In recent years, Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest has stepped up to fill the E3-shaped void in our hearts as the premiere event for new video game announcements. Around this time, the big three (Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft) also tend to hold press events. Additionally, a number of smaller events over the next few weeks—like IGN Live or the PC Gaming Show—promise to show off some exciting new releases. So, what kind of big announcements can we look forward to this year?
Before we start, the elephant in the room is Grand Theft Auto VI, which is possibly the biggest release ever later this year. Because of that, many publishers might be a bit shy about releasing games near November 19th. Expect a lot of announcements for early 2027 as publishers look to conserve their marketing spend rather than go up against Take-Two’s behemoth. But that doesn’t mean we’re not in for some great games this year.
PlayStation State of Play (June 2nd, 2026 at 2:00 PM PT)
Sony definitely needs some wins. Its live-service ambitions have fallen on their face, and the recent announcement that Bungie is winding down Destiny 2 hasn’t sat well with fans of the shooter. Going into the holidays, we know Sony is betting big on Marvel’s Wolverine from Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games. But plenty of other games are spinning through the rumor mill. Let’s take a look at what we might see on Tuesday. (And hey, this post is going up just a few hours before the presser, so come back and tell me how close I was!)
What will for sure get shown?
- Marvel’s Wolverine: I expect this to make up the bulk of the show. We haven’t seen much of the game since its first trailer a few years back. Sony seems committed to this being their big holiday game, so expect a deep dive into gameplay and story.
- God of War – Faye Spin-off: This is one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets. For some time, rumors have floated around about a smaller spin-off title—somewhat of the same scope as Spider-Man: Miles Morales—that sees side-character Faye exploring different mythologies. I expect the full reveal this week.
- Until Dawn 2: Another heavily rumored title that has been baking for some time. Rumors say a sequel to the horror hit has been in development, this time handled by Sony’s own Firesprite studio. There is a good chance we will see this with a launch date perfectly timed for Halloween.
What won’t be there?
Don’t expect anything about Naughty Dog’s new title, Intergalactic. Despite recent rumors that Sony is dissatisfied with the studio’s output this generation, they tend to let their prized developer cook as long as they need to.
Anything 3rd party?
Sony has been losing ground with their third-party relationships lately, especially with Square Enix course-correcting to focus on multiplatform releases. Furthermore, Microsoft’s acquisition spree bought up a lot of the publishers that might have had something interesting to show. I expect we’ll see some great-looking indie games and possibly a look at some of the EA Sports titles. I imagine Ubisoft may also use this opportunity to show off something like The Division 3 or the next Farcry away from the crowded room at Summer Game Fest.
Summer Game Fest 2026 (June 5th, 2026 at 2:00 PM PT)
This is the most “non-E3” of the events, and the one likely holding the biggest surprises. Expect the show to be the go-to place for third-party reveals, alongside a few unexpected announcements from the big three. What else can we expect? That’s a lot harder to pin down. Geoff might be feeling a little awkward after The Game Awards’ “one last thing” reveal of the doomed Highguard, so he will likely end the presser with a much safer big game reveal.
Otherwise, the show is known to mix its big announcements with extremely minor ones. Since the show isn’t tied to any specific publisher or platform, it’s nearly impossible to predict what will go to the other pressers versus what gets shown here. Let’s take a look at some things that could show up, but might also end up at a rival stream:
What’s pretty likely to be shown?
- Rayman Legends Remake: Another worst-kept secret in the world. Ubisoft’s beloved mascot is set for a return to form, and a remake of one of the best games in the series is nearly guaranteed to show up.
- Resident Evil Requiem DLC: We will for sure get this, but I’m holding out hope that we see something from the rumored Code Veronica remake instead.
- Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3: I expect this will be the “one last thing” game. Recent comments from the devs indicate this game has a healthy shot at releasing in early 2027, and now would be a great time to start showing it off. I also believe the rumor that the next game will be titled “Return.”
- Witcher 3 DLC: Recently announced for an early 2027 release, I expect we’ll see our first footage here.
What’s got a pretty good chance of being shown?
- Persona 4 Remake and/or Persona 6: The rumor mills have been turning on Persona 6 lately, with leaked art making the rounds showcasing the upcoming game’s characters. That being said, the biggest obstacle to Persona 6 is last year’s reveal that a Persona 4 Remake is also in the works. Could we see both? It’s doubtful, but I’m 100% confident we will see Persona 4. I’m just not sure if it’ll be at this or Microsoft’s conference.
- Star Wars Jedi 3: The EA “Jedi” games have been pretty consistent, and it’s been a few years since we’ve heard anything about the further adventures of Cal Kestis. This could be EA’s big non-sports release this year.
- Various Sega Projects: I’m just lumping these all together. It’s been too long since we’ve heard anything about the glorious return of Sega’s beloved IPs. This would be a great opportunity to check in on Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, and more. Don’t expect Sonic, though; they will save him for a Nintendo presser.
What has zero chance of being shown?
- Grand Theft Auto VI: Rockstar isn’t going to show off their golden god alongside all these lesser beings. Expect Take-Two to host its own press events.
- Any Major Nintendo News: Nintendo sometimes uses The Game Awards or Summer Game Fest to announce smaller things, like DLC or ports, but it typically saves its big swings for its own show.
- Half-Life 3: Nope.
XBOX Games Showcase (June 7th, 2026 at 10:00 AM PT)
This is the first turn at bat for Xbox’s new leader, Asha Sharma. Microsoft has a lot to prove and has been keen on righting the ship. I expect Xbox to bring it hard this year with a host of big announcements centered around fan-favorite franchises and a big return to exclusives. The one question on everyone’s mind, though: Is this the year that good ol’ Todd Howard makes his way on stage for the “one last thing” moment with a first look at The Elder Scrolls VI? Maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
What will for sure get shown?
