E3 2022 alternatives: The schedule for Summer Game Fest, Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase, Gamescom, and more
E3 may not be happening, but there's still plenty of opportunities to catch the latest game announcements
Looking for a comprehensive schedule of the summer's big gaming events and showcases? After a muted return from pandemic oblivion as a digital event in 2021, plans for E3 2022 in any form were scrapped way back in March. But those who can't picture the start of summer without a festival of gaming trailers and announcements needn't fret, because a number of other, similar events will be going ahead in E3's usual place. Collectively (and highly unofficially) referred to as Not-E3, these various events are expected to run for around two-and-a-half months between June and August, and look to cover everything from triple-A titles to the hottest indies on the radar right now.
Read on for the scheduled line-up of everything we know so far. We'll keep this page updated with more information as we get it, including links to livestreams once they're available!
June 2022
- 9 June: Summer Game Fest Live
- 9 June: Day of the Devs @ Summer Game Fest
- 10 June: Netflix Geeked Week: Gaming
- 10 June: Epic Games Store Summer Showcase 2022
- 10 June: Tribeca Games Spotlight @ Summer Game Fest
- 11 June: Guerilla Collective Showcase + Wholesome Direct
- 11 June: Future of Play Direct @ Summer Game Fest
- 11 June: Future Games Show
- 12 June: Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase @ Summer Game Fest
- 12 June: PC Gaming Show
- 13 June: Capcom Showcase
- 14 June: Xbox Games Showcase Extended
- 26 June-3 July: Summer Games Done Quick
July 2022
- 7 July: Nacon Connect
- 28 July: Annapurna Interactive Showcase
August 2022
- 12 August: THQ Nordic Digital Showcase
- 18-20 August: Quakecon
- 24-28 August: Gamescom
June 2022
Summer Game Fest Live
Thursday 9 June from 7pm BST (2pm EDT / 11am PDT)
Few exact details are yet available for Summer Games Fest, but going by the example set in the last couple of years, we can expect to see the event kick off with a 90-minute showcase featuring the latest news on major PC and console releases. A list of partner studios participating in the event shows that it's bound to be a packed few days, with showcases and news expected from at least 35 major developers. More info as we have it.
Keep an eye on the Summer Game Fest website for information on how and where to watch the various events that make up the show.
Day of the Devs
Thursday 9 June (exact time TBC but immediately following Summer Game Fest Live)
The 10th Anniversary Day of the Devs event will be hosted immediately after the festivities kick off at Summer Game Fest. That's really all we know for now, other than the fact that submissions are still open. For the past nine years, Day of the Devs has been a showcase of 20 or so indie titles selected from those submitted for consideration, so expect to see a similar line-up this year too.
Netflix Geeked Week: Gaming
Friday 10 June from 6pm BST (1pm EDT / 10am PDT)
In a sort of crossover, this event will both close out Netflix Geeked Week and act as the streaming giant's showcase at the Summer Game Fest. Netflix announced their intention to get seriously into games last November, with the plan being to host some existing titles on the platform as well as starting up their own game publishing arm. So far the Netflix Games app is only available on mobile devices, but with some new game and TV show announcements planned at this event, it's possibly one that PC gaming enthusiasts will want to keep an eye on nonetheless.
Epic Games Store Summer Showcase 2022
Friday 10 June from 7pm BST (2pm EDT / 11am PDT)
As part of the Summer Game Fest opening ceremony, Epic Games Store announced that their own showcase would be taking place the following day. During their livestream we can expect looks at new announcements and updates from PC titles coming to the store this year and beyond. Sounds promising! You can watch along at Epic's own Twitch channel or as part of Summer Game Fest.
Tribeca Games Spotlight
Friday 10 June from 8pm BST (3pm EDT / 12pm PDT)
This event will highlight nine games in more detail, and the list of featured titles is currently one of the most comprehensive plans we've seen for Not-E3. The games under the titular spotlight are: American Arcadia, As Dusk Falls, The Cub, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course (DLC), Immortality, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Thirsty Suitors, and Venba. Every title on the list has a 2022-ish planned release date and will be available on PC via Steam upon release (along with a varying selection of other platforms), so this is one RPS readers will likely want to put in their calendars.
Guerilla Collective Showcase + Wholesome Direct
Saturday 11 June from 4pm BST (11am EDT / 8am PDT)
You can't throw too many spotlights on indie games, and the Guerilla Collective Showcase will be highlighting yet more awesome indies on June 11th. This one was a very recent announcement so we're still waiting on more news about the line-up.
Guerilla's indie pals Wholesome Games, meanwhile, will broadcast their showcase directly after Guerilla Collective's (beginning at half past the hour). The showcase boasts over 100 titles; what's more, two that have already been confirmed are Snufkin: Melody of Moomin Valley and Katharine's most-anticipated Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus And Butterfly, which is all I need to know to make this one a must-see.
Future Of Play Direct @ Summer Game Fest
Saturday 11 June from 6:30pm BST (1:30pm EDT / 10:30am PDT)
Future Of Play Direct promises to be a frantic "Toonami-inspired intergalactic hype machine", which frankly sounds exhausting, but the selection of games on display mean it's definitely worth tuning in. Intriguing features include an exclusive update on the upcoming Boyfriend Dungeon DLC and an interview with the devs of Unpacking (both of which made RPS' 2021 Games of the Year list), plus news and updates on upcoming titles, including Pokémon-like Creature Keeper and The Wandering Village. There'll also be a musical guest, Alex Moukala, performing songs from the likes of Hollow Knight, Celeste, and Tunic. Read more on the Future Of Play Direct website.
