After a whirlwind four-day event, this year’s Summer Game Fest has officially come to an end. Held in Los Angeles, the gaming industry expo – now in its fifth year – delivered a slew of major game reveals, world premieres, and updates on tons of previously announced titles fans have been clamoring for. Beginning with a two-hour showcase hosted by founder Geoff Keighley that was streamed live from the YouTube Theater, the event served not just as a series of teasers but as a celebration of developers and publishers of all sizes.
With the inclusion of subsequent livestreams from indie devs, Xbox, and Ubisoft — and of course three full days of hands-on demonstration for media and creators — Summer Game Fest continued to fill the void left behind by gaming’s previous big annual spectacle, E3, which officially shut down in 2021 following the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even for those who couldn’t attend, the festival was a must-see for gamers, with major announcements Lego Horizon Adventures, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII , and Killer Bean (literally a game about a bean-shaped assassin) all making a splash both in-person and online. Xbox, too, had one of its best showings in years with first looks at the next Doom title and the return of two of its most beloved legacy franchises with Fable and Perfect Dark .
With so much to absorb, it’s easy to get lost in the noise. Rolling Stone was able to play over 20 of the biggest games from AAA studios and indies al.
