E3 2023 has been cancelled, but it has never been the only show in town. There will be many other high-profile presentations in June this year, so now that May is in the yard, it’s time to start preparing for important news and discoveries.
The Jeff Keighley Summer Game Festival kicks off June 8, and the party continues this weekend with Xbox and Starfield events. More presentations will follow shortly, including the PC Gaming Show and Ubisoft Forward. So while E3 2023 won’t take place, the week it was scheduled for will still be pretty eventful (and hopefully exciting!). Also, June won’t be the end of things as Gamescom takes place in August with its regular Opening Night Live event on August 22nd.
And, as usual, we won’t be surprised to learn about additional events in the future. After all, the PlayStation Showcase is rumored to take place in the summer, and Nintendo is always a wildcard, so we’d never be surprised if the Mario Company announces another Direct out of the blue; last year he hosted the Direct Mini in June. Below you can see the schedule as we know it so far – stay tuned.
- Summer Game Festival: June 8
- Presentation of games for Xbox: June 11
- Starfield Showcase: June 11
- Game Show for PC: June 11
- Ubisoft forward: 12 June
- Gamescom Opening Night Live: August 22
June 8
Summer Games Festival
Summer Games Fest 2023 will be streamed live from the YouTube Cinema in Hollywood Park on June 8th. Fans can visit in person by purchasing tickets to try out some of the games on the show. It’s still early, so there’s no word yet on a specific time for the event or any hints of what to expect. But history tells us that the showcase will feature news, trailers and other revelations. Last year, partners included 2K, Activision, Capcom, Atlus, EA, Sega, Netflix and more.
June 11
Presentation of games for Xbox
Shortly after Summer Game Fest, Microsoft will host two events on June 11, the first of which will be the big Xbox Games Showcase. It’s likely that Microsoft will look into its schedule for upcoming releases, including the next Forza Motorsport game and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Other Xbox titles in development that could draw attention include Avowed, Fable, The Outer Worlds 2, and Perfect Dark. We could also hear about the next Rare game, Everwild, or a rumored new Gears game. We also expect product and platform updates from the Xbox ecosystem.
However, there will be no Starfield at the Xbox Games Showcase because Microsoft will dedicate an entire event to it.
- June 11, 10:00 AM PT
- June 11 at 1:00 pm ET
- June 11, 18:00 Moscow time
- June 11, 19:00 CET
- June 12, 4:00 JST
- June 12, 5:00 AM EDT
June 11
Starfield Direct
After Bethesda’s big release in May, Redfall failed to keep up with critics, with many looking to Starfield to speed things up. Starfield, the sci-fi RPG, is Bethesda Game Studios’ first new intellectual property in 25 years, so fans understandably excited and interested in Starfield Direct June 11th.
Starfield is the first new BGS game since 2018’s Fallout 76 and is directed by Todd Howard. We can expect Starfield Direct to take a deep dive into Starfield and give players something to get excited about ahead of the highly anticipated launch in September. A start time for the Starfield Direct has not been announced, but it will immediately follow the Xbox Games Showcase.
- Time: Right after the Xbox Games Showcase.
June 11
Game show for PC
PC Gamer’s PC Gaming Show returns on June 11th, and it promises to be a very busy day for big events. This event will take place after the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Showcase, but the exact start time has not been confirmed. PC Gamer said it expects more details to come soon. But what we do know is that Sean “Day9” Plott is returning as host. PC Gamer started the PC Gaming Show in 2015 and has held a new one every year since then.
12 June
Ubisoft Forward
Ubisoft’s annual event, Ubisoft Forward, will take place on June 12 at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET. The event will be streamed live from Los Angeles, but there’s no word yet on what to expect other than “updates and game announcements.” Some likely candidates for games to appear at the event include Skull & Bones, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and likely many more.
- 10:00 AM PST
- 12:00 PM PST
- 13:00 ET
- 18:00 Moscow time
June 13
Presentation of Xbox games expanded
The Xbox Games Showcase Extended is scheduled for Tuesday, June 13 at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET. There will be “in-depth interviews” covering news from the Xbox Games Showcase as well as “game updates” from Xbox partners.
- June 13, 10:00 AM PT
- June 13 at 1:00 pm ET
- June 13, 18:00 Moscow time
- June 13, 19:00 CET
- June 14 at 4:00 JST
- June 14, 5:00 AM EDT
August 22
Gamescom Opening Night Live
Gamescom Opening Night Live has historically been an event where news is announced and trailers released, and we expect 2023 to be no different. A specific time for the event has not been confirmed, but last year’s Opening Night Live show started at 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET and ran for about two hours.
The Gamescom Opening Night Live event is an introduction to Gamescom, taking place August 23-27 at Koelnmesse. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend what is usually one of the most visited video game events of the year.
- 11:00 AM PT
- 13:00 Pacific Time
- 14:00 ET
- 19:00 Moscow time