Summer Game Fest 2023 and ‘Not-E3’ schedule

This year’s E3 has been canceled, but that won’t stop game publishers like Sony, Microsoft, and Ubisoft from holding their own digital showcases throughout the summer — or Geoff Keighley’s ever-expanding Summer Game Fest event from providing a good alternative to the video game announcement blowout one would have expected from E3 2023.

While Nintendo has not yet announced any kind of Nintendo Direct around the usual E3 timing, and Sony has already held its PlayStation Showcase, there’s plenty more to come. Here’s a quick look at the “not-E3” and Summer Game Fest 2023 schedule through August. More details on when, where, and what publishers plan to show this summer are below.

• Summer Game Fest — June 8
• Day of the Devs — June 8
• Devolver Direct — June 8
• Wholesome Direct — June 10
• Future Games Show Summer Showcase — June 10
• Xbox Games Showcase — June 11
• Starfield Direct — June 11
• PC Gaming Show — June 11
• Ubisoft Forward — June 12
• Sega’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Summit — June 16
• Gamescom Opening Night Live — Aug. 22

Summer Game Fest 2023

On Thursday, June 8, host Geoff Keighley will present his fourth annual Summer Game Fest. This year’s SGF promises the expected game reveals and first looks, including debut gameplay from Mortal Kombat 1 and a new look at Alan Wake 2. Given Keighley’s history of game reveals, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2 and FromSoftware’s Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree also made appearances. The event will feature games from more than 40 publishers and developers, Keighley says.

Summer Game Fest 2023 streams live from Los Angeles at 12 p.m. PDT/3 p.m. EDT/9 p.m. CEST, and can be watched on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Steam.

Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition

Image: iam8bit/Double Fine Productions

Immediately following Summer Game Fest, Double Fine Productions and iam8bit will present their Day of the Devs livestream. Day of the Devs: SGF Edition promises games from more than a dozen indie game developers, including AdHoc Studio, Die Gute Fabrik, Evil Licorice, Geometric Interactive, Heart Machine, iam8bit Presents, Impossible, Land & Sea, Lululu Entertainment, Moonloop Games, Phantom Coast, Sad Owl Studios, Shape Shop, Studio Sai, and Wishes Unlimited.

Devolver Direct

On June 8, Devolver Digital will hold its Devolver Direct livestream, promising “new game reveals, announcements, and surprises.” It will also see the “return” of the character Volvy, a ’90s-era mascot who didn’t exist until now, but in true, wacky Devolver fashion, will make an appearance in a bunch of games. Expect equal amounts comedy and gaming news from Devolver, as is tradition.

Devolver Direct 2023 will stream live at 3 p.m. PDT/6 p.m. EDT.

Wholesome Direct

Wholesome Direct, the showcase for cute, cozy, colorful, and clever games, returns on Saturday, June 10, with a whole bunch of feel-good games — more than 70 in total, organizers say.

You can tune in to Wholesome Direct at the group’s YouTube and Twitch channels at 9 a.m. PDT/12 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. CEST.

Future Games Show Summer Showcase

Expect more than 50 multi-platform games in the 70-minute Future Games Show Summer Showcase on Saturday, June 10. The whole thing will be hosted by voice actors Yuri Lowenthal and Laura Bailey — the Spider-Man series’ Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson — and can be watched on the Future Games Show’s YouTube channel, GamesRadar’s Twitch channel, Facebook, and Twitter.

Xbox Games Showcase

Image: Microsoft

On Sunday, June 11, Microsoft is expected to bring out the big guns for a look at what’s coming next to Windows PC and Xbox Series X. Expect “new surprises and first-looks” from Xbox Game Studios and its third-party partners. Microsoft says the Xbox Games Showcase will focus on titles for Xbox, PC, and Game Pass.

Xbox Games Showcase 2023 will kick off at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CEST, and will stream on Xbox’s YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook channels.

Starfield Direct

Immediately following the Xbox Game Showcase is a second stream, Bethesda Softworks’ Starfield Direct. The focus on Starfield promises “new gameplay, developer interviews, and behind-the-scenes insider information” for the upcoming Windows PC and Xbox Series X game.

PC Gaming Show

The folks at PC Gamer return with another PC Gaming Show that’s all about — you guessed it — upcoming PC games and updates to released games. More than 50 games will be showcased at this year’s show, including Baldur’s Gate 3, Frostpunk 2, Dune: Awakening, and a new game from Klei, the studio behind Don’t Starve and Mark of the Ninja.

The PC Gaming Show 2023 will be streamed on YouTube and Twitch starting at 1 p.m. PDT/4 p.m. EDT/10 p.m. CEST on June 11.

Ubisoft Forward

Suit up for another trip to Pandora, because Ubisoft’s long-awaited Avatar video game will make an appearance at Ubisoft Forward 2023 on Monday, June 12. Appearing alongside Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will be live reveals for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, The Crew Motorfest, Assassin’s Creed Nexus, and something mysterious, based on the above teaser video.

Ubisoft Forward 2023 streams live on June 12 at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CEST.

RGG Summit Summer 2023

Sega’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio — the folks who make Yakuza, Judgment, and Like a Dragon games — will offer a peek at what’s next on Thursday, June 15, during the RGG Summit Summer 2023. Publisher Sega says fans of the Like a Dragon series can expect “updates about upcoming titles, community efforts, [and] developer discussions” during the livestream, which will feature English-language interpretation. Hopefully, fans will get an update on Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, the spinoff that will bring back former series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu.

RGG Summit Summer 2023 will stream on Sega’s Western YouTube and Twitch channels at 8 p.m. PDT/11 p.m. EDT on June 15.

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023

Geoff Keighley will return to Germany and to every livestream platform for Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023 on Aug. 22. Like Summer Game Fest, expect world premieres and major game announcements. If you didn’t see it at SGF 2023 in June, keep your fingers crossed for anything unannounced to show up at Gamescom.

Details on specific times for when Gamescom ONL 2023 will be streaming are forthcoming.

What about Nintendo Direct and Sony’s State of Play?

Without an E3, Nintendo does not have a major event on which to peg a Nintendo Direct presentation. Typically, in the absence of E3, Nintendo will hold a smaller, third-party-focused version of its Nintendo Direct showcases. In 2020 and 2022, Nintendo streamed Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcases, saving its big first-party reveals for later in the year.

Nintendo also doesn’t have much on its publishing schedule beyond Pikmin 4 in July, and it’s feasible that the company could update Nintendo Switch owners on what to expect at some point this summer.

As for PlayStation, it held a big PlayStation Showcase in May, but with plenty of games still left to show — like Naughty Dog’s multiplayer The Last of Us spinoff — it’s possible that a new State of Play livestream could come later this summer or sometime in the fall.