Summer Games Fest has revealed the plans it has in store for 2026 ahead of the event. The Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff will be livestreamed as usual, with the inaugural event moving from its old location, the YouTube Theater, to the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
This year will mark the sixth anniversary of Summer Game Fest, which began at the height of the Covid pandemic as a digital alternative to traditional game shows when most in-person shows were canceled or postponed due to the threat of congregating groups. The schedule of the event has changed slightly from year to year, but regardless of the exact date, the event has been one of the most exciting times to be a gamer every year since its inception.
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Summer Game Fest reveals schedule and plans
The Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff Show will be held on June 5 and will begin at 5 p.m. ET. This part of the show will be hosted by Geoff Keighley, and will have lots of exciting trailers to share with fans, including world premieres and brand-new game reveals. Gamers will be able to watch the show on almost all livestreaming platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, and Steam. Those wishing to attend the show in person will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to the show beginning in the spring, but no further details have been provided on the cost or when they will go on sale.
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Unlike The Game Awards, which is also hosted by Geoff Keighley, Summer Game Fest also features a number of hands-on and in-person experiences aimed at media, influencers, and industry professionals. The first of these is SGF Play Days, which is being produced by iam8bit and will be held in downtown Los Angeles. The event is invite-only, and will reportedly include “immersive demonstrations” and experiences hosted by the game industry's “leading publishers and developers.” Game Business Live will be held on June 8, which is also the last day of the overall event.
Any revelations made during Summer Game Fest are usually kept under wraps until the show airs, but fans should be able to expect a lot of fun, judging by what's happened over the past year. In 2025, major moments included revealing the release date for Summer Game Fest ARC RaidersWhich has since turned into a huge hit. Reveal trailers were also released for several game sequels Code vein 2, Mortal Shell 2, Nuclear heart 2And one of the biggest games in the whole show, Resident Evil requests. Players may also be able to expect some random games and DLC to be made available suddenly during the live kickoff show, as 2025 saw. Lies of P: Overture The DLC was released immediately after the trailer at Summer Game Fest.
Not every developer chooses to showcase their biggest reveals at Summer Game Fest, but there may be more reason to do so after the 2025 show. According to a message from Geoff Keigh himself after the show's finale last year, the show has seen incredible growth year-on-year. Summer Game Fest saw 50 million livestreams in 2025, with a peak audience of over 3 million concurrent viewers, which was an 89% increase, and is the most watched show of Summer Game Fest. With so many viewers checking out the show, it's entirely possible that some developers will choose to premiere their upcoming titles at the show come June, but viewers will have to tune in to find out.
