Since there's about 9001 different shows this summer, here's the list of the ones we're keeping an eye on.
It's the most insane time of the year...
Yes, the second summer of Too Many Game Shows is about to kick off this week, and it's time for the news desk to become busier than a one-armed paper hanger over the next... couple of months. This will be updated as new events are announced - there's at least one annual event that hasn't been revealed yet, and the specter of Nintendo dropping a Direct on us is still hanging overhead.
But we'll cross that bridge when it arrives, so let's hit the events we know are happening in the next few weeks.
This technically isn't part of the summer of games, especially since part of it will be out that night if the last update to Rise is any indication, but there's always the possibility of a Stories 2 demo.
News stories: Event summary
Unlike prior Dragon Quest streams, this one is actually going to have live English subs - possibly because Dragon Quest XI S is on GamePass in addition to being on Switch, but still. The event proper will likely be tributes and spinoffs for mobile, but there's six different possible remakes in the main series that are potentially Switch-bound... and dare we dream of Dragon Quest XII?
News stories: Event Recap
Yes, Sonic the Hedgehog is 30 years old and yes, that means you're probably old. The announcement post promises/threatens new projects and partnerships, and Sonic livestreams have a tendency to go hurling off the rails at Super Sonic spindashing with power sneakers speeds, but there are rumors of a possible Sonic 3 & Knuckles release as well.
News stories: Original announcement, show summary
Japan's major declaration of independents kicks off the first weekend in June, with Inti Creates as a major sponsor among other companies. And given the popularity of the Switch in Japan, more content is almost guaranteed.
News stories: Event rundown
The largest of the North American indie game shows presented by our friends at The Mix, they're changing up the format a bit this year. There's two presentation style shows (the noon events), and then two specialty shows at 1 pm ET: June 5 will feature black voices in gaming while June 12 will feature another edition of the "Wholesome Direct" that is guaranteed to be safe for kids.
News stories: Day 1 recap, Day 2 recap, Wholesome Direct recap
The Billy Crystal of video games, Geoff Keighley, presents a show designed to kick off a summer of other game announcements from the likes of Sony - you can tell it's a festival because it'll feature a Weezer performance. Still, there's "twelve world premieres" and at worst former NOA president Reggie Fils-Amie may crash the party.
News stories: Among Us's roadmap, Two Point Campus announced, Other Switch news, Day of the Devs rundown
With Microsoft and Bethesda combining, this opened the door just wide enough for part of the Embracer Group to sneak in an event. They have revived Free Radical for the first TimeSplitters game in two decades, so let's hope for more than a Metroid Prime 4 reveal. There may also be some late Switch ports.
News stories: How Kingdom Come: Deliverance came to Switch
"It'll blow you away" - ign.com
Seriously though, assuming their corporate overlords don't kill it like it's a fundraising drive IGN still has the industry stroke to pull a couple of exclusive reveals. Last year featured the announcements of a new Fabraz game (Demon Turf) and the May 28-launching Wonder Boy IV remake for Switch content.
News stories: Event wrapup
We only call it low because who knows if the annual Just Dance game will get unveiled here or wait until a later date as it did last year. Also, will they run the apology video they promised last year?
News stories: Ubisoft Switch announcements including Mario+Rabbids, Nintendo jumping the gun
The one consistently good press event since its inception returns to have Nina Struthers commit mass violence against game industry traditions - and in the process, drop what they announced as "five new games and two release dates" according to their Twitter. Yes, they actually announce games during this show - and good ones, too.
News stories: Event wrapup
There's actually a fair bit of history with Nintendo things showing up in Microsoft shows, and we're not just talking about cameos by the Switch in Phil Spencer's Zoom background. Minecraft crossplay, the Tales of Vesperia remaster, and the yet-unreleased Skywalker Saga LEGO Star Wars game all got announced there... but then again, so did Balan Wonderworld. Look, Connectivity will likely watch this anyway, but it still might be worth a peek. We're still owed a second bit of Doom Eternal DLC, after all.
News stories: Diablo II Resurrection dated, A Plague Tale: Requiem
The last one of these was more accurately called the Square Eidos Showcase, and based on the teased titles - a new game from Eidos Montreal, friend of Nintendo Platinum Games's collaboration Babylon's Fall, the new Life is Strange, Avengers - the same will be true this time. It'll basically be the Mirror Universe version of their presentation at the final E3 in 2019, which was mostly from the Japanese side of the company until the end. Does that mean nothing for Switch? Who's to say?
News stories: It's pretty much what we feared
Among the sea of Epic Games Store exclusives are a few games that will get announced as multiplatform games for Switch: Cris Tales was announced at this show in 2019.
News stories: Event recap
If nothing else, we have an upper limit for the PC Gaming Show this year: 90 minutes. But there were a few smaller announcements at this show last year, and notably friend of the Switch XSEED has said they'll be there with something.
News stories: Event recap
It's not just going to be new product getting physical release that will make Justin swoon / apply for an increase on his credit card limit, but they're also a publisher of note as well. They published our most recent 10 as of original publication time, for instance. Come for the cartridges, stay for some possibly hot Switch games you never expected.
News stories: Video recap
Capcom's announcement for this show called out The Great Ace Attorney and the 2021 Monster Hunters that are both on Switch, so the question becomes do they have anything else up their sleeve? (Maybe stuff that didn't get exfiltrated last year?)
News stories: Video recap
It's the one we've all been waiting for, the first time Nintendo has had a mid-June presentation in two years. It's 40 minutes and all software, so expect a bomb or two to get dropped.
News stories: Announcement, Hub page
Assuming it's not just Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus for an hour, there should be an item or two worth watching for the discerning Nintendo owner. Also, this show comes with a 100% guaranteed that anime will in fact be happening.
News stories: It was the Dark Pictures and that's it.
The score is entirely because we'll be advised of the year's FIFA roster update, but EA announced seven games slated for release in the year following last year's show and six of them came out. Will we get anywhere near that in 2021? Stay tuned.
News stories: Lost in Random release date and Knockout City / Apex Legends seasons
