E3 2018 may not officially start until next week -- but you won't have to wait long to ride the hype train. Some of the industry's biggest publishers are kicking things off early, starting with Electronic Arts. The company behind games like Battlefield, Titanfall and the most recent Star Wars games is hosting its own event in Hollywood this weekend called EA Play.

When?

Where?

You can watch the live stream right here, or on YouTube. But if you happen to be within spitting distance of Southern California, you might be able to just go yourself.

EA's Live Show might not be open to the public, but it's hosting a Player Fan Fest at the Hollywood Palladium on June 9-11. You have to register here, but once in, you'll have a chance to play the Battlefield 5, new EA Sports games and more.

What can we expect?

Unlike Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo's events, EA Play will feature games from just one publisher: Electronic Arts. That said, EA owns DICE, Respawn and a ton of other game studios -- so there will be plenty of beloved franchises to fawn over. Here's our short list of what we expect to see at the show.

• Battlefield 5
  When EA and DICE revealed the next Battlefield game to the world, the community reacted strongly: The game's return to World War II looked exciting, but some fans took issue with what they saw as historical inaccuracies. One thing all the fans could agree on, however, is that they wanted to see more. With its October 19 launch date looming, we're bound to finally see some live gameplay at E3. Battlefield 5 will absolutely be a big part of EA Play this year.
  
• Star Wars
  Considering Star Wars Battlefront 2 launched just a year ago, we probably won't be getting a full successor any time soon, but EA is the exclusive license holder to Star Wars -- if they're going to announce any new expansions for the game, now is the time. Don't be surprised if the company dedicates some time to addressing the future of the game's microtransaction market, either.
  
• Anthem
  When Destiny coined the term "shared-world shooter," it was basically the only game in town. Not anymore. Last year, EA showed off early work on Anthem, its own 'contagious open world' game. It's not due out until 2019, but we'll probably see more of it at EA Play.
• EA Sports Games
  If your a sports gamer, you know EA has it all: Madden, FIFA, NHL and NBA Live are all staples of the company's E3 rollout.
• There will be "a few surprises," too
  It wouldn't be E3 without a couple of big announcements coming out of left field. EA hasn't dropped any hints yet, but has made a point of mentioning that the event would have a few "surprises" to look out for.
  

E3 2018: What to expect: All the rumors and early news from the year's biggest gaming show 

E3 2018 coverage at CNET: All of our E3 2018 coverage in one place

E3 2018 coverage at GameSpot: Wall-to-wall coverage of the show from our sister site, GameSpot.

E3 2018 coverage at Giant Bomb: Still more commentary and news from E3, from our colleagues at Giant Bomb.

Tech Culture: From film and television to social media and games, here's your place for the lighter side of tech.

Batteries Not Included: The CNET team shares experiences that remind us why tech stuff is cool.