Looking for a comprehensive schedule of the summer’s big gaming events and showcases? After a muted return from pandemic oblivion as a digital event in 2021, plans for E3 2022 in any form were scrapped way back in March. But those who can’t picture the start of summer without a festival of gaming trailers and announcements needn’t fret, because a number of other, similar events will be going ahead in E3’s usual place. Collectively (and highly unofficially) referred to as Not-E3, these various events are expected to run for around two-and-a-half months between June and August, and look to cover everything from triple-A titles to the hottest indies on the radar right now.
Read on for the scheduled line-up of everything we know so far. We’ll keep this page updated with more information as we get it, including links to livestreams once they’re available!
June 2022
August 2022
June 2022
Summer Game Fest Live
Thursday 9 June from 7pm BST (2pm EST / 11am PST)
Few exact details are yet available for Summer Games Fest, but going by the example set in the last couple of years, we can expect to see the event kick off with a 90-minute showcase featuring the latest news on major PC and console releases. A list of partner studios participating in the event shows that it’s bound to be a packed few days, with showcases and news expected from at least 35 major developers and publishers, many of these whom have their own dedicated showcases (mostly TBC at this point), while others will probably be sharing the spotlight. More info as we have it.
Keep an eye on the Summer Game Fest website for information on how and where to watch the various events that make up the show.
Day of the Devs
Thursday 9 June (exact time TBC but immediately following Summer Game Fest Live)
The 10th Anniversary Day of the Devs event will be hosted at some point during June’s Summer Game Fest. That’s really all we know for now, other than the fact that submissions are still open. For the past nine years, Day of the Devs has been a showcase of 20 or so indie titles selected from those submitted for consideration, so expect to see a similar line-up this year too.
Netflix Geeked Week: Gaming
Friday 10 June from 6pm BST (1pm EST / 10am PST)
In a sort of crossover, this event will both close out Netflix Geeked Week and act as the streaming giant’s showcase at the Summer Game Fest. Netflix announced their intention to get seriously into games last November, with the plan being to host some existing titles on the platform as well as starting up their own game publishing arm. So far the Netflix Games app is only available on mobile devices, but with some new game and TV show announcements planned at this event, it’s possibly one that PC gaming enthusiasts will want to keep an eye on nonetheless.
Tribeca Games Spotlight
Friday 10 June from 8pm BST (3pm EST / 12pm PST)
This event will highlight nine games in more detail, and the list of featured titles is currently one of the most comprehensive plans we’ve seen for Not-E3. The games under the titular spotlight are: American Arcadia, As Dusk Falls, The Cub, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course (DLC), Immortality, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Thirsty Suitors, and Venba. Every title on the list has a 2022-ish planned release date and will be available on PC via Steam upon release (along with a varying selection of other platforms), so this is one RPS readers will likely want to put in their calendars.
Guerilla Collective Showcase + Wholesome Direct
Saturday 11 June from 4pm BST (11am EST / 8am PST)
You can’t throw too many spotlights on indie games, and the Guerilla Collective Showcase will be highlighting yet more awesome indies on June 11th. This one was a very recent announcement so we’re still waiting on more news about the line-up.
Guerilla’s indie pals Wholesome Games, meanwhile, will broadcast their showcase directly after Guerilla Collective’s (beginning at half past the hour). The showcase boasts over 100 titles; what’s more, two that have already been confirmed are Snufkin: Melody of Moomin Valley and Katharine’s most-anticipated Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus And Butterfly, which is all I need to know to make this one a must-see.
Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase
Sunday 12 June from 6pm BST (1pm EST / 10am PST)
There’s no detailed schedule for this one just yet, but I’m quite confident in predicting that a fair chunk of the anticipated 90-minute run-time will be devoted to Starfield and Redfall, despite (and in fact perhaps because of) the fact that both titles were recently delayed into the first half of 2023.
Other upcoming Bethesda and/or Xbox titles that might well make an appearance include As Dusk Falls (good news if you fell in love with this one during Friday’s Tribeca Games Spotlight), Atomic Heart, and Party Animals.
PC Gaming Show + Future Games Show
Sunday 12 June from TBC
Both of these events are scheduled for June 12th, with exact times TBC. The PC Gaming Show will focus on PC gaming hardware and software announcements plus gaming news on in-development titles, while the Future Games Show is expected to cover new game reveals and trailers ranging from Triple-A to indie. As yet, though, no specifics have been confirmed for either event.
Summer Games Done Quick
Sunday 26 June from 5:30pm BST (12:30pm EST / 9:30 am PST)
OK, admittedly one of these things is not like the others, but what sort of heartless monster would complain that we took a moment to mention this annual charity speedrunning event in the midst of the capitalistic orgy that is Not-E3? Naturally, Elden Ring is this year’s big draw, but with 126 other games also featured during the event, there’s bound to be a few to catch your eye. (You can see the full list and schedule here). As someone who regularly takes literal years to finish a game, I can only stand by in awe and chuck money into the pot for an extremely worthy cause, which this year is Doctors Without Borders.
The week-long event is scheduled to end on Sunday 3 July at the incredibly specific time of 7:22am BST (2:22am EST / Saturday 2 July @ 11:22pm PST). If anyone can pull off that sort of timing, I suspect it will be these speedrunners.
August 2022
THQ Nordic Digital Showcase
Friday 12 August from 8pm BST (3pm EDT / 12pm PST)
Publishers THQ Nordic say that their 2022 digital showcase will include updates on in-development titles including Outcast 2 and the latest Jagged Edge. But the primary focus seems to be on new game announcements, which intriguingly promises several original and licensed titles.
Quakecon
Thursday 18 August to Saturday 20 August (times TBC)
Quakecon will once again be digital-only in 2022, featuring three days of announcements and updates on Bethesda and id Software titles. Given that, expect a fair bit of crossover with the Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase from June’s Summer Game Fest, though with over two months between the events, hopefully there’ll be even more to see on titles like Starfield and Redfall by the time August rolls around.
Gamescom
Wednesday 24 August to Sunday 28 August (times TBC)
We currently know very little about this year’s Gamescom, which will in all likelihood be the swansong for the summer’s Not-E3 schedule since it comes right at the end of August. Nevertheless, we do know that it’s happening, and history tells us that it’ll bring a mix of first-look gameplay and new game announcements to whet your whistle as we begin to wind down towards autumn and start thinking about our 2022 GOTY nominees.