Future Games Show
Saturday 11 June from 8pm BST (3pm EDT / 12pm PDT)
The Future Games Show and its partner the PC Gaming Show (see below) are running directly alongside Summer Game Fest, so you're either going to have to watch two screens at once or decide which you love more. As it stands though, you should just be able to make it to the Future Games Show without missing anything from Geoff Fest, although I wouldn't put it past Mr Keighley to announce something else just to test your loyalty. The opening act of Future's showcase is expected to cover new game reveals and trailers ranging from Triple-A to indie across a range of platforms.
Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase
Sunday 12 June from 6pm BST (1pm EDT / 10am PDT)
There's no detailed schedule for this one just yet, but I'm quite confident in predicting that a fair chunk of the anticipated 90-minute run-time will be devoted to Starfield and Redfall, despite (and in fact perhaps because of) the fact that both titles were recently delayed into the first half of 2023.
Other upcoming Bethesda and/or Xbox titles that might well make an appearance include As Dusk Falls (good news if you fell in love with this one during Friday's Tribeca Games Spotlight), Atomic Heart, and Party Animals.
PC Gaming Show
Sunday 12 June from 8:30pm BST (3:30pm EDT / 12:30pm PDT)
The PC Gaming Show — the bonny baby of cheery RPS fanzine PC Gamer — will focus on PC gaming hardware and software announcements, plus gaming news on in-development titles. In total there are going to be 45-ish games featured as part of this show, with stand-out titles so far including Arma 4, Victoria 3, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. With luck you'll just be able to grab a snack between the Xbox + Bethesda event ending and this one starting.
Capcom Showcase
Monday 13 June from 11pm BST (6pm EDT / 3pm PDT)
It seems like not many individual developers were keen on running their own dedicated showcase this year, but Capcom are bucking the trend. Personally I love a good Capcom game, even if I could wish they hadn't scheduled their gala for the middle of the night UK time (good thing it's confirmed to have a compact 35-minute run time). With the long-rumoured Resident Evil 4 remake recently announced it's not hard to guess what might be presented front-and-centre, but personally I'm also holding out hope for news of another Ace Attorney remaster. Localise Miles Edgeworth Investigations 2 you cowards! Ahem... in the meantime, you can check out Capcom USA's blog post for more details of where to view.
Xbox Games Showcase Extended
Tuesday 14 June from 6pm BST (1pm EDT / 10am PDT)
If the Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase on Sunday left you wanting more, then there's excellent news: an extended 90-minute stream will be happening on the following Tuesday, with more new trailers as well as deeper dives into some of the announcements made during the first event. Check out this Xbox blog post for links to the various channels where you can view both the Sunday and Tuesday streams, as well as a list of available languages.
Summer Games Done Quick
Sunday 26 June from 5:30pm BST (12:30pm EDT / 9:30 am PDT)
OK, admittedly one of these things is not like the others, but what sort of heartless monster would complain that we took a moment to mention this annual charity speedrunning event in the midst of the capitalistic orgy that is Not-E3? Naturally, Elden Ring is this year's big draw, but with 126 other games also featured during the event, there's bound to be a few to catch your eye. (You can see the full list and schedule here). As someone who regularly takes literal years to finish a game, I can only stand by in awe and chuck money into the pot for an extremely worthy cause, which this year is Doctors Without Borders.
The week-long event is scheduled to end on Sunday 3 July at the incredibly specific time of 7:22am BST (2:22am EDT / Saturday 2 July @ 11:22pm PDT). If anyone can pull off that sort of timing, I suspect it will be these speedrunners.
July 2022
Nacon Connect
Thursday 7 July from 6pm BST (1pm EDT / 10am PDT)
We've received a save-the-date for Nacon Connect, Nacon's annual online conference which promises to reinvent itself for 2022 by featuring even more content for gamers. What does that mean, exactly? We'll just have to wait and see! This mysterious event will be going live on Nacon's YouTube and Twitch channels.
Annapurna Interactive Showcase
Thursday 28 July from 8pm BST (3pm EDT / 12pm PDT)
Annapurna are playing their cards close to their chest about exactly what they're going to be showcasing in July, but with a catalogue as full of hits as theirs, I'm confident there are bound to be some gems in there. In the meantime, they invite you to follow them on Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch for more information nearer the time.
August 2022
THQ Nordic Digital Showcase
Friday 12 August from 8pm BST (3pm EDT / 12pm PDT)
Publishers THQ Nordic say that their 2022 digital showcase will include updates on in-development titles including Outcast 2 and the latest Jagged Edge. But the primary focus seems to be on new game announcements, which intriguingly promises several original and licensed titles.
Quakecon
Thursday 18 August to Saturday 20 August (times TBC)
Quakecon will once again be digital-only in 2022, featuring three days of announcements and updates on Bethesda and id Software titles. Given that, expect a fair bit of crossover with the Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase from June's Summer Game Fest, though with over two months between the events, hopefully there'll be even more to see on titles like Starfield and Redfall by the time August rolls around.
Gamescom
Wednesday 24 August to Sunday 28 August (times TBC)
We currently know very little about this year's Gamescom, which will in all likelihood be the swansong for the summer's Not-E3 schedule since it comes right at the end of August. Nevertheless, we do know that it's happening, and history tells us that it'll bring a mix of first-look gameplay and new game announcements to whet your whistle as we begin to wind down towards autumn and start thinking about our 2022 GOTY nominees.