Gaming industry keynote calendar

The gaming industry keynote calendar

The gaming industry's keynote calendar has been substantially restructured since the demise of E3 in 2023. In place of a single dominant June trade show, the industry now runs a distributed calendar anchored by Summer Game Fest in early June, the Xbox Games Showcase the same week, Sony's State of Play streams scattered through the year, Nintendo Direct presentations on a roughly quarterly cadence, and Gamescom in late August as the consumer-facing trade show. The Game Awards in mid-December closes the year with a major broadcast that doubles as a reveal moment for the following year's slate.

Summer Game Fest, produced by Geoff Keighley, runs at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles each June and serves as the cross-publisher trailer showcase for the year. The roughly two-hour live broadcast features world premieres, gameplay reveals, and partner content from Square Enix, Capcom, Konami, Sega, Activision, EA, 2K, and major independents. SGF Play Days, an in-person hands-on press preview window, runs adjacent to the showcase. Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase typically airs the same week, while Sony and Nintendo schedule independent broadcasts in their own slots.

Sony's State of Play presentations are delivered as pre-recorded livestreams, typically 20-40 minutes long, focused on PlayStation 5 first- and third-party content. Sony does not commit to a fixed cadence; State of Play presentations have appeared at irregular intervals throughout the year. Nintendo Direct, similarly delivered as a pre-recorded livestream, anchors Nintendo's reveal strategy across the Switch 2, with major Direct presentations in February, June, and September each year and smaller Indie World and Partner Showcase streams between them.

Gamescom, held at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany in late August, is the world's largest gaming trade show by attendance. Opening Night Live (ONL), produced by Geoff Keighley, opens the show on Tuesday evening with a roughly two-hour pre-recorded broadcast featuring trailers and world premieres. The Game Awards, held each December at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, closes the calendar with the industry's most-watched annual broadcast, distributing awards across categories and using the slot for major reveal announcements that have included Elden Ring, Hellblade II, and Marvel's Wolverine in recent years.

Smaller industry moments include GDC in March (developer-focused), PAX events through the year, Tokyo Game Show in September, BlizzCon (when held), and various publisher-specific livestreams. The industry's keynote philosophy has become more distributed and stream-first since E3's collapse, with publishers increasingly favouring direct-to-consumer broadcasts over centralised trade shows.

Gaming events throughout the year

• The Game Awards (December): Annual awards broadcast and reveal moment held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
• Nintendo Direct (variable): Pre-recorded livestream presentations, with major editions in February, June, and September.
• GDC (March): Game Developers Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
• Sony State of Play (variable): Pre-recorded PlayStation-focused presentations through the year.
• Summer Game Fest (June): Cross-publisher showcase at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
• Xbox Games Showcase (June): Microsoft's annual gaming presentation.
• Gamescom (August): World's largest gaming trade show in Cologne, Germany.
• Tokyo Game Show (September): Japanese gaming industry trade show at Makuhari Messe.

Past milestone announcements

• SGF 2025 featured Resident Evil Requiem gameplay, Death Stranding 2 release date, and major third-party reveals.
• Xbox Games Showcase 2025 revealed The Outer Worlds 2, Fable, State of Decay 3, and the ROG Xbox Ally handheld.
• Gamescom 2025 ONL featured Resident Evil Requiem gameplay and Hollow Knight: Silksong release date.
• Nintendo Switch 2 was announced in January 2025 via Nintendo Direct and launched in June 2025.
• The Game Awards 2024 unveiled Elden Ring Nightreign and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
• Summer Game Fest 2024 unveiled Monster Hunter Wilds gameplay and Lego Horizon Adventures.
• The Game Awards 2023 launched the original Hellblade II gameplay reveal.
• Xbox Games Showcase 2023 announced Hellblade II, Avowed, Starfield's release window, and Fable's reveal trailer.

How to watch gaming events

Most gaming keynotes stream free across multiple platforms simultaneously: YouTube, Twitch, X, TikTok, and event-specific sites. Summer Game Fest streams from the Summer Game Fest YouTube channel and summergamefest.com. Xbox Games Showcase streams from Xbox's YouTube channel and Twitch. PlayStation State of Play streams from the PlayStation YouTube channel. Nintendo Direct streams from Nintendo's YouTube channel and Twitter. The Game Awards streams from The Game Awards YouTube channel. Most broadcasts run 60-150 minutes, and trailers are uploaded to publisher YouTube channels within minutes of the live broadcast ending.

Related brand calendars

For the platform holders' broader portfolios, see the Microsoft keynote hub covering Xbox alongside Build, Ignite, and Windows. For technology-industry context, see the Apple keynote hub, the Google keynote hub, and the Samsung keynote hub.

FAQ

Is E3 still happening? No, E3 was officially cancelled by the ESA in late 2023. Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase, and Gamescom now anchor the June and August calendar. When is Summer Game Fest each year? The first or second Friday of June since 2022. When does Sony hold State of Play? State of Play has no fixed cadence; presentations appear at irregular intervals throughout the year. When is Nintendo Direct? Major Nintendo Direct presentations typically air in February, June, and September, with smaller Indie World and Partner Showcase streams between them. Where can I watch The Game Awards? Free on The Game Awards YouTube channel, Twitch, X, and TikTok in mid-December each year.