EA Play Live 2021 start time and host Austin Creed announced

EA Play Live 2021 finally has an official start time as well as a celebrity host to guide us through all the news.

While the EA E3 2021 event has been confirmed for a while - and it's not quite an E3 event per se, since it's taking place more than a month after a show ends - EA has confirmed when we should tune in: the EA Play Live pre-show is set to begin on July 22 at 10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT / 6 pm BST, with the main show to follow. EA isn't saying how long the pre-show will go before the main showcase begins, or what games it will cover, so we'll just have to tune in on the day and see for ourselves.

The publisher also confirmed that EA Play Live will be hosted by wrestler Austin Creed, AKA Xavier Woods. On top of wrestling for WWE, Creed is also a Twitch game streamer with a substantial following, so he's a natural pick for leading a big gaming event.

So far, EA has kept its plans for EA Play Live close to its chest. The only outright confirmed game so far is Battlefield 2042, which EA has said will be back after its reveal event and follow-up appearance at the Microsoft E3 event earlier this month. Other strong contenders for the stage include a BioWare section with Dragon Age 4 - and maybe, just maybe, some more news about Mass Effect 5 - and a fresh look at whatever EA has cooking for Star Wars. EA is no longer the only one making big Star Wars games for console and PC, but that doesn't mean it won't have more of its own to show.

With this two-pronged plan, it looks like EA is hoping to get the best E3 reveals and having its own space carved out right in the middle of the summer. Hopefully we'll get some more teases about what EA has planned for EA Play Live 2021 in the weeks ahead.

See if you can find your next console or some handy accessories with our guide to Prime Day PS5 deals.