This is the best way to watch The Game Awards 2022

The Game Awards 2022 is nearly here. Invariably one of the biggest shows in gaming, The Game Awards enjoys a stature previously enjoyed only by E3. Even compared to E3 and the replacement shows that have appeared in the past few years, The Game Awards is an unmatched spectacle packed with announcements, awards, trailers, and appearances from developers and celebrities alike.

Whether you’re tuning in to see which of 2022’s best games are receiving honors or you just want a peek at the biggest games on the horizon for next year, The Game Awards is a show you won’t want to miss. Here’s everything you need to know to prepare for The Game Awards 2022, including Inverse’s recommendation for the very best place to watch it.

When is The Game Awards 2022 start time?

The Game Awards 2022 stream airs on Thursday, December 8, with a 30-minute preshow starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

You can wait to tune in until 8 p.m. if you just want to catch the main show, but the preshow is worth watching as well. In previous years, the preshow has included a few awards and short segments with game developers alongside a heap of trailers.

What’s the best way to watch The Game Awards 2022?

The Game Awards 2022 will run live on both YouTube and Twitch. Co-streaming is allowed, so there will be plenty of smaller streams showing it, too.

If you’re looking for the best way to watch The Game Awards, we recommend Twitch. You’ll see the same show on any platform, but in our experience, the Twitch stream tends to be a bit closer to real-time while YouTube has a small amount of lag. That makes Twitch the preferred platform if you want to be the one spoiling surprises for everyone else in your group chat.

What should you expect at The Game Awards 2022?

As always, The Game Awards 2022 will be a mix of awards, game announcements, and lots of ads. Host Geoff Keighley says this year’s show will be a bit shorter than it’s been previously, but we don’t know by how much. Including the preshow, previous Game Awards have been around three and a half hours, so unless this year is cutting a massive amount off the runtime, you should still be prepared for a lengthy show.

A Game Awards trailer recently highlighted the games nominated for awards this year, some of which we’re likely to get announcements for as well. DLC for Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West feel like strong possibilities. With their release dates closing in, we could also get updates on Forspoken and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. There’s always a chance that Starfield will show up in some capacity.

Beyond that, we already know a good deal of what will be shown. Games that are confirmed to appear include Baldur’s Gate 3, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Tekken 8, the Dead Space remake, and Final Fantasy XVI. Airship Syndicate, developer of the 2021 RPG Ruined King: A League of Legends Story has confirmed it’s showing off its new game. Control developer 505 Games will be debuting its new project, previously announced with a perplexing trailer featuring Michael Madsen.

Guests and presenters include former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida, Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal from HBO’s The Last of Us show, and Game Awards favorite Josef Faris, developer of It Takes Two. Ken and Roberta Williams, founders of the legendary studio Sierra On-Line, are presenting an award. Animals from the Muppets will also be there for some reason.

As with past years, The Game Awards 2022 will also feature live musical performances. The only confirmed performance this year is Hozier playing “Blood Upon the Snow” from God of War Ragnarok. However, it’s Game Awards tradition to include an orchestral medley of songs from nominees, so we’ve got that to look forward to as well.

For all we know about The Game Awards 2022, the most exciting part is watching for big surprises that no one saw coming. There’s not long to go until we find out what announcement will have everyone talking this year.