Summary
- Assassin's Creed Unity glitches affected the franchise's reputation, forcing Ubisoft to reassess the formula.
- The Corrupted Blood incident in World of Warcraft led to player deaths, causing chaos in hub areas.
- Skyrim's Giant bug and Red Dead Redemption's "Manimals" are both infamous video game glitches.
Glitches can be rather irritating to experience in a video game, open world, or otherwise. Players expect their games to perform to a T so that they can get immersed in these titles without being reminded that, at the end of the day, they're playing a video game.
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Some glitches are so legendarily bad that fans still remember the debilitating effects they had on their respective games. However, other open-world games are endearing because of their harmless glitches, which add to the charm of these titles in the eyes of many.
8 Assassin's Creed Unity
The Glitches Were So Horrid That It Single-Handedly Tanked The Franchise's Reputation
Assassin's Creed Unity
- Released
- November 11, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
Fans remember the sheer uproar that ensued when Assassin's Creed Unity was released in its broken state. The game was such a mess that it permanently tanked the franchise's goodwill and forced Ubisoft to take an annual hiatus and reimagine the formula.
One of the funniest bugs that plagued the game was when model textures wouldn't load in, forcing players to stare at the floating eyes and lips of NPCs. It made for a horrifying sight and became the poster child of everything that was wrong with the game.
7 World Of Warcraft
The Legendary Corrupted Blood Incident Needs No Explanation
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
The Corrupted Blood incident is one of the most notorious glitches in video game history, where a debuff from a very powerful boss in World of Warcraft was brought over to hub areas, where low-level players were killed by this plague in a flash.
It took no time at all for mischievous players to spread this debuff to beginners, causing characters to die by the hundreds before Blizzard patched it out. It's one of the most interesting glitches in a video game that fans still analyze to this day.
6 Red Dead Redemption
The Manimals Have Become A Notable Video Game Urban Legend
Red Dead Redemption
- Released
- May 18, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar San Diego
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Android, iOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Red Dead Redemption had a relatively smooth system of spawning people and animals as Marston explored the open world. However, there were times when this mechanic would bug out, leading to one of the most legendary video game glitches of all time.
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Sometimes, humans and animals would merge in unholy combinations, leading to animal heads superimposed on human bodies and vice versa. Being able to ride a donkey with a human's body or seeing human birds fly in the air made for a surreal sight that intrigued fans to no end.
5 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
The Sheer Number Of Legendary Glitches In This Game Is Off The Charts
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Skyrim is one of the greatest video games ever made, with Bethesda's quirky glitches making an appearance in this title, too. Various bugs and exploits can be used for the player's benefit, such as duplicating gold and putting a basket on a merchant's head to steal everything in sight without getting caught.
There's also the legendary Giant, which can send the Dragonborn flying with a mortal hit. This was a bug intentionally left in by the developers after seeing just how entertaining it could be to see the player character be yeeted into the sky for no rhyme or reason.
4 Grand Theft Auto 4
The Swing Set Launch Is One Of The Most Legendary Glitches In Video Game History
Grand Theft Auto 4
- Released
- April 29, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto 4 is one of the greatest video games ever made, with its take on Liberty City being iconic. It also features one of the funniest glitches in video game history that involves a swing set.
If players use a vehicle and back into a swing set at a particular angle, there's a chance that the stored momentum of this swing set will cause a player's car to catapult to a different corner of the map, making for a fun visual that fans have tried to replicate in this game over and over again.
3 Cyberpunk 2077
The Sheer Vitriol This Game Attracted For Releasing In A Broken State Was Off The Charts
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
There was a time when many people thought that Cyberpunk 2077 was dead in the water upon release. The bugs were so frequent that players couldn't get immersed in this title without being irritated by how broken everything was.
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Eventually, Cyberpunk 2077 salvaged its reputation and became one of the most popular video games ever made. The broken past of this game became a legend, with some of the more prominent bugs being textures not loading in and characters T-posing without a care in the world.
2 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Ghost Car Glitch Is One Of GTA's Biggest Legends
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Released
- October 26, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
The ghost car of San Andreas was an urban legend that turned out to be true in a way. In desolate locations like the Back O' Beyond Woods, players could find driverless cars just moving around in the area, making for an eerie sight.
The explanation for this glitch is interesting, with the game programmed to spawn in cars when it assumed that players are stranded in the middle of nowhere. In the case of the Back O' Beyond woods, the hilly terrain means that cars start moving of their own accord after spawning, making it seem like a spooky presence is driving said vehicle.
1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Roach's Hilarious Glitchy Animations Were So Iconic That CD Projekt Red Compiled Them All Into A Video
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The Witcher 3 only had minor bugs upon launch that were rectified in no time. This meant that players could enjoy a polished RPG that is CD Projekt Red's greatest game, while the developer could poke fun at some of their bugs.
The video released by CDPR that hilariously points out the bugs affecting the game is a great watch, with Roach's compromised movement being a major highlight. Reports say that a similar video was made for Cyberpunk 2077, but the game was so broken upon release that the company decided not to make light of such a serious issue.
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