Summer Game Fest 2024: best trailers

Summer Game Fest can be hard to keep track of. The sprawling event is spread out across several days, ranging from blockbuster keynotes like SGF Live and the Xbox Games Showcase to smaller indie focused streams like Devolver Direct and Day of the Devs. Some games even have their own dedicated showcases. That means there’s a lot to see, which also means it’s tough to see it all. So we’ve combed through each event and pulled out the best trailers to give you a good overview of what went down and what the next few months of video game releases will look like.

Not only did Remedy show off the first expansion for Alan Wake 2, but the studio also launched it: so if you’re interested in the very Twin Peaks-inspired new storylines (which include lots of coffee), you can play them right now.

A puzzle game crossed with an RPG, Arranger is about, well, arranging things. It also looks incredible, with visuals from Braid artist David Hellman.

We might not know exactly when this fantasy RPG from Obsidian will launch, but it’s certainly shaping up to be a worthy follow-up to Pillars of Eternity.

Despite how stressful mountain climbing can be, Cairn looks almost cozy in this new trailer, in which a climber goes an adventure to be the first to reach a summit.

The sequel to a tabletop-style cyberpunk RPG, the next Citizen Sleeper puts players in the role of an escaped android in a stolen ship, who also happens to have no memory. No pressure.

As a teaser, this clip doesn’t show all that much, but it does confirm that Civilization 7 is coming next year, which is more than enough.

Doom meets dark fantasy, which means not only medieval-inspired weaponry but also apparently a mech suit and a dragon you can fly on. It looks as brutal as ever, though.

Just a few days after getting a new name, the next Dragon Age got its first gameplay trailer that gave a deep dive into the early moments of the upcoming RPG.

Blumhouse Games made its debut at SGF, and one of its first games is a PSOne-inspired survival horror title that looks delightfully retro. It’s shaping up to be a good year for old-school horror.

The best way to introduce a new Gears game is with the classic “Mad World” by Gary Jules. The next entry in the franchise will be a prequel, which makes the callback very fitting.

Sony didn’t have much of a presence at the event, but the company did reveal a Lego version of Horizon that makes the post-apocalypse playful.

It’s not surprising that a new Life is Strange is in the works, but it’s nice to hear that Double Exposure will bring back original hero Max.

What makes this word game particularly unique is that it involves discovering a new language as you solve puzzles, which each have a strange effect on the world.

Developed by an all-star cast of former Persona creators, Metaphor looks like it will be taking all of the style of that RPG series and translating it directly to a new fantasy universe.

The retro experts at Digital Eclipse are crafting a side-scrolling Power Rangers beat ‘em up that looks like a long-lost arcade classic.

It’s tough to follow-up a massive, series-altering hit like Monster Hunter: World, but the next MonHun looks like it’ll build on its predecessor in some exciting ways.

Gris is one of the prettiest games I’ve ever played, and it turns out a way to make it even prettier is by adding a wolf companion in the follow-up Neva.

Years after it was first announced, we finally got our first glimpse of Perfect Dark gameplay. The futuristic spy thriller is a co-production between The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics.

It’s from the creators of Hyper Light and Solar Ash, so you know the action will be excellent in this 2D side-scroller about escaping a “sprawling, flooded city overrun with surreal interdimensional horror.”

I’ve watched this trailer a few times, and I still can’t wrap my head around Screenbound’s mixture of 2D and 3D gameplay. But it seems confusing in a good way.

This doesn’t show much of the game, but the Tim Robinson-led video does imply that the next Skate will be a lot funnier and weirder than I anticipated.

The bizarrely-named horror game comes straight from the mind of Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, which explains just how disturbing this new trailer is.

There was a lot of footage of Ubisoft’s open-world Star Wars game, and thankfully most of it focused on the GTA-style gameplay.

More than a year out from launch, many Starfield players are looking for something new to explore — and it looks like the game’s first major expansion will deliver just that.

This brutal, pixelated action game calls to mind Hotline Miami, only you play as a “renegade yakuza.” Even more impressive: it’s the work of a one-person development studio.

This trailer for the slapstick comedy game reveals an August 1st release date but, more importantly, confirms that Matt Berry will be featured.

This seems like a cozy little tea shop simulator about a retired warrior, but the end of Wanderstop’s reveal trailer implies that there’s something more sinister at work.

If you have the patience to make it this far into this list, your reward is… a game about being patient.