Summer Game Fest 2022: everything we know so far

Summer Game Fest is returning again this year, with Summer Game Fest 2022 set to mark the third year of Geoff Keighley’s season of gaming.

Like in previous years, Summer Game Fest 2022 will launch with a live Kickoff show, hosted by Keighley, which will then be followed by a series of digital live stream showcases from a range of publishers and developers. 

When exactly this year’s Summer Game Fest will take place, and who is attending, hasn’t been confirmed yet, but previous years have seen appearances of games from PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, to name a few. So it’s absolutely worth tuning in to the globally streamed showcases, as they’ll likely include some of the biggest game announcements of the year. 

Want to find out more? Read on for everything we know about Summer Game Fest 2022 so far.

Summer Game Fest 2022: cut to the chase

What is it? A season of digital video game eventsWhere is it? Entirely online and streamed globallyWhen is it? TBC (but it usually kicks off in May or June)Who is attending? TBC (but we have some predictions you can find below)

What is Summer Game Fest?

(Image credit: Geoff Keighley)

Summer Game Fest is a season of digital events from game publishers and developers. Summer Game Fest isn’t exactly an event – though its annual Kickoff Live show is – instead it’s an overarching umbrella that encompasses many different publisher live streams. 

Summer Game Fest was set up by The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley and made its debut in 2020 – filling in the gap left by the canceled E3 2020. The festival ran from May until August in 2020, bringing together 16 of gaming’s largest publishers, including Microsoft, Sony, Activision, Valve and Bethesda, in a four-month cavalcade of news, trailers and game demos.

Fortunately,  Summer Game Fest 2021 was “more condensed” but somehow bigger than ever, running from June through July 2021, and featured a bunch of digital live stream showcases from a range of notable publishers and developers including PlayStation, Xbox, Ubisoft and Bandai Namco.

When it comes to Summer Game Fest 2022, we’re not quite sure what to expect. Organizer Geoff Keighley has confirmed the season of gaming will return “summer 2022” but when it will kick off, and how long it will last, hasn’t been revealed.

No registration is needed for Summer Game Fest 2022, with every conference available to watch for free online on the streaming platform of your choice.

When and where is Summer Game Fest 2022?

Currently, there is no set date for Summer Game Fest 2022 to kick off, with the promotional image only stating that it will return in “summer 2022”. Typically Keighley’s season of gaming begins around May or June and lasts for a couple of months at least (last year it ran from June until July). 

Like in previous years, Summer Game Fest 2022 will take place digitally and with each showcase under its umbrella streamed globally for free.

Attendees and predictions

(Image credit: Geoff Keighley/Summer Game Fest)

Summer Game Fest 2022’s partners haven’t been confirmed yet but, based on previous appearances, we can make an educated prediction on which developers and publishers may take part in the season of gaming.

Last year we saw appearances from over 25 publishers, platforms and partners who either contributed content or hosted an event at Summer Game Fest 2021, including PlayStation (which was noticeably absent from E3 2021), Bandai Namco, Square Enix, Xbox, EA and Epic Games. 

We expect many of these partners will partake in Summer Game Fest 2022, with confirmations likely to start rolling in from around April or May. 

We will update this section as soon as Summer Game Fest 2022’s partners start being confirmed.

What happened at Summer Game Fest 2021?

(Image credit: Summer Game Fest)

Summer Game Fest 2021 was packed full of juicy announcements, updates and reveals. Some of the biggest announcements from last year include the Elden Ring reveal, the reveal of Death Stranding Director’s Cut for PS5, the announcement of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and a 2022 release window reveal for Breath of the Wild 2. 

You can check out our roundup of the other big announcements from last year’s Summer Game Fest, below:

Back 4 Blood open beta announcedFar Cry 6 villain is ‘a hero’ says Giancarlo EspositoOverwatch 2’s fan-favorite characters have a brand-new lookMetal Slug Tactics mixes XCOM gameplay with arcade pixel art shootingCall of Duty Season 4 kicks off very soonAssassin’s Creed Valhalla’s new expansion tackles major Viking history battleFar Cry 6 DLC will bring back fan-favorite villainsUbisoft and Nintendo are teaming up for another Mario + Rabbids gameRainbow Six Extraction gets a September 2021 release dateMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy could repeat Avengers’ biggest mistakeHalo Infinite’s biggest rumor has finally been put to bedSea of Thieves is getting a crossover with Disney’s Pirates of the CaribbeanBack 4 Blood is coming to Xbox Game Pass on day oneStarfield gets a November 2022 release date, and isn’t coming to PS5Age of Empires 4 release date announced for October 2021The best Final Fantasy game is getting a remaster (no, not that one again)Hitman mobile game coming later this year, Square Enix reveals at E3 2021Arkane Austin’s new game Redfall brings vampires in 2022First Final Fantasy game to be re-imagined in brand new action titleXbox Mini Fridge release date announced, as Microsoft keeps its promiseResident Evil Village DLC confirmed – and Re:Verse gets a release dateAdvance Wars is coming to Nintendo Switch in 3D GBA remakeWarioWare: Get It Together! brings wacky microgames to Nintendo Switch:It’s not Metroid Prime 4, but Metroid Dread is the first 2D entry in 20 years

TechRadar Gaming will be covering all the biggest announcements, reveals and updates from Summer Game Fest 2022 live as they happen. Until then, make sure to keep an eye on this page as we’ll be updating it regularly as more details are revealed.

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