The Game Awards 2024 live: start times and how to watch

THE biggest gaming event of the year is almost here, and players don’t have to wait much longer.

The Game Awards features dozens of trailers, announcements and reveals for the biggest upcoming games.

The Game Awards is returning for the biggest show of the yearCredit: The Game Awards

There are also musical performances and, of course, awards for the biggest games of 2024.

If you want to catch The Game Awards, here’s everything you need to know.

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When does The Game Awards 2024 start?

The Game Awards lasts for several hours, and the exact start time is a little hard to pin down.

The stream starts about an hour before the official show, beginning with a 30-minute countdown.

Then there is a 30-minute pre-show that also includes awards and trailers, but there is no stage, and it isn’t hosted by Geoff Keighley.

We have the times that the pre-show starts below, but if you don’t mind missing some trailers and awards, you can start watching 30 minutes later.

Thursday, December 12, 2024
- 4:30pm PT (Western US)
- 7:30pm ET (Eastern US)
Friday, December 13, 2024
- 12:30am GMT (UK time)
- 1:30am CET (Central Europe)
- 9:30am JST (Japan time)
- 11:30am AEDT (Eastern Australia)
- 1:30pm NZDT (New Zealand time)

The Game Awards 2024 will be live on YouTube, but if you can’t watch it live, you can see it as a VOD at the same link after the show.

Do note that the stream will go live 30 minutes ahead of the official start time of the pre-show, and an hour before Keighley takes the stage.

Most of what we’ll see at The Game Awards will be a surprise, but there are a few things that have been teased.

Gearbox has confirmed that it’ll be showing more of Borderlands 4, and Hangar 13 will show Mafia: The Old Country.

One of the bigger reveals will be Civilization 7 from Firaxis, which is one of the most anticipated games of next year.

Hazelight Studios, the team that made 2021 Game of the Year award winner It Takes Two, will show off their next title.

Third-person shooter Mecha Break has teased a TGA 2024 announcement, as well as updates for ongoing games.

Zenless Zone Zero, Stalcraft: X, Warframe: 1999, and Tekken 8 will all share updates with fans.

If you want to read more about the show, check out our predictions for The Game Award winners.

Get the lowdown on more of the latest PS5 releases from our expert reviewers.

For Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch, check out our full game reviews section.