Summer Games Fest 2023: every announcement so far

Summer Games Fest 2023 is a long list of various videogame showcases from some of the biggest players in the industry. From Day of the Devs spotlighting the best indie games to Xbox laying out triple-A plans, there’s a lot to see.

So, we’ve got a clear schedule so you know what’s on and where you can watch it. If you’re not sure what’s worth a look, we’ve got a brief roundup of each show and what we expect to see. We can’t be certain, but there are some good clues as to what exciting stuff may pop up.

Summer Games Fest 2023 opens with the Guerrilla Collective showcase and closes with Capcom, with a total of six days covered and twelve showcases confirmed for now, it’s going to be busy for everyone, so head below to have a clear SGF schedule and stay on top of everything.

Summer Games Fest 2023 schedule

Here’s everything confirmed for Summer Games Fest 2023, with times on a 24-hour clock.

Guerrilla Collective Showcase

The Guerilla Collective Showcase offered up a look at a load of Steam and indie games. For us Switch and mobile lovers, there was a cutesy 2.5D title called Terra Memoria that we got a brief but beautiful look at. Plus Forgotlings, a charming and cartoony side-scroller with found-object character designs, cute mini-puzzler A Tiny Sticker Tale, and sequel to the ace Mega-Man-like 20XX, 30XX, all got mini trailers.

We got an amusing look at the fast-paced 2D platformer Anton Blast, too, before diving into some horror titles. The Switch offerings were thin, but the reality-bending one-bit narrative game World of Horror looks like a harrowing time (and comes to Switch on October 19, 2023!).

Following that was the turn-based, SMT-inspired Demonschool from Necrosoft Games, which looks right up our street. Then the WrestleQuest devs gave us an extended look at gameplay, with overworld exploration and turn-based combat in a wrestling ring. 

We also saw Crashlands 2, a 2D exploration game with a comedy vibe and a crafting focus, plus Growth, a hexagonal puzzle game with a chill vibe, and Nova Lands, a 2D settlement builder where it looks like you can plop out minions and get them to work for you. Nice.

Kingdom: Eighties is the third entry in the excellent settlement-building series. This, of course, has an 80s-style and 2D sidescrolling pixel art, plus Stranger Things and ET references. Fun stuff, and it’s coming to Switch later this year. There was also Pizza Possum, Lake expansion Season’s Greetings, and Lil’ Guardsman, a cartoony passport control Papers-Please-type thing.

Rainy cyberpunk narrative Three Minutes to Eight had a brief but intriguing trailer, Promenade is a cutesy platformer, plus Nocturnal is out now. Dawn of the Monsters is getting DLC, plus Gori: Cuddly Carnage looks absolutely gnarly.

If you need something to play right away, Annalyn, an old-style arcade platformer that you can play vertically (with hot chiptune soundtrack!) is already out. There are lots of early access and Steam-only indies in the stream that could come to Switch one day, so be sure to check out the stream below.

Here’s everything we saw at the Guerilla Collective showcase that’s planned for Switch or mobile:

Summer Games Fest 2023 Opening Showcase

The Summer Games Fest 2023 opening showcase brought the best of what’s to come in games once again, with a plethora of treats from Geoff Keighley and his industry pals.

Right out of the gate, it looks like the Prince of Persia is back. Or maybe he isn’t. It’s hard to tell from the short trailer, but the series is back, that’s for sure. The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown release date is set for Switch on January 18, 2024. So, get ready for more time hijinks and action platforming.

Next up was a deeper look at Mortal Kombat 1, a new-era timeline reboot of the iconic series. The gameplay looks better than ever, with fan-favorite characters like Johnny, Jax, and Sub-Zero appearing mighty fierce. Ed Boon, the creator of the series, was out on stage explaining the reimagining and lore behind this upcoming fighter.

Boon told Keighley how he wanted to revisit some popular characters from the history of the game, with Goro coming back and Jean-Claude Van Damme voicing Johnny Cage. Speaking of actors, Nicholas Cage is coming to Dead by Daylight in July, and we even got an appearance from the man himself to hear about his connection to the game.

After a short intermission from Henry Cavill and the Witcher gang from Netflix, Keighley introduced another star of the big screen – Sonic. Sonic Superstars, a new take on the classic blue hedgehog 2D formula, is coming to Nintendo Switch. It’s set to land later this year, so keep an eye out for the blue blur!

