Winning in action video games requires to predict timed events in order to react fast enough. In these games, the temporal structure of events is repetitive enough to develop implicit (automatic) preparation mechanisms. We compared action video game players (VGPs) and non-VGPs in a reaction time task involving both implicit time preparations and explicit (conscious) temporal attention cues. Participants were immersed in virtual reality and instructed to respond to a visual target appearing at variable delays after a warning signal (WS). In half of the trials, an explicit cue indicated when the target would occur after the WS. Behavioral, oculomotor and EEG data consistently indicate that, compared with NVGPs, VGPs better prepare in time using implicit mechanisms. This sheds light on the neglected role of implicit timing in VGPs and related electrophysiological mechanisms. The results further suggest that game-based interventions may help remediate timing alterations found in psychiatric populations.