E3 2022 could be online-only: Which racing games will be shown?

E3 is like Christmas for gamers. While the show has arguably become less relevant over the years, it’s hard not to get excited when E3 arrives and we get first glimpses of our most anticipated games.

Traditionally, E3 is held at Los Angeles Convention Centre and attracts thousands of fans. However, due to the pandemic, E3 2020 was cancelled for the first time in the show’s history. Organisers wanted to bring the traditional E3 show back in 2021, but it was replaced with an online-only event instead as coronavirus continued to spread.

Now, the ESA has confirmed E3 2022 will not be held in-person either amid fears of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

E3 2022 in-person event cancelled

“Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022,” the ESA said in a statement to GamesBeat. “We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”

It’s a tricky situation, but an understandable decision. Organising large events like these takes months of planning and cancelling the event at the last minute would cause huge financial losses.   

Although nothing has been confirmed, this means E3 2022 will likely be a digital-only event like last year. If so, you’ll be able the livestream the event online to catch all the latest game announcements.

Which racing games will be shown at E3 2022?

Of course, the question on our minds is which racing games will be shown at E3 2022? Since E3 usually starts in the summer, it’s too early for any official announcements. But we can speculate.

One of the highlights of Microsoft’s digital E3 conference last year was the announcement of Forza Horizon 5. E3 2022 seems like the perfect time for Microsoft to reveal Forza Motorsport in full – by then, it will have been two years since Turn10’s new racing simulation was shown at the Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020.

Need for Speed games are also traditionally announced at E3. We know Criterion Games, the studio behind Hot Pursuit and Hot Pursuit, is developing the next Need for Speed.

Potentially, Codemasters could also have a surprise in store – could DiRT Rally 3 or Codemasters’ new WRC game make an appearance at E3 2022? We’ll have to wait and see. With 2022 set to be an exciting year for racing games, we're looking forward to finding out more about our most anticipated new racing games at E3 2022.      

When does E3 2022 start?

E3 is usually held in the middle of June. Last year’s online-only E3 event started on 12 June and ended 15 June. This means E3 2022 will likely take place on 11-14 June.