EA Play Live 2021: How to watch and what games to expect

ea play live 2021
(Image credit: EA)

E3 2021 has come and gone, and that means it’s time for this summer’s bevy of smaller gaming livestreams to begin. The next one on the roster is EA Play Live, which will take place on July 22. Last year’s event was a big hit, showing off Star Wars: Squadrons, Skate 4 and FIFA 21, among other titles. 

This year, expect new information on Battlefield 2042, Knockout City and perhaps even the return of a beloved horror franchise. As for when you'll be able to watch, the EA Play Live 2021 broadcast begins at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. BST.

EA hasn’t yet posted a link to its livestream, but you’ll almost certainly be able to watch it on the Electronic Arts YouTube channel. Considering that EA revealed the livestream information on Twitter, embedding a livestream link in the Electronic Arts Twitter account also doesn’t seem impossible. 

Be aware that the start time denotes the EA pre-show; the main show will follow, but EA doesn’t specify when. (Looks like we’re in for another “countdown to a countdown” situation.)

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A follow-up tweet gave us one other piece of solid news. The host for EA Play Live 2021 will be Austin Creed, aka Xavier Woods of the WWE. Creed is no stranger to gaming events, as he also works as a host on G4TV. (The response was a mix of applause for the former tag team champion and tech support queries.)

EA Play Live 2021: Possible games

EA didn’t discuss any of the games that will be on display, so fans will have to use their imaginations — and a little common sense — to determine what the company will show off. Battlefield 2042 seems like a very safe bet, since it’s a highly anticipated game and we got our first substantial look at it during E3. On the EA website, there’s also a Knockout City character beneath the livestream information, so an update or two for the popular online multiplayer game seems reasonable.

Some fans on Twitter have also theorized that we’ll finally get new information about Dragon Age 4. It’s been a while since our last big DA4 update, and there seems to be a wolf shape in one of the Twitter illustrations — but that could also just be a Rorschach test for content-starved Dragon Age fans.

One intriguing possibility is that EA may discuss a revival of its dormant action/horror series Dead Space. A handful of reliable games journalists have suggested that Dead Space will get a “reimagining” rather than a direct sequel to Dead Space 3, and that we’ll learn more about the new game during EA Play Live. It sounds plausible, but as usual, we’ll reserve our judgment until EA says something definitively.

Marshall Honorof

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.