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Everything we know about Summer Game Fest 2022

Jesse Lennox
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With E3 being canceled this year, and many unsure if it will ever return, the summer was in danger of being a wild west of every publisher and developer creating their own events and announcements with no rhyme or reason. For all the faults with it, E3 at least organized all the major players in the gaming space into some sort of order that everyone — players and press — could keep track of and plan around based on their interests.

In the vacuum left by that iconic summer event full of press conferences, Geoff Keighley has stepped up in the past few years to introduce a new system to maintain order during the summer announcements.

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Summer Game Fest is quite different from Keighley’s longer-running, more established Game Awards held in December. Each year has looked slightly different, but as the summer looms closer, more and more details about how this year’s Summer Game Fest will unfold are being announced. This is shaping up to be the event of the year for gamers, so we rounded up everything you need to know about Summer Game Fest so you can catch all the exciting news, announcements, and more.

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What is Summer Game Fest?

Geoff Keighley holds and points at a DualSense controller.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Summer Game Fest is the creation of game industry legend Geoff Keighley that, in his words, is “the world’s first fully digital, global celebration of video games.” He has been personally running this event every year since 2020 in an attempt to give publishers and developers a way to showcase their projects to the world in an organized and professional way. Summer Game Fest kicks off with a live showcase hosted by Keighley that features announcements and game reveals. Last year’s kickoff event included the very first gameplay shown for Elden Ring, a reveal of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, and even Jeff Goldblum appearing to announce Jurassic World Evolution 2. That event will then be followed over the course of the summer by a series of streams prepared by developers and publishers to show off new games, give updates on ones scheduled to launch or make any other major announcements.

The first Summer Game Fest was more of an organizational tool to use to track when each publisher was hosting their own showcases, and technically ran from May all the way until August, but 2021 managed to condense these between the months of June and July and featured nearly all the biggest names in the industry, including Microsoft, Nintendo, and Ubisoft.

When is Summer Game Fest?

Get ready!!@IMAX is teaming us with us for #SummerGameFest on June 9 and @TheGameAwards in December!

That’s right: Watch all the reveals, surprises and announcements with your friends in select IMAX theaters for full-scale immersion :)

This is going to be cool! IMAX LIVE! pic.twitter.com/dvQPIgqF09

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) May 5, 2022

Announced via Twitter, Summer Game Fest 2022 will kick off with a live show on June 9. Summer Game Fest Live as this showcase is called, will be streamed that Thursday beginning at 11 a.m. PT and will include a “cross-industry showcase with announcements, reveals, and more.” Aside from watching it in your own home, Summer Game Fest has also partnered with IMAX to screen this opening event in select theaters. We don’t know for how long this initial livestream will be as of yet. According to the official website, while not all dates are set, so far the only scheduled events are in June.

After this live event, the next digital showcase planned as part of Summer Game Fest will be the Tribeca Games Spotlight on June 10 at noon PT, followed by the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12 at 10 a.m. PT.

More partners and digital events are expected to be announced as the event approaches, so we’ll keep you updated here with any new additions.

How to watch

You can watch Summer Game Fest 2022 on all major streaming services, including Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter. Or, if available near you, you can watch Summer Game Fest Live at an IMAX theater.

What can we expect to see?

A man taking a picture of the EA logo.
Christian Peterson / Getty

So far, there have been no real clues as to what exactly we can expect to see at this year’s Summer Game Fest. However, a list of all the partners currently confirmed to be a part of the event in some form is listed. Going alphabetically, the list includes:

  • 2K
  • Activision
  • Amazon Games
  • Annapurna
  • Blizzard
  • Capcom
  • Devolver
  • Dotemu
  • EA
  • Epic Games
  • Finji
  • Frontier
  • Gearbox
  • Hi-Rez
  • Innersloth
  • Koch Media
  • Mediatonic
  • MiHoYo
  • Bandai Namco
  • Netflix
  • Psyonix
  • Raw Fury
  • Riot Games
  • Saber
  • Sega
  • Sony
  • Prime Gaming
  • Square Enix
  • Steam
  • Tencent Games
  • Tribeca Festival
  • Ubisoft
  • Warner Bros.
  • Wizards of the Coast
  • Xbox

Big names we expect to have some major announcements to make from that list include Sony, Xbox, Capcom, Sega, Square Enix, and hopefully a few surprises as well. Since Xbox and Bethesda are the only major ones to have a scheduled conference of their own so far, right now we can only really count on them having a good amount of stuff to show.

