How To Watch The Game Awards 2021: Start Times, What To Expect, And More

After taking place last year in an empty studio, The Game Awards 2021 will once again commence in front of a live crowd. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, the annual celebration of the gaming industry will emanate from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, bringing with it awards for the past year’s slate of games and announcements for what’s to come next.

The Game Awards and Keighley himself will be teasing what’s to come at this year’s event via their social media accounts, so far including Shang-Chi star Simu Liu as a presenter and a live performance of “What Could Have Been” from Arcane: A League Of Legends Story by music legend Sting.

The Game Awards 2021 Start Time

The official livestream for The Game Awards 2021 begins with a 30-minute pre-show at 4:30 PM PT / 7:30 PM ET, followed by the main show at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET. Award winners will be announced from over 30 categories across general gaming and esports including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Esports Team of the Year, and Esports Player of the Year. The event will also feature announcements involving “40 to 50 games” according to an Epic Games interview with Keighley, with the number of brand-new titles announced being “probably in the double digits.”

• 5:00 PM PT
• 7:00 PM CDT
• 8:00 PM ET
• 2:00 AM BST

How To Watch The Game Awards 2021 Stream

The Game Awards will be streaming live on its official YouTube and Twitch channels, along with direct feeds on social media sites like Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter and right here on GameSpot. Steam will also be showing the event–coupled with the Game Awards Festival offering select demos on upcoming games–while Oculus will be offering a 180-degree virtual reality experience through Oculus Venues.

In addition, the Game Awards has selected multiple Twitch streamers, YouTube channels, and Facebook Live streamers as Official Co-Streamers of the event. The list of selected channels will be updated as the event draws closer.