The E3 2020 schedule may be a bit different this year, but you can still expect plenty of gaming news over the next month. While the physical event in LA may have been cancelled due to COVID-19, there'll be digital-only showcases for us to enjoy. At the moment, some companies are - rightfully - delaying those original plans to respect the conflicts happening in the US. Still, we're here to keep you up to date with everything that's happening in this year's fluid E3 2020 schedule.
And here's everything you can do to support, donate, and learn more about Black Lives Matter.
Below, we've outlined the dates, times, and links of every press conference announced as part of the E3 2020 schedule, alongside some information of what to expect from each of the shows themselves. For those of us not based in the United States, staying up to date may require a few late nights (or early mornings, depending on how you look at it), but it'll be worth it for just a few precious new glimpses at current-gen, PS5, and Xbox Series X games.
So while the actual E3 2020 event isn't actually physically happening, there is some semblance of an E3 2020 schedule, with press conferences, digital events, and more to look forward to in June.
When is E3 2020?
For now though, the biggest question that we really need to answer is "When is E3 2020?", and the period that we're calling E3 2020 is currently running from June 4 - 11, with events and more happening in and around that time period.
Technically the show that would have been E3 2020 is cancelled, but publishers and gaming sites alike are doing their own digital events during the same time frame as the event would usually fall.
What's the full E3 2020 schedule?
But until then, you’ll need the full E3 2020 schedule, including all the international timings for the press conferences and live streams. Read on for a breakdown of everything happening on each day and how to watch the live streams from the comfort of your own sofa, if it's been announced.
We're still yet to hear if all the big publishers are getting involved, and are awaiting confirmation on dates and times for others, so we'll update this page with all the latest news and announcements.
Future Games Show
Date: June 13
Time: 2PM PT / 5PM ET / 10PM BST
GamesRadar presents: The Future Games Show is an hour-long broadcast containing exclusive trailers, announcements, and deep dives on existing AAA and indie games, focusing on current (and next-gen) consoles, mobile, and streaming platforms.
Better yet, it's being hosted by none other than Nolan North and Emily Rose, better known as Nate and Elena Drake from the Uncharted series, so expect plenty of banter from the renowned voice actors throughout the entire show. It also has a new date, in respect of the Black Lives Matter protests.
PC Gaming Show
Date: June 13
Time: TBC
Tune in: Official Site | YouTube
The PC Gaming Show, the annual show from our sister site PC Gamer, is now happening on June 13. It'll showcase some of coolest and most interesting games coming to the platform, so it's more than worth tuning in, although we're still waiting for an exact time.
PS5 Future of Gaming
Date: TBC June
Time: TBC
Originally scheduled for June 4, PlayStation delayed its PS5 Future of Gaming event to "allow more important voices to be heard" in support of the Black Lives Matter protests taking place across the United States. Sony has yet to confirm a new date for its showcase of upcoming PS5 games, but we can make a wise guestimate that it'll still take place sometime this month.
As for what it'll contain, PlayStation has promised exclusives for the next-gen console will finally be unveiled, with betting odds currently banking on a Horizon Zero Dawn 2 reveal. It sure is Aloy-t to think about.
Microsoft Xbox
Date: TBC June
Time: TBC
Microsoft has committed to a series of monthly events leading up to the Xbox Series X launch sometime this 'Holiday 2020' season. The first was on May 7, and then there will be one sometime in June. However, Microsoft has confirmed that it's July show will provide a deep dive into its slate of upcoming Xbox Series X games, including Halo Infinite, Hellblade 2, and whatever else its first party studios have cooking up for next gen. It's sure to be a belter.
CD Projekt Red and Cyberpunk 2077
Date: Thursday, June 25
Time: TBC
Following a minor delay from its original June 11 date, Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire is a special digital event now dropping on June 25, which will no doubt showcase new details about CD Projekt Red's upcoming game. There's no details or specifics announced for this special showcase beyond the date, but it's another digital event to add to your diaries.
EA Play Live
Date: June 11
Time: 4PM PDT / 7PM EDT / 12AM BST
EA Play is going digital this year, and EA is planning something big. "EA Play Live 2020 is about connecting players around the world and bringing them closer to the game franchises they love," said the publisher of the event. "During this year’s digital event, we’ll showcase our games through a live broadcast, community content, and more."
The company has already teased FIFA 21 and Madden 21 for the show, and we know in terms of upcoming games there's "an unannounced EA SPORTS title, an additional EA HD title, four EA Partners titles and two mobile soft-launches", at least according to the company's earning report.