Following Sonic’s rapid appearance, we saw a bit of Honkai Stail Rail footage, though it’s sadly still not coming to Switch soon by the look of things. Still, we weren’t disappointed for long, with a reveal for Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall, a sequel to the regal strategy game. That one is set for Switch sometime in 2024.

Then, weirdly, we saw Sephiroth getting a phone call. In a rare mobile exclusive segment, we got more information regarding Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, with pre-registration open now and a beta test taking place this month. As a team full of FF7 fans, we can’t wait for this one.

On the topic of early access, you can now sign up for Kabam’s upcoming hero-collector King Arthur: Legends Rise pre-registration. If we know anything about Kabam, it’s that it makes engaging mobile games, so we’re down to meet up with Merlin when it eventually arrives.

In a definite change of tone, Keighley turned next to Fae Farm, an upcoming cozy life-sim game for Nintendo Switch. This one is a sure hit for fans of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, with plenty to do and exciting creatures to explore with. You know we’re going to be all over it.

Ben Brode arrived up after the Fae Farm clip, and you could not miss him. The developer with a larger-than-life personality took to the stage with Keighley to talk about Marvel Snap’s conquest mode, showing off a short sketch from ProZD on the occasional frustrations of playing Snap.

Toward the end of the show, we saw a new look for Fortnite in the cinematic trailer for the upcoming season. Gone is the sci-fi world, replaced with something distinctly greener. You can find out exactly what’s waiting in the trees when the Wilds season arrives on June 9.

For Switch and mobile, that’s everything from the Summer Games Fest 2023 opening showcase. Check out the stream below for the full thing.

Check out all the games we saw for Switch and mobile at the Summer Game Fest 2023 opening showcase below:

Day of the Devs

From indie legends Double Fine and iam8bit, Day of the Devs promises to spotlight some of the greatest indie games out there. It’s always a good show, as you can see from the previous years’ participants, so be sure to tune in after the SGF 2023 opening showcase.

Devolver Direct

Devolver Digital is a little infamous for its wild and wacky showcases, and we don’t expect this year’s show to be any different. We don’t know what’ll be there, but Devolver has a reputation for publishing some stellar indies, so check it out on YouTube and Twitch.

Access-Ability Summer Showcase

The Access-Ability Summer Showcase focuses on games designed with disabled game players in mind. With six disabled gamers and accessibility consultants on hand, as well as game key giveaways, it’s a good idea to give it a watch on the stream below.

Tribeca Games Showcase

The Summer Games Fest 2023 website page for the Tribeca Games Showcase is almost comically minimal. The show is “a digital showcase featuring exclusive gameplay and creator interviews from Tribeca’s official selections.” That’s all we know – we have to assume it’ll be available on the SGF 2023 YouTube or Twitch channels.

Wholesome Direct 2023

Wholesome Games focuses on cozy and cute indie titles guaranteed to make you feel at home. While we know very little about what’s coming, you can expect pastel color palettes, delicate and playful music, and good vibes all the way. Tune in on Twitch and YouTube.

Future Games Show Summer Showcase

Hosted by Marvel’s Spider-Man stars Yuri Lowenthal and Laura Bailey, the FGS Summer Showcase is a 70-minute event with over 50 multi-platform games. You can watch it all on Twitch and Youtube.

Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield Direct

The Xbox Games Showcase is still technically a mystery, but there are some educated guesses we can make. That Fable reboot? Almost definitely. Forza Motorsport? That should be out already. Starfield? Oh, well that’s in the name. We’re getting a full deep-dive into Starfield after the Xbox Games Showcase, so be ready for a long one over on Twitch and YouTube.

PC Gaming Show

PC Gaming isn’t really our bag at Pocket Tactics – no matter how hard I try, that darn desktop won’t fit in my cargo shorts – but there are still obvious predictions we can make. Think MMORPGs, CRPGs, and shooters, and you’re probably halfway there. You can watch it on YouTube and Twitch.

Ubisoft Forward

Ubisoft has already announced Assassin’s Creed Mirage, so expect some more info on that before its release later this year. There’s also coverage of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, The Crew, and a mystery game. Exciting stuff, which you can check out on Twitch and YouTube.

Capcom Showcase

We don’t know much about the Capcom Showcase, but it is the company’s fortieth anniversary, and with Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, and Street Fighter, the Capsule Computer company is in a great spot at the moment. Be sure to tune in on Twitch and Youtube.

That’s everything for Summer Games Fest 2023. For more events, check out our Apple WWDC 2023 roundup to see all the tech giant’s latest announcements.