Where to buy E3 2017 tickets, price information and what to expect

E3 2017 will open its doors to the public for the first time this year, allowing fans to enter the LA Convention Centre and play new games following their starring roles at the keynote events of Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA, Ubisoft and Bethesda.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which runs the event, has been toying with the idea for years. Last year the public were offered the chance to attend an E3 Live event separate to, but coinciding with, the main event.

EA hosted its own E3-adjacent event for the first time in 2016, inviting members of the public, signalling what the future might hold.

Another huge factor is the continued success of consumer-focused event Gamescom in Germany, which last year attracted 345,000 visitors.

When does E3 2017 take place?

Tuesday 13 - Thursday 15 June.

How many E3 2017 tickets will be sold?

15,000.

Where can I buy E3 2017 tickets, when and how much will they cost?

Early bird tickets will go on sale through the E3 2017 website on Monday 13 February at 5pm GMT. These will be a portion of the 15,000 overall tickets, and will cost $150 (£120). When the rest of the tickets go on sale, they will cost $250 (£200).

That seems like a lot...

It is. A ticket to attend Gamescom for a day in 2016 cost around €20 (£17).

Also, if you're not a resident of Los Angeles, obviously you'll then have to factor in travel and accommodation – which is likely to double the cost at least and more likely triple it or quadruple it. Bear in mind though that the entire gaming industry will be descending on LA, so hotel rooms will quickly become hard to come by – if they aren't already.

What does a ticket get you?

Traditionally E3 has been a place where members of the video game industry and media gather to attend press conferences, business meetings and try out new games and products, with the show floor divided between particular studios and publishers.

There will be timed show floor demos but also a fair few rooms dressed up like hands-on demos that actually hold screening rooms so you can watch the game you want to play, being played by someone else. Can you tell we've been burned by this before?

While changes to the layout are likely to be made to accommodate the 15,000 new attendees, they will likely get a similar experience to the press, only with more queuing. Seriously, queuing will take up at least 80% of your time, if you're lucky.

This is for queue enthusiasts more than it's for video game enthusiasts.

What games are likely to be there?

A new Call of Duty, the latest iterations of annual sports titles like Fifa, NBA etc and confirmed sequels such as Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Red Dead Redemption 2 (possibly). Then there are other likely sequels such as a new Assassin's Creed, Destiny 2 and upcoming Nintendo Switch games including Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey.

There will, of course, be a whole lot more as well.

Why is E3 opening its doors?

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