E3 2016: All the launches, games and consoles to expect

Each June, the games industry travels en masse to Los Angeles for E3, the western world’s biggest videogames conference in order to show and see the hottest titles around.

Ahead of the event there are always rumours that fly around about specific games, consoles or accessories, right up to the doors opening themselves. That’s why we’ve put together a handy guide on what we’ve seen and heard so far, to give you an idea of how E3 2016 might pan out.

We’ll update this round-up as the show gets nearer so bookmark it if you want to keep abreast of the latest E3 2016 gossip.

What is E3?

First held in Los Angeles in 1995, the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) after the games industry decided it didn’t want to share a convention with consumer electronics manufacturers. Until then, CES in Las Vegas each year had a large gaming presence.

E3 was devised to give the rapidly rising industry its own major trade show and platform.

It has expanded, constricted and expanded again over the last 21 years, even switching location on a couple of occasions, but regardless of the more controversial moments it has always endured.

It is the number one event for major game announcements, specifically from Sony and Microsoft. It is currently held in the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown area of the city.

When does E3 2016 start?

The show itself technically opens its doors at 12pm (PT) on Tuesday 14 June. It ends at 5pm on Thursday 16 June.

Show times are (PT):

• 12pm – 6pm: 14 June
• 10am – 6pm: 15 June
• 10am – 5pm: 16 June

In addition, there are related events on the days prior to the main show opening.

Sony (PlayStation), Microsoft (Xbox), Electronic Arts, Bethesda and Ubisoft each hold press conferences on the Sunday and Monday ahead of E3. That’s on 12 June and 13 June this year.

When are the E3 2016 press conferences?

Not all of the E3 press conferences have been announced yet, with PlayStation, Xbox and Ubisoft yet to send out invites or times.

Electronic Arts has controversially decided not to have a presence at the main E3 show this year, instead hosting its own events on Sunday 12 June in both LA and London, titled EA Play. There will be an EA Play press conference therefore at 1pm local time, 9pm UK time on that day.

Bethesda is the only other company to so far confirm its press conference. It will also be held on Sunday 12 June, but at 7pm local time, so Monday morning in the UK at 3am.

What games companies will be at E3 2016?

Hundreds of publishers and developers show their wares at E3 each year, either on the show floor or behind closed doors in private rooms. This year’s event will be no different.

Surprisingly though, there will be no Electronic Arts or Activision stands at the show itself. There will be some BCD sessions for the latter, while EA is hosting its own separate event, EA Play, on the Sunday beforehand – as detailed above.

Activision will also have some of its new games on partners’ stands, such as the PlayStation and Xbox booths. The new Call of Duty and Skylanders titles are expected to be among those.

The three biggest stands each year are naturally those for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo. They are each expected to have a massive presence at the show as before, although Nintendo shifted away from an annual press conference at E3 to its online streamed Nintendo Direct announcement format. There could well be an E3-themed version around the same week in June – maybe even with further news on the Nintendo NX console.

The other major companies currently confirmed as appearing at E3 are as follows:

• 2K
• Bandai Namco
• Bethesda
• Capcom
• CD Projekt Red
• Deep Silver
• Focus Home Interactive
• Konami
• Logitech
• Oculus
• Razer
• Sega
• Square Enix
• Take-Two
• Ubisoft
• Warner Bros

There are plenty of smaller developers, publishers and hardware manufacturers we also have our eye on because they promise some great games and accessories this year, including Rebellion, Alienware, Crytek and Nvidia.

What will be the big E3 2016 announcements?

With so many companies showing their latest games and gizmos, there are bound to be plenty of big name products among them. Here are a few of the biggest announcements that could occur during E3 2016.

Nintendo NX

There are rumours that Nintendo will announce its next home console and replacement for the Wii U before E3 starts, perhaps even a month or two prior. If it does, it’s very likely well get to see more on or about it at the show itself.

A couple of different reports suggest that Nintendo might even revert to former years and hold a dedicated NX press conference during the show, but we think that’s less likely.

READ: Nintendo NX: Release date, specs and everything you need to know

The Last of Us 2

Rumours have flown about a PS4 sequel to Naughty Dog’s incredible The Last of Us ever since the original was first released. However, more recent clues have pointed at it being Sony’s big games reveal. Its “one more thing”, so to speak.

It is unlikely The Last of Us 2 will be playable at E3 2016, but we will likely see something during Sony’s press conference.

PlayStation Neo/PS4K/PS4.5

It is also thought that Sony will announce the upgraded version of the PlayStation 4 during its Monday night press event.

There have been some substantial rumours about the machine codenamed “Neo”, with a faster processor, better graphics allocation and 4K output for video all touted. We’ll find out for sure come June, we expect.

READ: Sony PlayStation 4K: What is PS4.5, when is it coming and how will it affect VR?

Xbox One Two

This is more of a guess or a hunch, but with Sony expected to announce a better spec’ed PS4 at E3, Microsoft could be about to do something similar too.

During the Xbox Showcase in San Francisco in February, Xbox head Phil Spencer teased that there would be hardware upgrades coming to the Xbox One. Whether than means an add-on could be on its way to improve performance or a new version of the console, we genuinely think he has something up his sleeve for the Xbox media event on the Monday.

Destiny 2

Wishful thinking perhaps, considering Activision won’t even have its own stand at the show, but there have been rumours that Destiny 2: The Shattered Suns will be announced at E3, while Activision has already confirmed that it will be released next year.

We don’t expect anything to be playable at the show, but it could make an appearance at one of the major press events – most likely Sony’s.

What games will be at E3 2016?

As well the big titles announced but not technically playable or demoed at E3 there will be plenty on the show floor and in private sessions that will be. Here are our picks of what we expect to be available to see or go hands-on with at E3 2016. There will clearly be plenty more too, but these are on our most immediate hitlist.

• Crackdown 3 – Xbox One
• Dead Island 2 – Xbox One, PS4, PC
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Xbox One, PS4, PC
• Dishonored 2 – Xbox One, PS4, PC
• FIFA 2017 – Xbox One, PS4, PC
• Final Fantasy XV – Xbox One, PS4
• Gears of War 4 – Xbox One, PC
• Halo Wars 2 – Xbox One, PC
• Mafia III – Xbox One, PS4, PC
• Mass Effect: Andromeda – Xbox One, PS4, PC
• No Man’s Sky – PS4, PC
• Planet Coaster – PC
• Star Citizen – PC
• South Park: The Fractured But Whole – Xbox One, PS4, PC
• The Legend of Zelda – Wii U
• The Last Guardian – PS4
• Titanfall 2 – Xbox One, PS4, PC
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands – Xbox One, PS4, PC

There will also undoubtedly be a flood of virtual reality games for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. We expect Sony in particular to have many headsets on its stand and in private viewing rooms which will be set up to demo some of the launch titles. PS VR is coming out in October so expect the focus to be massive.

We’ll also update this list as and when we hear of other big name games due to be at E3.