Photo : ESA

It is nearly time for E3, the annual convention where companies from around the world unite to show trailers for video games that don’t actually exist yet. Are you ready? I’m ready.




The show runs from June 11 through June 13, but the fun starts well before then. Beginning on Sunday, June 9, some of the biggest video game publishers will hold press conferences to announce news, show videos, and demonstrate how hip they are by dabbing on stage. Two big companies are skipping their traditional press conferences this year: EA and Sony. Everyone else is back for another year of Video Game Christmas.

Here’s the schedule (which we’ll update in the days leading up to E3 if anything changes or we learn more).


Microsoft - Sunday, June 9, 1pm Pacific Time

The folks behind Xbox have been making fascinating moves with Game Pass and xCloud, but they still have a lot to prove when it comes to first-party games. It’s safe to expect Gears 5 and Halo Infinite, but what else does Phil Spencer have hiding under his video game t-shirts? With Sony out of the picture, this will be the one remaining place for big third-party gameplay trailers. Some safe guesses include Borderlands 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. And is it too much to hope for a Rocksteady reveal?

Bethesda - Sunday, June 9, 5:30pm Pacific Time

After the disastrous launch of Fallout 76, it’ll be interesting to see how Bethesda handles this one. Will they address their online game’s issues? Ignore it in favor of Doom Eternal and whatever new announcements they’ve got coming? Or just spend the whole time talking about Quake Champions?


Ubisoft - Monday, June 10, 1pm Pacific Time

Ubisoft’s always good for a surprise or two, and this year should be no exception. Assassin’s Creed is skipping this year, so don’t expect to see Vikings just yet, but perhaps it’s time for Watch Dogs 3? We should get a new look at Beyond Good & Evil 2. Maybe we’ll see Pioneer, the game that was teased a few years ago and now looks very different than it once did.


Square Enix - Monday, June 10, 6pm Pacific Time

Last year’s Square Enix show was one of the most disappointing E3 presentations in recent memory, in large part because the publisher failed to even mention two of its biggest announced games, The Avengers and Final Fantasy VII: Remake. This year, that should change. We hope.


Nintendo - Tuesday, June 11, 9am Pacific Time

As usual, Nintendo will be holding a digital presentation to talk about all things Switch, likely highlighted by Animal Crossing and this year’s Pokémon games. We probably won’t see Metroid Prime 4, but we’ll definitely see the new Fire Emblem and Super Mario Maker 2. One game we won’t see: Reggie Fils-Aime. :(


This year there are also a handful of smaller events, including Devolver Digital (June 9, 7pm PT), the PC Gaming Show (June 10, 10am PT), and the Kinda Funny Showcase (June 10, 4:30pm PT), all of which should be good for at least a few interesting indie announcements.