The Game Awards will have a live audience for the first time in 3 years

Game Awards
(Image credit: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup)

The Game Awards will have a live audience for the first time since 2019, host Geoff Keighley has announced.

Of course, the the last two years of The Game Awards were structured around minimal in-person contact in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19. The Game Awards 2020 was entirely virtual, with Keighley presenting the reveals and awards from a soundstage in Los Angeles and music performed remotely from London and Tokyo. The following year's show returned to the Microsoft Theater to a strictly invited audience, with a preshow ceremony hosted by Sydnee Goodman.

This year, however, will be just like the good old days. Invites will open to the general public on November 1, and the show will take place in front of a live audience at the Microsoft Theater on December 8. Corresponding with California and LA's lifting of Covid-related requirements for big indoor events, ticket-holders won't have to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test for entry. That said, the event's organizers urge anyone "not feeling well" to stay home.

You can get more info about where you'll be able to find tickets here, but there's still no official information about presenters, musical performances, or studio attendees. The Game Awards isn't the only flagship gaming event returning to form post-lockdowns, as E3 2023 is returning to Los Angeles and welcoming back fans for 2023.

While we don't yet know what to expect from the show, you can expect updates on at least some of these new games of 2022.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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