- Fable: The recently delayed Fable will definitely get its time in the spotlight with gameplay and deep dives into its systems. I expect this will actually take up a significant portion of the show.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4: There’s been a lot of talk about course-correcting here after a few disappointing releases. I expect we’ll see a lot of gameplay and plenty of hype about this being a “return to what makes CoD great.”
- Gears of War: A return to the beloved Gears franchise has been in the works for some time, and this feels like the perfect time to showcase it.
- Halo: A remake? A new game? A spin-off? Microsoft goes to the Halo well often, with mixed results. I expect we’ll see something Halo-related, and hopefully, it’s not another terrible TV show.
What won’t be there?
- Anything Blizzard: They have their own show, so don’t expect any news on upcoming Warcraft, Starcraft, or Overwatch business. That being said, a console-friendly port of World of Warcraft could very much be in the cards. Datamined backend updates have shown Blizzard experimenting with controller support for its legendary online game.
- A New Fallout: With all hands on deck for Elder Scrolls, Bethesda doesn’t have the capacity to push out Fallout 5 anytime soon. Still, we’ll definitely get a small update on the online-only Fallout 76. Fingers crossed we also get an announcement for those rumored Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas remakes.
- Doom: We’re a bit too close to last year’s release of Doom: The Dark Ages, and the studio didn’t seem super keen on following up with DLC. However, rumors have been circulating of a return to Quake.
Any 3rd party news?
- Nintendo Ports: Microsoft has already shown how keen they are to get their games on Nintendo’s platform. I expect we’ll see a number of ports to the Switch 2. However, it’s unclear if Microsoft will keep their own show focused on their hardware and let Nintendo announce the ports themselves.
- Tomb Raider: It might be time for a check-in on the two new Tomb Raider games announced during last year’s Game Awards. It’s a toss-up whether this shows up during Game Fest or Microsoft’s presser.
Nintendo Direct (Unannounced Showtime)
We’re rounding the corner on the Switch 2’s first, slightly boring year. The House of Mario has been oddly quiet. Rumors suggest that the publisher is frustrated with the slow output of some of their studios, and they have been seeking smart acquisitions to shore up their development resources. Still, Year 2 is the time to prove the Switch 2 is a must-have device, and nothing moves units quite like Pokémon…
What will for sure get shown?
- Pokémon Winds and Waves: This is THE holiday game to beat that doesn’t involve theft of autos. After taking a break from big annual releases—reportedly ordered by majority owner Nintendo after a very rough Scarlet/Violet launch—developer Game Freak seems to have focused on making their cash-cow franchise sing once more.
- Zelda 64 Remake: Leaked alongside the Star Fox remake, the Zelda 64 remake seems to be Nintendo’s big first-party title for the holiday season. It is perfectly timed for next spring’s Zelda movie hitting theaters.
- Star Fox: We literally already know everything about this game, but expect them to show it off anyway. It’s next in line for release and Nintendo needs to kickstart the marketing effort.
- Ports and More Ports: Okay, let’s just run through a list I expect to see: Metaphor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Elden Ring, Borderlands 4 (!), the Like a Dragon games, Forza, any Halos, and some of those big live-service titles like Genshin Impact, NTE, and Wuthering Waves. The Switch has become a port machine, and honestly, I’m here for it. The Switch 2 lets me play older games I missed or forgot about on the go. I may be going against popular opinion, but I want more of this.
What’s not likely to be there?
- 3D Mario: This will definitely be at The Game Awards, or at least get its own dedicated Nintendo Direct.
- Smash Bros.: Yeah, I don’t think we’ll see this until later in the Switch 2’s life cycle for a few reasons. First, I think Nintendo will hold a new Smash title until it’s closer to a Smash Bros. movie, which seems to be the direction we’re heading in. Secondly, what else do you even do with Smash? Ultimate kind of closed the book on it, so I expect the next one to be a “back to basics” type of game. I could see a Switch 2 update for Ultimate with a new character coming out to help bridge the gap, though.
- Splatoon 4: I think this is likely to hit early next year, but Nintendo will focus its marketing on the single-player spin-off, Splatoon Raiders, for now.
- Switch 2 OLED: I don’t think we’ll see any hardware announcements from anyone at the moment due to current market conditions. Even so, the inevitable Switch 2 revision is still probably a year or more away.
Anything 3rd party?
Yes. Publishers deliberately saved anything not announced in the other pressers for Nintendo’s stream, which tends to garner the most views next to Summer Game Fest. As mentioned, I think we’ll see a LOT of ports, alongside Switch 2 upgrade paths for missing links like the Xenoblade games, Borderlands 3, and more. I also think smaller releases from yesteryear will make their way over; games like Mafia: The Old Country, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Expedition 33 landing on Nintendo’s machine seem like safe bets.
I also expect a bigger third-party game to make its way to Nintendo Switch Online. Something like Viewtiful Joe or another obscure fan favorite is probably in the cards.
All the Rest
This is a weird year for games due to the aforementioned Grand Theft Auto release. But on top of that, layoffs have rocked the industry, resulting in major cancellations for live-service games. A lot of publishers seem to be retreating toward the safety of re-releases and remakes at the moment, so I expect we’ll get a lot of frustrated gamers who just want something new.
Still, there’s always an unexpected reveal. ConcernedApe swinging by to show off Haunted Chocolatier, or a surprise announcement of a new EarthBound game, could be just what the industry needs to shake off its current pessimistic vibe.
And hey, I won’t complain if we get just a little peek at something Elder Scrolls VI related….
