E3 is coming back this June after two long years with an online showcase stacked with the world’s biggest developers and publishers locked into the schedule. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch E3 2021, which games will be on show, and more.
For years, E3 has been a landmark event in the gaming calendar where countless titles are announced and revealed.
However, after lockdown restrictions began in 2020, last year’s event was canceled. Instead of the typical live event, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) hosted a series of live streams which took place over the summer months.
This year, the ESA is planning to host an online event that mimics the typical E3 format, instead of the spread-out live streams they were forced to produce last year. Following months of rumors, the event is confirmed and details about how to watch the livestream have been confirmed – with a new online portal announced.
Contents
- How to watch E3 2021
- When is E3 2021?
- E3 online portal and registration
- Schedule
- Who is taking part?
- Which games are being revealed?
- Leaks and rumors
How to watch E3 2021
E3 2021 will be broadcast on multiple platforms, including on their official Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook pages.
We have embedded the E3 Twitch stream above, for your convenience.
When is E3 2021?
The ESA has confirmed that E3 2021 will run between June 12 and June 15.
Developers will be showcasing their latest news and games at the digital-only event, and the ESA has said it will be working with media partners around the world to make the event available to everyone to watch for free.
E3 2021 online portal
Gaming fans can also sign up for the new E3 portal, which grants access to immersive livestream experiences during the event. This is a key change this year, with the broadcast being held virtually for the first time in its history.
“From the moment we decided to host E3 virtually, we’ve been focused on providing an interactive experience for fans around the globe that goes beyond the typical livestream,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO of the ESA.
“The result is a bespoke online portal and app that will allow fans, media, and industry professionals to have an E3 experience designed to run parallel to the four-day broadcast, laying the foundation for interactive E3 elements to continue beyond this year’s all-virtual show.”
How to register & what’s included
Fans can now register around the globe to access the portal and app. After June 12, the portal will give access to:
- Select Exhibitor Booths
- Lounges
- Forums
- Leaderboards
- Profile Creation
Schedule
Below are the schedules for each highlighted event, and their starting times and dates.
| Event | Date | Time |
| Ubisoft Forward | Saturday, June 12 | 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 8 PM BST / 9 PM CEST / 5 AM AEST |
| Gearbox E3 Showcase | Saturday, June 12 | 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET / 10 PM BST / 11 PM CEST / 7 AM AEST |
| Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase | Sunday, June 13 | 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 3 AM AEST / 7 AM CEST |
| Square Enix | Sunday, June 13 | 12:15 PM PT / 3:15 PM ET / 8:15 PM BST / 9:15 PM CEST / 5:15 AM AEST |
| Capcom | Monday, June 14 | 2:30 PM PT / 5:30 PM ET / 10:30 PM BST / 11:30 PM CEST / 7:30 AM AEST |
| Take-Two Interactive Panel | Monday, June 14 | 10:15 AM PT / 1 :15PM ET / 6:15 PM BST / 3:15 AM AEST / 7:15 AM CEST |
| Nintendo Direct and Nintendo Treehouse | Tuesday, June 15 | 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST / 2 AM AEST / 6 AM CEST |
| BANDAI NAMCO | Tuesday, June 15 | 2:25 PM PT / 5:25 PM ET / 10:25 PM BST / 11:25 PM CEST / 7:25 AM AEST |
| Official E3 2021 Awards Show | Tuesday, June 15 | 4:45 PM PT / 7:45 PM ET / 12:45 AM BST / 1:45 AM CEST / 9:45 AM AEST |
Who is taking part in E3 2021?
Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games, and Koch Media have all locked themselves in for the event.
Sony and EA, just in case people did not know, will be hosting breakaway events and will not attend. EA Play Live will take place on July 22, almost a month later.
Make sure to check our out dedicated E3 hubs, complete with full schedule breakdowns: Nintendo | Ubisoft | Xbox
Which games are being revealed at E3 2021?
A number of high-profile titles are expected to feature in the press conferences. These include:
- Avowed
- Forza Motorsport
- Halo Infinite
- Starfield
- Elden Ring
- Fable 4
- Minecraft
- GTA Online Next-Gen
All the biggest E3 Announcements so far
Day 1
Ubisoft
- Brawlhalla x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Watch Dogs: Legion Bloodline DLC
- Rainbow Six Extraction
- Riders Republic
- Rainbow Six Siege crossplay, Thunderbird trailer
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Discovery Tour
- Far Cry 6 trailer, Villains DLC
- Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope reveal
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora reveal
Gearbox E3 Showcase
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- Godfall crossplay, PS4 release, Fire and Darkness DLC
- Tribes of Midgard dev trailer
- Homeworld 3 announcement
- Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands trailer
- Borderlands Movie behind-the-scenes
Day 2
Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase
- Starfield trailer
- The Outer Worlds 2 reveal trailer
- Back 4 Blood trailer
- Contraband announcement
- Battlefield 2042 gameplay trailer
- Forza Horizon 5 gameplay trailer
- Psychonauts 2 Release Date
- Sea of Thieves Pirates of the Caribbean’s Jack Sparrow DLC reveal
- Halo: Infinite multiplayer trailer
- Redfall reveal
- Diablo 2 Resurrected trailer
- STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Far Cry 6 gameplay trailer
- Slime Rancher 2 reveal
- Shredders reveal trailer
- Replaced announcement
- Grounded: Shroom & Doom update reveal
Square Enix
- Guardians of the Galaxy reveal trailer
- Legend of Mana remaster trailer
- Final Fantasy Pixel remaster reveal
- Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda DLC reveal
- Babylon’s Fall reveal trailer
- Life is Strange Remastered Collection reveal
- Life is Strange: True Colours reveal
- Stranger of ParaDise: Final Fantasy Origin reveal trailer
Day 3
Capcom
- Resident Evil Village DLC announcement, RE: Verse
- Monster Hunter Stories 2 new trailer
- The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles gameplay trailer
E3 Highlights
Even though we couldn’t have a traditional conference this year, the digital E3 event did have some notable ‘wow’ moments that we can expect from the annual expo.
The Outer Worlds 2
One of the best things about E3 are the wild, and sometimes unbelievable, trailers that come out. Well, Take-Two and Obsidian Entertainment were honest about their new title The Outer Worlds 2.
While the reveal didn’t show us much about The Outer Worlds 2, it’s tone was perfect to its title and poked fun at the hype machine that companies tend to make out of E3.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Square’s rumored Marvel game has been shrouded in mystery and intrigue for a while, and we finally got to see what they’re working on.
Following their foray into The Avengers, Square is concentrating on the intergalactic gang of misfits to lead their next single-player narrative.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
It wouldn’t be an E3 conference without a surprise reveal that takes audiences by surprise, and that could be said of Ubisoft’s upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
While there were rumors of its existence, seeing a new side of Pandora was epic and makes us wonder what the full release is going to look like.
E3 2021 leaks and rumors
Rumors surrounding reveals of games like an XCOM-style Marvel game, a Dark-Souls style Final Fantasy type game dubbed ‘Origin’, and the campus-based sequel to ‘Two Point Hospital’ have all been touted as upcoming games to be revealed at E3.
- Read More: When is GTA 6 coming out?
Previously, leaks surrounding Gearbox’s Wonderlands were rife, as were the details behind Bandai Namco’s ‘Elden Ring‘. These have now been confirmed to be true, and as such, it could be likely that more of these titles will come into public knowledge during the event this year.
Hopefully, this has caught you up on everything you need to know about the upcoming event. You can check out our predictions for the games we’re expecting to see at E3 2021 here.