Summer Game Fest is back with a live showcase event to kick off the action tonight, on Thursday 8 June.

It will be streamed live from the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles and will also invite a live audience for the first time, giving them a peek at some exciting upcoming games.

Given that E3 is cancelled this year, Summer Game Fest has a clear run at being the premier cross-platform showcase of the season, so what is it and what can we expect from it? Here's everything we know about it so far.

When is Summer Game Fest?

The main Summer Game Fest showcase will take place on Thursday 8 June, and you can find start times in various regions below.

  • 12:00 PT
  • 15:00 ET
  • 20:00 BST
  • 21:00 CEST

How to watch Summer Game Fest

The livestream page for Summer Game Fest has now been set live on YouTube, so we've embedded it at the top of this page to let you watch it along with us - just press the play icon to get going.

You can also find that YouTube stream directly right here, and the stream will also be viewable on Twitch.

What is Summer Game Fest 2021 and how to watch it live? photo 3
Summer Game Fest

What to expect during Summer Game Fest

In previous years, other publishers and games companies have supported Summer Game Fest - not least by giving trailer exclusives to host Geoff Keighley for announcement during the showcase stream.

So, during the kickoff show you can expect a long series of trailers for games that have (and haven't) been announced - giving us a firmer idea of what projects are coming down the line in the next year or two.

This year the list of partners for the show is looking really impressive, as you can see below.

We've listed those out for you below in case you're not familiar with all the logos!

That's a really solid list that could make for some very exciting reveals during the show.

What is Summer Game Fest?

Born from the pandemic and global lockdowns, Summer Game Fest started in 2020 to fill the void left by a cancelled E3.

It ran from May to August and featured publisher announcements, in-game events and an opening livestream that crammed in bundles of game info and trailers.

The show also ran in 2021 and 2022, with individual keynotes from publishers and developers to round off the action.

Now it's coming back, but with a twist - the main kickoff showcase will have a live audience for the first time.

You can keep up with the latest schedule and news on the Summer Game Fest homepage.