The E3 2021 conference is now over, with the gaming industry's biggest week of news wrapping up for another year. And if you weren't watching along at home yourself, you might be wondering about the most talked-about reveals and best trailers.

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The E3 2021 schedule was fairly packed with announcements from big-name companies, with Sony and EA being the only major names not to appear. Nintendo and Bandai Namco both hosted live streams on the final day of the conference, with earlier slots during the week falling to Ubisoft, Gearbox, Warner Bros, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, Razer, Xbox and Bethesda.

We saw new trailers for huge upcoming games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Back 4 Blood and Starfield, as well as announcements of brand new titles including a Guardians of the Galaxy game, WarioWare: Get It Together and Metroid Dread.

And that's not even half of it! To check our handy recap of all the major news from E3 2021, keep on reading and we'll break it all down for you, starting with the most recent day of the conference and working backwards from there.

E3 2021 recap (Tuesday 15th June)

Nintendo, Bandai Namco and Yooreka Studio were all on the schedule for this final day of E3 2021. There was also a stream hosted by GameSpot and an awards ceremony honouring the best bits of the conference. Here's the news you might have missed:

Nintendo E3 2021 recap

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild sequel is coming next year.
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild sequel is coming next year. Nintendo

It's always an exciting day when a fully-fledged Nintendo Direct takes place, and this E3 2021 edition of the series did not disappoint. You can watch the full stream on Nintendo's YouTube account, or check out this rundown of the best bits:

Everything else from Tuesday, E3 2021 recap

The Dark Pictures Anthology House of Ashes is the next game in Bandai Namco's horror series
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is the next game in Bandai Namco's horror series. Bandai Namco

Nintendo was definitely the highlight of E3 2021's closing day, but there were a few other interesting things going on as well! If you didn't watch along, or if you switched off after the Nintendo show, this is what you missed:

  • Bandai Namco shared a new interview about House of Ashes, the next game in The Dark Pictures Anthology (out 22nd October 2021).
  • Yooreka Studios revealed eight new indie games to be published by the company, with more details on the Yooreka website.
  • The GameSpot Play For All showcase also highlighted a number of interesting indies.
  • The E3 2021 awards show closed the conference, with Xbox and Bethesda winning Best Presentation and Forza Horizon 5 named the Most Anticipated Game.

E3 2021 recap (Monday 14th June)

Monday was an interesting day for E3, with a lot of smaller showcases getting their slot in the schedule, including tech companies like Razer and a handful of indie developers. The biggest AAA developer to appear on Monday was Capcom, so let's start there:

Capcom E3 2021 recap

ladyn dimitrescu resident evil
Capcom is not finished with Resident Evil Village. Capcom

The developers of Resident Evil, Monster Hunter and many more big-name franchises brought plenty of news to E3 2021. You can rewatch the Capcom show in full or read our recap below:

  • Development has "just started" on DLC content for Resident Evil Village, with more details promised to be coming later.
  • Resident Evil's latest multiplayer experience, RE:Verse, will go live in July 2021 - it's free if you already have Resident Evil Village.
  • Extended trailer for Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, launching on 9th July 2021 for PC and Switch.
  • Monster Hunter Rise is launching its Capcom Collab Event Quest on 18th June 2021, tying in with Wings of Ruin.
  • The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles gets a "new features trailer" ahead of its PS4, Switch and Steam release on 29th July 2021.

Everything else from Monday, E3 2021 recap

Intellivision Amico
We got our best look yet at the Intellivision Amico. Intellivision

There were a few other live streams on Monday, but we wouldn't call them major ones. This is probably the day on which Sony and EA would have slotted into the schedule, if both companies hadn't decided to sit this year's conference out. Instead, this is what we got:

E3 2021 recap (Sunday 13th June)

E3 2021 took things to the next level on Sunday, with Xbox, Bethesda, Square Enix, Warner Bros and more big names taking to the stage at this year's virtual conference. Keep on reading for all the highlights.

PC Gaming Show and Future Games Show, E3 2021 recap

Vampire the Masquerade: Swan Song
Vampire the Masquerade: Swan Song looks like it could be fun. Big Bad Wolf

These two wildcard shows (where any company can show up and drop a reveal) are always worth checking in on, especially because this is where you'll see interesting smaller games that don't have a huge company behind them. You can rewatch the PC Gaming Show and the Future Games Show online, or check out our quick recap of the bits which caught our eye:

Warner Bros E3 2021 recap

back 4 blood
Warner Bros lifts the lid on Back 4 Blood. Warner Bros Games

One of the shorter shows on the E3 2021 schedule, the Warner Bros showcase took up a 20-minute slot to tell us all about the upcoming multiplayer horror game Back 4 Blood (from the makers of Left 4 Dead). You can still watch in full on the game's Youtube account, or just read this list of the main points:

  • The stream mainly focused on showcasing PvP gameplay from Back 4 Blood's Swarm Mode.
  • Confirmed that an Open Beta will begin on 5th August 2021, for everyone that pre-orders the game.
  • The full release date is 12th October 2021, with a day-one launch on Xbox Game Pass confirmed.

Square Enix E3 2021 recap

Guardians of the Galaxy game
The Guardians of the Galaxy game was revealed. Square Enix/Eidos Montreal

Square Enix provided one of the big surprises of E3 2021 by opening its showcase with a full reveal of its Guardians of the Galaxy game, which has been rumoured to be in development for years. The show is available in full on YouTube, and these are the key moments to be aware of:

Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 recap

Starfield release date
We've finally had a proper look at Starfield.

Xbox and Bethesda teamed up for the first time at E3 2021, which makes total sense now that the companies have merged into one. You can watch their whole showcase online, or check out our summary below:

E3 2021 recap (Saturday 12th June)

The first proper day of E3 2021 kicked off with a countdown and a pre-show live event, and then the news proper began to appear. The first full presentation was Ubisoft Forward, so let's jump into that now.

Ubisoft Forward E3 2021 recap

Ubisoft showed an Avatar game E3 2021
Ubisoft showed an Avatar game E3 2021 Ubisoft

Ubisoft kicked things off in confident style (you can watch the full presentation on its YouTube channel), dropping several big announcements on Saturday. Here's our brisk recap, just click off to see any of the trailers mentioned:

Gearbox E3 2021 recap

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a funky Borderlands spinoff. Gearbox

You can watch the Gearbox E3 show on the company's YouTube channel. Or if you just want to know what happened during the stream on Saturday, these were the key moments:

Sumer Games Fest 2021 recap (Friday 11th June)

Elden Ring is a fantasy RPG which boasts writing from George R.R. Martin
Elden Ring is a fantasy RPG which boasts writing from George R.R. Martin FromSoftware

Prior to E3 2021 kicking off formally on Saturday, there was a Summer Games Fest live stream on Friday, hosted by industry favourite Geoff Keighley. You can rewatch the whole thing if you want, or read our quick summary below:

And that's your lot! We'll be sure to keep you updated on all the major games announced at E3 2021, with more details sure to drip out in the coming months. Watch this space, folks, and follow Radio Times Gaming on Twitter for breaking news and updates.

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