable Steam demos once the event ends.

UK players will have to pull a late night for this one, though – despite Future being based in the UK, this is the latest of all the E3 shows, meaning it’ll start at midnight in Britain.

E3 schedule: Monday, June 14

Limited Run Games LRG3

Times: 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST

LRG3, the physical game publisher’s latest showcase, is promised to include 25 announcements about new games, physical editions of cult favorites, and reprints of classic titles.

For those who join the Twitch chat, Limited Run says it will be handing out prizes every 15 minutes during the show.

Capcom Showcase

Times: 2.30pm PT / 5.30pm ET / 10.30pm BST

Capcom is arguably the main attraction on Monday, so all eyes will be on what it has planned.

Capcom has already confirmed that the presentation will include The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, Monster Hunter Stories 2, Monster Hunter Rise and Resident Evil Village.

It remains to be seen if it has anything new to announce, but given that two of the games listed have been out for a while now, we’re hopeful that some surprises are in store.

Razer E3 Keynote

Times: 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BST

Despite being active in gaming hardware for over 20 years now, Razer has never had its own E3 presentation.

That changes this year, with the company’s first ever E3 keynote.

Razer claims its show “will unveil a series of innovative hardware built with Razer’s best-in-class technology and design that will continue to raise the bar for PC gaming”.

E3 schedule: Tuesday, June 15

Nintendo Direct – E3 2021

Times: 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST

Nintendo’s 40-minute live stream will start at 9am PST / 6pm CEST and focus on Nintendo Switch software “mostly” releasing this year, the company said.

Immediately after the Nintendo Direct, the company will stream roughly three hours of deep dives on gameplay for a handful of Switch games in Nintendo Treehouse: Live.

According to a Bloomberg report published last week, Nintendo is planning to announce new Switch hardware ahead of the main E3 show, which takes place from June 12-15, giving developers room to showcase games for the system at the all-digital show.