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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
Here’s the full schedule of summer video game livestreams
Promotional art for Starfield.

E3 is not taking place this year, but a plethora of independently created video game announcement livestreams are popping up. From Sony to Geoff Keighley to THQ Nordic, a lot of people and companies are airing video game livestreams that gaming fans will want to tune into over the course of this summer.
These are the most important video game reveal-focused livestreams that you should keep an eye on between June and August 2022 via Digital Trends' Summer Gaming Marathon coverage.
June 2: State of Play
State of Play | June 2, 2022 [ENGLISH]
Sony is holding another State of Play at 3 p.m. PT on June 2. Similar to March's showcase, this one will feature multiple games, rather than being dedicated to one game like Sony's Gran Turismo 7 and Hogwarts Legacy State of Play streams. Specifically, Sony says in a PlayStation Blog post that its fans should expect "exciting reveals from our third-party partners, plus a sneak peek at several games in development for PlayStation VR2." It doesn't look like God of War: Ragnarok will show up here, but it will certainly be a welcome surprise if it does.
June 6: LRG3 Showcase
Physical game distributor Limited Run Games and Mega64 announced that they would hold the third annual LRG Showcase at 1 p.m. PT on June 6, 2022 on Twitch. The LRG3 Showcase will feature 30 games overall, mainly highlighting titles that Limited Run Games plans to give a physical release to over the next year. 
June 7: Sonic Central
June is a big month for Sonic as Sega continues to share new info on Sonic Frontiers and prepares to release Sonic Origins on June 23. As part of its June festivities for the blue blur, Sega is holding yet another Sonic Central livestream to reveal "project, partnerships, and events happening in 2022." It begins at 9 a.m. PT on June 7.
June 9: Upload VR Showcase
Fans of VR games will want to tune into the Upload VR Showcase at 8 a.m. on June 9. This presentation is solely focused on highlighting upcoming VR games from developers big and small. While Upload VR isn't teasing any specific games for the show, the article confirming the event claims that it will have "the most new game reveals we’ve ever featured at a showcase, including some from companies yet to release VR games."
June 9: Summer Game Fest
https://twitter.com/geoffkeighley/status/1531666856989237253
At 11 a.m. PT on June 9, Geoff Keighley will host his second annual Summer Game Fest livestream dedicated to showing exciting games from publishers big and small. The re-reveal of Elden Ring happened during last year's stream, so this is definitely a stream that you'll want to keep an eye on. The tweet above confirms that major publishers like 2K, Activision, Capcom, EA, PlayStation, Sega, WB Games, and Xbox are participating. The showcase will last two hours. 
June 9: Day of the Devs: SGF Edition 
Summer Game Fest's showcase will be immediately followed by Day of the Devs: SGF Edition at 1 p.m. PT. This showcase will highlight a variety of upcoming video games. A press release for the event confirms that it will feature a new trailer for Bear and Breakfast and a new game from Monument Valley developer Ustwo Games, in addition to plenty of other independent developers. 
June 9: Devolver Marketing Countdown to Marketing
Devolver Direct 2022 Teaser | Watch June 9 @ 3PM Pacific
Devolver Digital will hold another satirical showcase at 3 p.m. PT on June 9. Titled the "Devolver Marketing Countdown to Marketing," expect this showcase to poke fun at how companies countdown to their main showcases with pre-shows and highlight some new games from Devolver. Cult of the Lamb is confirmed to be there, and Devolver is also promising to reveal some new games during the show. 
June 10: Epic Games Summer Showcase 
https://twitter.com/EpicGames/status/1534969752862478354
At 11 a.m. PT on June 10, Epic Games is holding its own video game showcase. It says the event will primarily be focused on "diving into new announcements and updates for PC titles on the Epic Games Store" that are launching both in 2022 and next year. 
June 10: The Outriders: Wordslayer Endgame Broadcast
At 11:45 a.m. PT on June 10, Square Enix and People Can Fly will hold yet another Outriders Broadcast. This livestream will be specifically focused on endgame content for Outriders: Worldslayer, a massive expansion for the sci-fi shooter that is launching on June 30. 
June 10: Tribeca Games Spotlight
As part of Summer Game Fest, Tribeca will highlight its 2022 game selections during a livestream at 12 p.m. PT on June 10. We know that Tribeca's game selections this year are A Plague Tale: Requiem, American Arcadia, As Dusk Falls, Cuphead - The Delicious Last Course, Immortality, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, The Cub, Thirsty Suitors, and Venba, so this livestream won't have much in the way of surprises. Still, it will provide updates on some of the industry's best-looking indie games.
June 11: Future of Play Direct
Future of Play Direct Livestream I Summer of Gaming 2022
IGN is getting in on the video game showcase fun with the Future of Play Direct at 10:30 a.m. PT on June 11. IGN promises that the event will have "new game announcements, trailers, musical performances, special guests, and more." While the event will likely be focused on indie titles, some cool new game may emerge during this showcase. 
June 11: Wholesome Direct 2022 
Wholesome Direct 2022 Teaser Trailer
Wholesome Direct is a yearly livestream that highlights cute indie games that are much more wholesome than violent. The event's organizers tease that this year's event will have "new game reveals, exclusive footage, and even games that will launch during the show," so it's worth tuning into if you want to see what cute indie games should be on your radar. 
June 11: Future Games Show
Future Games Show 2022
GamesRadar is holding yet another gaming showcase at 12 p.m. PT on June 11. Future Games Show livestreams often focus on highlighting cool indie and AA games, so don't expect the next major AAA bombshell to be here. But we can expect reveals from companies like Amanita Design, Team17, and Thunderful. Overall, GamesRadar claims that 40 games will be shown during June's Future Games Show. 
June 11 and 13: Guerrilla Collective 3
The Guerilla Collective is an indie showcase that takes place over the course of two separate days. The first presentation takes place at 8 a.m. PT on June 11 while the second one follows it up at 1 p.m. PT on June 13. You can see lists of many of the indie games participating in both the June 11 and June 13 events on the Guerrilla Collective's website. 
June 12: Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase

The Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase (no Activision just yet) returns at 10 a.m. PT on June 12. Even though Redfall and Starfield were both recently delayed to 2023, this is still probably going to contain our best looks at these games yet! On top of that, there are plenty of other upcoming Xbox exclusives that Microsoft could show like Avowed, Fable, the new Forza Motorsport, Contraband, and Perfect Dark. Ultimately, Microsoft has a lot to prove with this year's showcase as it needs to demonstrate why 2022 will still be a compelling year for Xbox consoles and Game Pass without Redfall and Starfield. Check out everything that was announced.
June 12: PC Gaming Show
Just a couple of hours after Xbox and Bethesda's showcase, you can expect PC Gamer to hold an announcement-filled livestream of its own. The PC Gaming Show starts at 12:30 p.m. on June 12 and will contain over 45 upcoming PC games. Titles teased by PC Gamer so far include Arma 4, a Half-Life: Alyx mod called Levitation, Immortality, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Victoria 3, and unannounced games from Klei Entertainment and 11 Bit Studios. If you're a fan of PC Gaming, this is definitely a show you'll want to tune into. 
June 13: Capcom Showcase

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Here’s how you can play Summer Game Fest demos on Xbox this month
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If you were one of the many who witnessed the recent Summer Game Fest from the comfort of your home and wish you could get to try a few of the demos then your wish is coming true (at least if you own an Xbox console). Xbox confirmed that it is once again teaming with Geoff Keighley's summer event to bring select demos from the show floor to Xbox One and Series X/S consoles for a week.

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