E3 2021 dates | When is free online event & which games will be shown?

E3 2021 has been announced, with the organisers at The Entertainment Software Association promising an online-only version of the iconic video game trade show.

Last year, E3 was cancelled, which left a gaping hole in the gaming industry’s calendar. Some predicted that E3 would never return, but now we know that isn’t the case!

Many online live-stream events tried to plug the E3-shaped gap in 2020, but some people still missed that concentrated week of gaming news that E3 normally provides.

And now, E3 is back for 2021. But what will the famous expo look like this year? Read on to find the answers to all of your questions.

When is E3 2021?

The ESA announced on its official website that it’s “game on” for E3 in 2021, even going so far as to confirm the event’s dates. So we now know that E3 2021 will begin on 12th June 2021 and run until 15th June 2021. We’ll be sure to share the full schedule of presentations when it becomes available.

Is E3 2021 online?

E3 2021 will indeed take the shape of an online event, meaning there won’t be a real-life convention for fans, press and industry professionals to cram into. The ESA has described this year’s event as “a reimagined, all-virtual E3 2021 that will engage video game fans everywhere”.

The ESA’s president and CEO, Stanley Pierre-Louis, said in the announcement: “We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”

Is E3 2021 free?

We’re pleased to report that you won’t have to pay a penny to watch the action unfolding from this year’s online E3 conference. There won’t be any tickets to buy, with this being a totally free event.

The ESA pledged on its website that the team behind E3 “will be working with media partners globally to help amplify and make this content available to everyone for free.” It does look like you will have to register on the E3 website in some way to watch it, though.

Which companies are at E3 2021?

The ESA revealed on its website that bookings for E3 2021 include “early commitments from Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games, Koch Media, and more to come”.

You’ll notice that Sony is missing from that list, which shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise – the PlayStation brand has mainly stuck to its own State of Play live streams for the last couple of years.

What games will be revealed at E3 2021?

Of course, it’s way too early to tell which games will be shown at E3 2021. When has that ever stopped fans from making predictions, though?

One of the biggest games scheduled for the second half of 2021 is Halo: Infinite, which seems like a probable feature of the Xbox presentation. And since Xbox owns Bethesda, perhaps we’ll learn more about Starfield at the same time.

And with Warner Bros Games confirmed to appear, it seems likely that we’ll get updates on Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League, and perhaps the next Mortal Kombat entry.

Fans have long been waiting for Nintendo to show a bit more of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. Perhaps the lid will be lifted on that one at E3.

The inclusion of Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, has fans hoping that GTA 6 may finally be unveiled at E3 2021.

With EA not yet listed among the exhibitors, perhaps we shouldn’t expect to see The Sims 5 or FIFA 22 at this year’s E3. But, of course, only time will tell what ends up being shown at the show!

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