Ubisoft Forward
Date: July 12
Time: 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm BT
Following the footsteps of Electronic Arts, game publisher and multi-studio developer Ubisoft has announced that it'll be holding its own digital press conference, Ubisoft Forward, next month.
While the company has announced details of what to expect, you can pretty much guarantee that Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be there, alongside fresh looks at Watch Dogs Legion, Gods & Monsters, and surprise reveals of unannounced titles currently in the works for the next generation. Could we finally get a release date for Beyond Good & Evil 2? Here's hoping.
Guerrilla Collective
Date: June 13-15
Time: TBC
Coming from Kinda Funny Games and a collection of indie developers and publishers, the Guerrilla Collective has been postponed by a week as well. However, the show tweeted that it is preparing a stream for June 7 that will highlight games from black creators.
Other E3 2020 events to tune in for
Geoff Keighley's Summer Games Fest
Dates: May - August
Geoff Keighley is continuing his tradition of gaming events by running what he's calling the Summer Game Fest. A way of bringing all the gaming events under one stream, Summer Game Fest will be "bringing the world together to celebrate video games from the comfort of home", reads the official site. "Summer Game Fest is a season of digital video game events from publishers, select playable content, in-game events, and more to be announced."
You can follow all the events via the website, but it includes the Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition, which will release a selection of demos for highly anticipated games via Steam. The online event has already announced the likes of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 and the first PS5 footage of Unreal Engine 5, already proving its worth keeping tabs on.
GameSpot's Play for All
Dates: June 1 - July 12
Tune in: YouTube| Facebook| Instagram| Twitter
GameSpot is launching its own E3 rival in the form of Play For All - a multi-week event that will deliver "gaming news, previews, interviews, and more to a global audience, but also raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts".
They've already got some top partners like Bethesda, CD Projekt Red, Deep Silver, Google Stadia and more, and GameSpot is partnering with Direct Relief for the event. Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organisation that aims to improve the lives and health of the world's most vulnerable and at-risk groups.
IGN's Summer of Gaming
Date: June 8
Tune in: YouTube | Twitch | Mixer
A little like Geoff Keighley's event, IGN's Summer of Gaming will deliver "publisher presentation with IGN pre- and post-discussion content, remote developer interviews, hands-on demos and preview impressions, gameplay, and new segments recapping the biggest announcements".
"With the next generation of console gaming kicking off later this year and gamers eager to learn more about what games they’ll be playing on their new hardware, our online event will be a key moment for publishers and developers to connect with the audience worldwide," Peer Schneider, Chief Content and Product Officer at IGN, said in a statement alongside the announcement.
E3 2020 schedule: Everything else you need to know
Bethesda
Bethesda's global senior vice president of marketing and communications, Pete Hines, announced via Twitter that Bethesda will not be doing any kind of E3 2020 event.
"Given the many challenges we're facing due to the pandemic, we will not host a digital showcase in June," Hines wrote. "We have lots of exciting things to share about our games and look forward to telling you more in the coming months."
Expect to hear from Bethesda sometime this year then, just not in the E3 2020 period.
Square Enix
An important E3 2020 update from us pic.twitter.com/Ma23eWfHTMMarch 12, 2020
Last year Square Enix ran its own E3 2020 press conference, where we got exciting looks at games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the upcoming Marvel's Avengers game. This year though, it's unclear how or if Square Enix is getting involved in the digital extravaganza. All we've so far is the above tweet.
Devolver Digital
The week of E3 has always been a big part of what we do and are genuinely bummed about the cancelation of the event itself.Lots to juggle but right now we plan on having a livestream Devolver Direct / press conference and possibly more. pic.twitter.com/nGDAEsIzUsMarch 11, 2020
Devolver Digital confirmed as the E3 2020 cancellation news came in that it was looking to do a Devolver Direct live stream or press conference during the week of E3, but hasn't confirmed whether this is actually happening yet.
Nintendo
Nintendo usually has an annual Tuesday morning E3 Direct, but this year, it's looking rather unlikely. There's a report circulating that Nintendo will not hold its annual June Direct this year, with the Japanese gaming giant allegedly telling its developer partners that complications from Japan's work from home orders are forcing it to be pushed back.
Warner Bros.
Now usually Warner Bros doesn't do its own E3 press conference, but there was a rumour from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier that it was planning to do an E3 press conference for the first time in 2020 "to talk about Batman, Harry Potter, and Rocksteady's game among others".
There's been no official confirmation of that from Warner Bros. yet, or any update as to what it might be doing instead, or even any mention that'll it's doing anything digitally at all.
