At the risk of giving everyone in gaming a heart attack, here’s a reminder that E3 (that’s “Electronic Entertainment Expo”) is right around the corner. So pack your bags—or, if you’re like most folks—set up an impenetrable fortress of snacks and social media pages. Press conferences hosted by PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and more are sure be full of interesting announcements, trailers, and gameplay to show off, and you don’t want to be left behind.
Here’s our full rundown of when every big conference starts on the E3 2018 schedule.
EA – Saturday, June 9, 11am PST
EA always tends to have a flashy (if sometimes hollow) presentation during E3, last year showing off Star Wars Battlefront II multiplayer—and commenting on it live? Bioware’s multiplayer shooter Anthem has been pushed back to 2019, but don’t be surprised if we get another (albeit likely much shorter) trailer of gameplay footage to tide over worried fans. Given the wild success of co-op adventure A Way Out (which sold one million copies, according to developer Hazelight), we might be able to expect another “indie” project from EA. Oh, and sports games. Don’t forget those. Given the annual release schedules of games like FIFA, NBA Live, and Madden, we’ll likely see some more footage showcasing the story modes that have become prevalent in Madden and FIFA. Just give us more Janina Gavankar, EA.
Microsoft – Sunday, June 10, 1pm PST
Microsoft made somewhat of a splash in 2017 with the unveiling of the more powerful Xbox One X. With no major hardware likely to be announced, it’ll have to rely on what few first-party titles it still has, as well as some lucky first showings of third-party games. Despite lots of issues, we might also see some more PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds content announced for its Xbox port. We’ll likely have another ID @ Xbox sizzle reel to showcase some of the weirder indie games. Where’s my Ooblets, you monsters?
Bethesda – Sunday, June 10, 6:30pm PST
To Bethesda’s credit, very rarely does one of its games get showcased at E3 and then isn’t available by the next E3, if not the end of the calendar year. With that in mind, it’s anyone’s guess what major franchise will be getting a new installment—or if developers have something new up their sleeves. Prey received largely positive word-of-mouth, but only just released in May 2017, along with Wolfenstein: The New Colossus in October. Doom might be a better candidate, but it’s been six years since Skyrim originally released. We can hope.
PlayStation – Monday, June 11, 6am PST
PlayStation will likely feature The Last of Us 2 as its centerpiece this year, having already teased it with two tense, often violent trailers. Plus we’ll likely get a nice Spider-Man trailer to cap things off.
Ubisoft – Monday, June 11, 1pm PST
It’s incredibly likely that we’ll be seeing more of Ubisoft’s high seas pirating adventure Skull & Bones, but what’s more interesting is how Ubisoft’s shifting business strategy will affect its usual yearly release schedule for most of their major franchises. After Assassin’s Creed: Unity’s dismal reception, the series took a year-long break before Origins released to largely positive reviews. Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Ghost Recon: Wildlands, and Rainbow Six: Siege received big updates that added large amounts of gameplay content rather than entirely new installments. We’ll likely see some material along those lines, but there’s no reason to think bigger series announcements won’t get teased.
PC Gaming Show – June 11, 3pm PDT
In earlier years, PC gamers always had to rely on third parties to get juicy scoops. No longer, as the PC Gaming Show is entering its fourth year, featuring announcements from Oculus Rift, Stardock Entertainment (the makers of Ashes of the Singularity), Killing Floor 2 developer Tripwire Interactive, Jurassic World Evolution developer Frontier, Acer, and more.
Nintendo – Tuesday, June 12, 9am PST
Once again forgoing the standard stage show, Nintendo will produce its usual pre-recorded Direct video. The obvious showstopper will be Super Smash Bros, but fans are still hoping for more details on Metroid Prime 4. Nintendo’s recent success with third-party and indie games also leaves plenty of room open for some surprise announcements.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated for relevance.