Summer Game Fest has revealed plans for 2026 well in advance of the event. The Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff will be streamed live as usual, with the opening show moving to the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles from its previous location, the YouTube Theatre.
This year will mark the sixth anniversary of Summer Game Fest, which started during 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 dangers of gathering groups of people. The scheduling of the show has shifted a bit from year to year, but regardless of the exact date, the show has marked 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 starting at 5:00 PM ET. This part of the show will be hosted by Geoff Keighley and will have a number of exciting trailers to share with fans, including world premieres and brand new gameplay reveals. Players will be able to watch the show on almost every live streaming platform, including YouTube, Twitter, Twitch and Steam. Those looking to attend the show in person will have a chance to purchase tickets for the show beginning sometime in the spring, but no further information was provided on cost or the exact date 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 designed for media, influencers and industry professionals. The first of these is SGF Play Days, which is produced by iam8bit and will be held in downtown Los Angeles. This invitation-only event will reportedly feature “immersive exhibits” and experiences hosted by the gaming 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.
The revelations that will be made at all events of the summer games party are generally kept under wraps until the show airs, but fans should be able to expect a lot of fun, judging by what happened last year. 2025 Summer Game Fest included big moments like revealing the release date for ARC Raiderswhich has since turned into a huge hit. Reveal trailers were also released for a number of game sequels such as Code Vein 2, Mortal Shell 2, Atomic Heart 2and one of the biggest plays of the entire show, Resident Evil Requiem. Players can also expect some random games and DLC to be suddenly made available during the Live Kickoff Show, as 2025 Lies of P: Overture The DLC was released right after a trailer at Summer Game Fest.
Not every developer chooses to show off 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 Keighley himself after the show ended last year, the show saw incredible growth year on year. Summer Game Fest saw 50 million live streams in 2025, as well as a peak audience of over 3 million concurrent viewers, which was an 89% increase, and the most watched show of Summer Game Fest to date. With so many viewers checking out the show, it's entirely possible that some developers will choose to premiere their upcoming titles on the show in June, but viewers will have to tune in to find out.
