Sony has announced that it will release a State of Play demo on June 4 to introduce upcoming PS5 games. The demo will include updates on select games from third-party developers, and may share details on some first-party PlayStation games. The company has reportedly not yet decided whether to host a PlayStation Showcase or a State of Play demo this summer, but appears to have chosen the latter over a proper full Showcase.
Announce game status
Sony announced on the PlayStation Blog that the State of Play live stream will last over 40 minutes. The PlayStation parent company didn’t reveal details about the games that will be launched at the event, but said it will bring news and updates on “must-play games” on PS5. “The show highlights a range of exciting games from creators around the world,” the company said.
The Game Showcase event will stream live in English on PlayStation’s YouTube and Twitch channels on June 4 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST (or 2:30am CST on June 6th). When the show begins, you can watch the full show in the embedded livestream below:
The State of Play announcement suggests Sony will also be skipping the full PlayStation Showcase this year. The company is reportedly considering hosting a proper showcase or a shorter State of Play event this summer. Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb said in February that Sony may be “discussing” the decision internally.
Last month, Grubb claimed that the company was planning a PlayStation event in June, which would likely be a State of Play presentation rather than a PlayStation Showcase. The former is a shorter broadcast, consisting mostly of third-party announcements as well as some updates to the first-party lineup, and is played three to four times a year. The full showcase, on the other hand, is much larger, with a focus on updates and showcases for Sony’s first-party games. It is usually held once a year.
The last PlayStation Showcase was held in 2023, with Sony skipping the event in 2024. According to confirmation from State of Play, the company will likely do so again this year. However, Sony may hold a showcase later in 2025.
What to expect from the current situation
Every State of Play release raises gamer expectations, but Sony has been mediocre in terms of first-party releases in recent years. The company revealed Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei and Housemarque’s Saros in two recent editions of State of Play. However, several of the company’s first-party studios haven’t shared updates on their respective projects in quite some time.
Insomniac Games has yet to provide an update on The Wolverine since its release in 2021. Meanwhile, God of War developer Santa Monica has yet to reveal its next game. The studio is rumored to be working on a God of War spinoff set in the series’ original Greek mythology. Both studios may appear on upcoming State of Play broadcasts.
The event may also include updates for already-released games, such as Soul of the Tomb Raider, Death Stranding 2, Sharo, Phantom Blade Zero, Marathon, and more.