Everything you need to know about Nintendo's E3 2021 Direct livestream

It’s that time of year again, folks. The annual E3 event is one of the most exciting times in the world of video games, as it’s often filled with the biggest announcements of the year. With that in mind, Nintendo has revealed its plans for E3 2021, along with tidbits of information about what we might be able to expect from the showcase.

Here’s a look at everything you need know about the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct, including its start time, how to watch, what to expect from it, and more.

But first: What are your favorite games and platforms of 2021, and what future releases are you most excited about? Take our poll!

When is the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct start time?

As announced on Twitter June 2, Nintendo revealed its E3 2021 Direct will debut on June 15 at 9 a.m. Pacific, 12 p.m. Eastern. It will air worldwide and will be available across many platforms. Make sure to set aside 40 minutes for the Direct itself, along with three hours afterward for a Treehouse Live event, which will feature gameplay for the newest announced Nintendo titles.

How to watch the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct

You can catch the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct on the official Nintendo YouTube channel, as well as via Twitch. Keep in mind, it will be livestreamed, but if you miss it, you can catch the full video later on.

What will be shown in the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct?

Here’s where things get interesting. As stated in the tweet from Nintendo, this Direct will focus “exclusively on Nintendo Switch software, mostly releasing in 2021.” So, we’ll likely get updates on the company’s holiday 2021 lineup, as well as details on new games that could be released in early 2022 like Splatoon 3.

Another thing worth mentioning is that VGC editor Andy Robinson did confirm that The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are “100 percent coming this year,” as Switch remasters. If true, it’s highly likely Nintendo will announce these games at E3 to hype them up for the fall. It’s the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda after all.

Other games fans would like to see at the show are Metroid 4 and Bayonetta 3, both of which have been cooking for several years. It seems development on those titles has been tricky, but we could get an update on one or both of them this year.

Finally, since Nintendo said this Direct will focus “exclusively” on software, you shouldn’t expect to see a Switch Pro reveal. This brings us to our final point.

When will we learn more about the Nintendo Switch Pro?

Since Nintendo has ruled out the possibility of showing hardware during its E3 2021 Direct, we won’t be getting the long-awaited reveal of the Switch Pro during the event.

However, as we covered in our Nintendo Switch Pro breakdown, the new system upgrade might be announced sooner than you’d expect. According to a report from Bloomberg, Nintendo is planning to announce the Switch Pro prior to E3 2021, possibly as soon as June 3. This is to allow other publishers to discuss new games for the platform during E3 2021, which is a plausible theory.

It seems the new system will be ramping up in production this summer and is planned to launch in September or October 2021. In addition, a recent Amazon Mexico listing for the hardware revision was spotted before being taken down, adding even more fuel to the fire.

So, even though the Switch Pro reveal won’t happen at E3, we’ll likely already know about it prior to Nintendo’s event. In fact, the company may announce games that will be available for the new piece of hardware during its presentation — though, it’s unclear how the functionality will work.