We're E3-less again this year but, believe it or not, videogame marketing hasn't ground to a halt, so all of us consumers will still have plenty of new trailers to munch on. The summer showcase season is nearly upon us and, yes, I'm very open to a name for this week in June that rolls off the tongue better than that does. Whatever we wind up calling "not-E3" this year (seriously, my ears are open) there is going to be a fast and stacked set of gaming showcases during the second week of June.
Several publishers are doing their own showcases as they have been for the last few years. Our own PC Gaming Show and our sister site's Future Games Show are both back too. And yup, the Summer Game Fest is back as well, attempting to fill the non-denominational power void that E3 has left in its absence. Pull up your calendar app and start scheduling your watch parties with your pals because June is nearly here.
Videogame summer announcements 2023
| Showcase | PDT | PDT | BST | AEST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Play | May 24 (Wed) | 1 pm | 9 pm | 6 am (May 25) |
| Guerrilla Collective | June 7 (Wed) | 9 am | 5 pm | 2 am (June 8) |
| Summer Game Fest | June 8 (Thurs) | 12 pm | 8 pm | 5 am (June 9) |
| Day of the Devs | June 8 (Thurs) | After SGF | After SGF | After SGF |
| Wholesome Direct | June 10 (Sat) | 9 am | 5 pm | 2 am (June 11) |
| Future Games Show | June 10 (Sat) | 10 am | 6 pm | 3 am (June 11) |
| PC Gaming Show | June 11 (Sun) | 1 pm | 9 pm | 6 am (June12) |
| Xbox & Starfield | June 11 (Sun) | 10 am | 6 pm | 3 am (June 12) |
| Ubisoft Forward | June 12 (Mon) | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Devolver Direct | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
When is E3 2023?
In case you'd not heard, E3 is canceled again in 2023 meaning there's no official expo this year. Luckily, though, publisher and curator showcases have all mostly localized around one weekend in June so we'll still be getting a very tight burst of announcements this summer. Read on below to find out what we're expecting to see at all of the confirmed shows scheduled for this season.
Full list of showcases
State of Play
Livestream: Wednesday, May 24 @ 1 pm Pacific, 9 pm UK on YouTube
What happened: Getting out ahead of its peer programming this summer, PlayStation's event was a sequel-heavy showcase bringing over an hour of first-and-third-party games. Headline announcements included a reveal of the long-rumored Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, first gameplay showings for Assassin's Creed: Mirage, Spider-Man 2, and Dragon's Dogma 2, and the extraction shooter revival of Bungie's Marathon series. For the full rundown, check our list of every PC announcement from PlayStation's 2023 State of Play.
Guerrilla Collective
Livestream: Wednesday, June 7 @ 9 am Pacific, 5 pm UK on YouTube and Twitch
What to expect: The Guerrilla Collective is an indie games showcase that usually brings a mix of new trailers for known games and some fresh announcements. Like the Wholesome Games showcase, games shown in the Guerrilla show will often have demos available to play so you can try things out and wishlist them if you want to keep an eye on them. We don't know who's included this year, but it's sure to be a mix of genres and styles.
Summer Game Fest
Livestream: Thursday, June 8 @ noon Pacific, 8 pm UK on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and TikTok
What to expect: Summer Game Fest has posted a very long checklist of publishers and developers showing up to its livestream including Amazon Games, Larian Studios, Hoyoverse, CD Projekt Red, Sega, and Square Enix. It's hard to say who among them will be bringing big reveals and who will be sticking to things already announced. Hoyoverse tends to hold its own live streams, so I'd not expect any Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail bombshells. Larian Studios is now just on the cusp of Baldur's Gate 3's full launch though it's already been in early access for years. Perhaps CD Projekt Red will share some new info about the next Witcher trilogy or The Witcher 1 remake. Presumably folks like Xbox and Ubisoft will be saving the biggest hits for their own planned livestreams.
Day of the Devs
Livestream: June 8 immediately following Summer Game Fest
What to expect: Day of the Devs is an indie games focused showcase. This isn't one to overlook; past years have brought trailers for games I've personally really enjoyed like Roots of Pacha and Toem. This year is sure to have some wishlist-worthy trailers too.
Wholesome Direct
Livestream: Saturday, June 10 @ 9 am Pacific, 5 pm UK on YouTube and Twitch
What to expect: This one's for the folks who want to see the best cozy games coming up. Wholesome Games is a showcase largely of indie games with "uplifting, compassionate, and thoughtful" gameplay and there are usually demos available for many of the games shown. A few developers have announced they'll be part of the show already like Mineko's Night Market and the developers of Unpacking who could be bringing their next game TemPoPo. This year there will be over 70 games in the showcase so there's a lot yet to come.
Future Games Show
Livestream: Saturday, June 10 @ 10 am Pacific, 6 pm UK on YouTube, Twitch, and Twitter
What to expect: The summer edition of The Future Games Show is bringing over 40 new trailers for games coming in the (near) future. You can expect announcements across plenty of platforms and genres just like last year.
PC Gaming Show
Livestream: Sunday, June 11 @ 1 pm Pacific, 9 pm UK on YouTube and Twitch
What to expect: Our own PC Gaming Show is returning this summer with two hours and 55 game trailers all dedicated to PC players. You can expect to see Baldur's Gate 3, Frostpunk 2, Dune: Awakening, a brand-new game from Klei, and quite a few games that will be revealed for the first time.
Xbox and Starfield showcase
Livestream: Sunday, June 11 @ 10 am Pacific, 6 pm UK on YouTube and Twitch
What to expect: Xbox has a double-header planned for June with a normal showcase of its games in progress followed immediately by the promised Starfied-focused showcase. During the full Xbox event we're hoping to get updates on big games like Obsidian's new RPG Avowed, the next Fable game, Everwild by Rare, Perfect Dark, and more. During the Starfield segment immediately following that we've been promised "tons of gameplay." We've mostly been coasting with the info from the first Starfield gameplay preview from last summer. This time we're hoping to see more of its 1000 planets and perhaps some non-combat gameplay too.
Ubisoft Forward
Livestream: Monday, June 12 @ TBA on YouTube
What to expect: Ubisoft may be in a weird place with games floundering in supposed development like the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake and Skull & Bones, but there are things to be excited about. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is still kicking around and there are several new Assassin's Creed games it announced last year.
Devolver Direct
Livestream: June 2023, date TBA YouTube
What to expect: Devolver is rolling out its own announcements again this year, though whether it's fully doing its own thing as in the past or is just attending Summer Game Fest's showcase on June 8 is a little unclear. Devolver's summer showcases never fail to be a spectacle, so if it does put on a standalone show as usual, expect about half game trailers from the publisher's upcoming games and half continuation of its ongoing fictional CEO drama. There are several neat things in Devolver's deck right now including the newly announced The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood and the stylish skating demon game Skate Story which had our favorite trailer last summer.
