E3 2018 schedule guide – all conference times, stream links and predictions

E3 2018 is almost here, and thanks to publishers announcing – or accidentally leaking – things ahead of time, we already have a decent idea of what to expect.

With the likes of the Xbox One X and Nintendo Switch in full swing, and a new generation of consoles not quite ready yet, expect this to be a very games-centric showcase.

This page presents you with all E3 conference stream times in chronological order, as well as some background reading so you know what to expect. But as always, expect a few surprises.

We’ll be updating it with links to streaming locations as they go live, then once again with a round-up of what’s been announced.

For those watching from the UK, the schedule is now a little more kind timing-wise; EA and Microsoft are now an hour earlier, while Bethesda and PC Gamer have seen the most significant shifts, with the former no longer starting at 5am. Make sure you stock up on caffeine, though – it’s still a pretty late start.

There’s also a newcomer in the form of Square Enix, so expect an earlier start on the Monday.

Note that as conferences straddle different days of the week depending on where in the world you’re reading this article, by default we’ll be listing each conference date from a UK perspective.

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EA E3 2018 conference times – Saturday, June 9

  • UK: 7pm (BST)
  • Europe: 8pm (CEST)
  • East Coast US: 2pm (EDT)
  • West Coast US: 11am (PDT)

In the same way last year E3’s conference ramped up to Star Wars Battlefront 2, this year will have a heavy focus on Battlefield 5, especially since its recent announcement event kept details on the light side – leaving the door open for an in-depth reveal during the conference.

We should also expect something meaty on Anthem – the multiplayer action game from BioWare – which saw its first reveal during last year’s show. EA said we’ll see a new trailer, more gameplay (with “flying, fighting, and of course, collecting loot”) and insights from the development team.

Elsewhere, expect the usual sports highlights – including a first look at FIFA 19 and Madden 19 – and if we were to guess, an EA Originals announcement, if the likes of A Way Out and Fe from previous years are to go by.

What else was announced last year? The highlights were the first trailer for BioWare’s new IP Anthem, Brothers director announces co-op prison break game A Way Out and Madden 18 getting its own FIFA Journey-style story mode.

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Microsoft E3 2018 conference times – Sunday, June 10

  • UK: 9pm (BST)
  • Europe: 10pm (CEST)
  • East Coast US: 4pm (EDT)
  • West Coast US: 1pm (PDT)

Out of all the conferences this year, Microsoft has the biggest question mark over it. With the Xbox One X been and gone, it has to be about games, something which Microsoft hasn’t had in great quantities so far this year, especially with Crackdown recently being delayed. E3 could change all that.

So what could we see? Forza is a yearly staple at this point – it’s now the turn of Horizon 4, for those counting along – and it feels about time we heard something on Halo 6 and what’s next for Gears of War. Is it also time Microsoft lifted the lid on the new Fable? We’ll have to wait and see.

We can also expect some third-party reveals – Assassin’s Creed Origins and Metro Exodus debuted on Microsoft’s stage last year, for example – and maybe we’ll hear a quick update on the future of Sea of Thieves.

What else was announced last year? The highlights were the Xbox One Scorpio becoming Xbox One X, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds coming exclusively to Xbox One, Minecraft getting cross-platform play and Cuphead finally having a release date.

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Bethesda E3 2018 conference times – Sunday, June 10

  • UK: 2:30am (BST, Monday)
  • Europe: 3:30am (CEST, Monday)
  • East Coast US: 9:30pm (EDT, Sunday)
  • West Coast US: 6:30pm (PDT, Sunday)

Outside of “a few surprises”, we already know of two heavy hitters to be showcased at Bethesda’s late (for UK watchers, at least) showcase.

There’s Rage 2, a sequel that’s taking more of an open-world turn with Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios at the helm, and Fallout 76, which is reported to be more online survival game and base-builder than the traditional fare we expect from the main series.

The rest, however, is up in the air. Wolfenstein, The Evil Within and Dishonored saw sequel or spin-off announcements last year, so what about a follow-up to Prey or Doom? Or a few more VR or Switch ports?

Thankfully, Bethesda’s conference is timed a little more generously this year for those watching from the UK – shifting from 5am to 2:30am – so you won’t have to wait as long to see what’s coming.

What else was announced last year? Bethesda confirmed Doom and Fallout 4 got VR versions, there was Skyrim on Switch having Legend of Zelda items, while Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein 2 all got announced.

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Square Enix E3 2018 conference times – Monday, June 11

  • UK: 6pm (BST)
  • Europe: 7pm (CEST)
  • East Coast US: 1pm (EDT)
  • West Coast US: 10am (PDT)

A newcomer to the conference line-up, Square Enix is hosting a dedicated showcase for its games due at E3. The publisher is in an interesting position in that it hasn’t announced too many upcoming games, so this could offer a lot of announcements – including, what we hope, is a first look at its Marvel Avengers game.

