The Game Awards 2023 countdown: Exact start time and date

This year’s Game Awards will kick off very soon at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with no less than 32 awards across a variety of categories being up for grabs.

Of course, the event isn’t just for rewarding 2023’s cream of the crop. It’s also a place for new game announcements and updates. As such, you may wish to tune into the live proceedings so you can be among the first to learn about upcoming releases, as well as who won the 2023 awards.

Here’s exactly when The Game Awards 2023 begins.

Game Awards 2023 start time and date

The Game Awards airs on Dec. 7, 2023 at 6:30pm CT, making it perfect afternoon/evening watching—unless you’re living in the U.K., in which case it begins on Dec. 8 at 12:30am GMT. Considering last year’s event ran for approximately three and a half hours, U.K. residents may want to think about catching up later in the day if they want to get a good night’s sleep.

Below, you’ll find a countdown to the exact start date for The Game Awards and a time zone converter for every region shared on the event’s website.

• Los Angeles: 4:30pm PST on Dec. 7
• New York: 7:30pm EST on Dec. 7
• Brazil: 9:30pm BRT on Dec. 7
• London: 12:30am GMT on Dec. 8
• India: 6am IST on Dec. 8
• China: 8:30am CST on Dec. 8
• Tokyo: 9:30am JST on Dec. 8

What to expect from The Game Awards 2023

Exactly which games will be announced is unknown, but Larian Studios has already said it will be sharing a release date for the long-awaited Xbox version of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Speaking of Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s up for the prestigious Game of the Year award against heavy hitters like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the Resident Evil 4 remake. Frankly, any of the nominees could take the trophy, so this year is bound to generate a lot of buzz. Baldur’s Gate 3 was also nominated for seven other categories, making it the most-nominated game of the event alongside Alan Wake 2.

One huge announcement to keep an eye out for is a potential trailer for Elden Ring’s first DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree. Elden Ring fans haven’t heard much about the DLC since its announcement trailer. The Game Awards played host to Elden Ring’s release date reveal and other trailers, so From Software could easily show up tonight as well.

Microsoft also teased important Xbox announcements, so you can probably expect to see a few new game reveals and updates to its 2024 projects, and potentially even a new Xbox console model.

One thing you should expect less of, though, are stage jumpers. After last year’s showing, Keighley promised security will be much tighter this year to stop anyone from sneaking on stage again. But there will be surprise announcements galore, that much we know for a fact.

Confirmed special guest presenters include Timothee Chalamet, Christopher Judge, and Gonzo from the Muppets.