Summer game fest: how to watch this summer’s digital gaming events

We’ve collected them all in this post

Even though E3, Gamescom, and other summer gaming events have become online-only or outright canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems 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 throughout the months of May 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. 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 begins on June 1st, with daily streams from 3PM to 5PM ET, though “on days where major press conferences are taking place, we may move these streams to accommodate.” 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

Sony’s The Future of Gaming event for PS5

What: Sony’s next PlayStation 5 event will provide “a first look at the games you’ll be playing after PlayStation 5 launches this holiday.” The digital show will be just over an hour long, according to Sony. It remains to be seen if the company plans to reveal the design of the console or a specific release date at the event.

When: Thursday, June 4th, 4PM ET

How to watch: You can watch the event on Twitch and YouTube

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, and you can view the full schedule here. IGN Expo will take place on Friday, June 5th; Monday, June 8th; and Tuesday, June 9th.

How to watch: You can watch IGN’s coverage on Facebook, Mixer, Twitch, and Twitter

Guerrilla Collective, The PC Gaming Show, and the Future Games Show

What: Guerrilla Collective is a new “digital games festival” taking place from June 6th to June 8th, 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 first day, June 6th, will have three different shows: Guerrilla Collective Live, hosted by Kinda Funny Games’ Greg Miller; the PC Gaming Show focused on PC gaming news and reveals; and the Future Games Show, which will have have reveals, developer interviews, and “wholesome gaming chatter.” There’s an “online press event” scheduled for June 7th and another day of programming with live demos and developer interviews on June 8th.

When:

• Guerrilla Collective Live: Saturday, June 6th, 1PM ET
• The PC Gaming Show: Saturday, June 6th, 3PM ET
• The Future Games Show: Saturday, June 6th, 5PM ET
• June 7th event: Sunday, June 7th, 1PM ET
• June 8th event: Monday, June 8th, 1PM ET

How to watch: Watch the Guerrilla Collective events on Twitch

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.”

When: Monday, June 8th, 3PM ET

How to watch: Watch on Limited Run Games’ Twitch channel

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.

When: Thursday, June 11th, 7PM ET

How to watch: TBA

Cyberpunk 2077’s Nightly Wire

What: Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red will be hosting a digital broadcast about the game.

When: Thursday, June 11th, TBA time

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, 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, 12PM ET

How to watch: Watch NGPX live on Twitch and catch the full event, trailers, and highlights on-demand on YouTube

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.)

Update, May 29th 11:55AM ET: Added Sony’s next PS5 event and updated information for GameSpot’s Play for All event.