More footage of Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a firm bet, and since the show is being streamed in English and Japanese, we can probably expect something related to Kingdom Hearts 3 and possibly Final Fantasy. We know there’s more Final Fantasy 15 content on the way, but hopefully that’s not all.

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Ubisoft E3 2018 conference times – Monday June 11

  • UK: 9pm (BST)
  • Europe: 10pm (CEST)
  • East Coast US: 4pm (EDT)
  • West Coast US: 1pm (PDT)

This will be the first time we’ll see more of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and The Division 2, which have so far been (mostly) under wraps.

Expect those two to take a fair chunk of the show, but don’t be surprised to see a few other familiar faces – last year’s multiplayer pirate ship-em-up Skull and Bones and toy-compatible Starlink: Battle for Atlas are due a closer look, for example. Just don’t expect much on Beyond Good & Evil 2, though, especially since it had a gameplay reveal fairly recently.

That’s plenty to look forward to, but Ubisoft always has the capacity to surprise. Remember thatMario Rabbids reveal from last year? Let’s see if they can manage to top it.

What else was announced last year? Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle, The Crew 2 and the above aforementioned games were announced, as well as a VR collaboration with Elijah Wood.

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PC Gaming Show E3 2018 conference times – Monday June 11

  • UK: 11pm (BST)
  • Europe: 12pm (CEST)
  • East Coast US: 6pm (EDT)
  • West Coast US: 3pm (PDT)

Back for another year, PC gaming gets a dedicated showcase thanks to PC Gamer. We know several presenters on the day – including Cloud Imperium Games, Crytek, Double Fine, Frontier, Oculus Rift, Raw Fury, Sega, Square Enix, Stardock Entertainment, Team 17 and more – giving us an idea of what to expect.

If last year is anything to go by, at the very least expect some new trailers and release dates of games coming fairly soon.

What else was announced last year? War of the Chosen was announced as XCOM 2’s new expansion, Cliff Bleszinski revealed the Lawbreakers PC and PS4 release date, while Microsoft said it was remastering Age of Empires for PC.

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Sony E3 2018 conference times – Monday June 11

  • UK: 2am (BST, Tuesday)
  • Europe: 3am (CEST, Tuesday)
  • East Coast US: 9pm (EDT, Monday)
  • West Coast US: 6pm (PDT, Monday)

Sony has decided to manage expectations this year, specific outlining four games it’ll be focusing on during its showcase.

Which ones? Kojima’s Death Stranding, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima, Insomniac’s Spider-Man, and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2 will be highlighted as part of its first-party line-up.

That sounds like plenty to be getting on with, but you can also expect “stellar announcements from third-party publishers and independent developers, who are all busy devising innovative new experiences that will make your heart race and your emotions soar”. If we were to guess, this is probably where we’ll see first footage of Call of Duty’s battle royale Blackout mode, and maybe a little more of Destiny 2’s Forsaken, both of which have Sony partnerships.

There’s no word on whether Sony will be building up to its conference with a pre-show stream, though it is announcing things before E3 begins, with the likes of Tetris Effect by Tetsuya Mizuguchi and a Days Gone release date already out there.

What else was announced last year? We first heard about Horizon Zero Dawn’s first DLC, Monster Hunter World and the Shadow of the Colossus remaster.

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Nintendo E3 2018 conference times – Tuesday June 12

  • UK: 5pm (BST)
  • Europe: 6pm (CEST)
  • East Coast US: 12pm (EDT)
  • West Coast US: 9am (PDT)

The Switch will be well into its second year with this E3 conference, so expect to hear about the second wave of heavy hitters coming to the system.

The main focus will be on Super Smash Bros. It’ll be playable, so expect to hear the first details of its roster and features, as well as plenty of gameplay as part of a competitive Invitational event in the days that follow.

Leaks suggest the world’s biggest game – Fortnite – will have some kind of presence, and perhaps a first look at a Star Fox racing game helmed by Retro Studios. We may also see a little more on Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, which will also be playable for the first time on the show floor.

Otherwise, Nintendo hasn’t confirmed anything else – fingers crossed we’ll have our first proper look at Metroid Prime 4 at some point.

It’s worth nothing there will be some Treehouse-style streaming throughout E3, too, which last year had a few big announcements of its own. Will Nintendo do the same this year?

What else was announced last year? We heard about a new Kirby game, a Rocket League port, and after the conference, news of both Metroid: Samus Returns and Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga for the 3DS.

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So that’s plenty to look forward to. Until then, remind yourself with what happened during E3 last year with our best of show awards. See you during the live text chat!

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