2025 has had two Michael Myers/Jason-like video games that have loomed over others like maniacal killers. First, a good chunk of the year saw developers and publishers worrying about when Grand Theft Auto 6 was going to launch. No one wanted to release next to it, but after it got delayed, an overwhelming sense of relief was collectively felt, and other triple-A games started scheduling their 2025 releases free from that looming juggernaut.
7 Games Have Been Delayed by Hollow Knight: Silksong So Far
Seven games have already been delayed by the release of the upcoming Hollow Knight: Silksong as developers and publishers try to get out of its way.
Now, a new challenger is here: Hollow Knight: Silksong, which has caused confirmed games, like Baby Steps, to push their release dates just because they didn’t want to release alongside it. It’s a smart move so as not to lose out on game sales. These other games throughout history probably should have delayed themselves, too, and maybe things would have gone down differently for them.
Titanfall 2
Too Many Shooters
Titanfall 2
- Released
- October 28, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Titanfall 2 was released on October 28, 2016, and was released by EA just one week after their bigger 2016 game, Battlefield 1. That was already a problem, but then a week after that, on November 4, Activision released Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered.
While Titanfall 2 is a different type of shooter, namely one with mechs, it’s hard to justify to players to pick it up next to these more established brands with dedicated fan bases. Titanfall 2 reviewed well and didn’t completely tank its sales, but had it come out in a less busy period, maybe players would be playing Titanfall 3 or even Titanfall 4 right now.
Mad Max
Can’t Mess With Big Boss
Mad Max
- Released
- September 1, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
Mad Max was released on September 1, 2015, which was the same day as Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. These two games are vastly different open-world experiences, but Mad Max sort of lost its opportunity to release earlier.
Mad Max: Fury Road came out that same year in May and did very well with reviews and at the box office. Had Mad Max released alongside it, it could have performed better. Removed from the movie and going up against a Hideo Kojima-directed Metal Gear game was not a good plan, even if developers thought it would review better, which it didn't. Still, Mad Max is the best game based on the license and is worth a playthrough, even if it didn't have the legs to compete against Kojima.
Cyberpunk 2077
So Disastrous, Sony Took It Offline
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Cyberpunk 2077 had one of the worst launches in 2020, and perhaps of all time. It was so bug-riddled that Sony actually pulled the game from PSN. While it ran okay on PC, the console versions looked bad and ran poorly, although the lucky new console owners on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S didn’t have as rough a time with it.
Thankfully, Cyberpunk 2077 recovered about half a year later, and now it’s looked at as an amazing cyberpunk adventure. Still, for many, the damage was done on launch day, and now it carries a heavy stigma.
Battlefield 2042
Hopefully, History Doesn’t Repeat
Battlefield 2042
- Released
- November 19, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
Battlefield 2042 is another futuristic game that had a disastrous launch just a year after Cyberpunk 2077 in 2021. Unfortunately, EA couldn’t quite get a handle on the game's issues, which ranged from buggy textures to glitches preventing matchmaking.
Dedicated Battlefield fans signed off until the game was back up and running, and that day did not come quickly. When it did, the community sighed in relief, although things were never quite the same. That’s why fans are looking at Battlefield 6 skeptically, because another bad launch would not be good for the brand.
The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North
Can’t Compete With Dragons
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North
- Released
- November 1, 2011
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North launched on November 1, 2011, alongside almost twenty other games. One of those games was Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. The competition was heavy, but the two games were different enough to appeal to different audiences, and yet it was still a rough launch window.
After Uncharted, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launched on November 8, and then the true hurdle, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, hit stores on November 11. How can a licensed RPG, albeit a good and underrated one, compete next to a legacy title like Skyrim? The Lord of the Rings: War in the North could have perhaps done better had it not been released in such a cluster of big names.
Puppeteer
A Great Exclusive Dead And Buried
Puppeteer
- Released
- September 10, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Puppeteer is one of the best and most creative platformers on the PS3, but it shouldn’t have even been a PS3 game. It was released on September 10, 2013, which was one week before Grand Theft Auto 5, and no one can compete next to a GTA game.
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The bigger problem, though, was the platform, as the PS4 launched on November 15, 2013. Puppeteer would have almost certainly done better as a PS4 launch title if only Sony had delayed it, retooled it for the PS4, and pushed Knack aside, which was the console’s action platformer at launch instead. Instead, Knack is mostly remembered as a meme, and Puppeteer is barely remembered at all.
No Man’s Sky
A Promise Broken
No Man's Sky
- Released
- August 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
No Man’s Sky was first shown in 2013, and that first teaser did enough to spawn a huge fanbase out of thin air. The hunger for the game grew so strong that perhaps Hello Games felt the pressure to release it in 2016, regardless of what content was actually ready for that launch day.
Unlike a lot of other bad launches, there was nothing technically wrong with No Man’s Sky. It ran fine on most platforms, but the problem was that players didn’t feel that it lived up to expectations, or even the gameplay elements promised by its trailers and game director Sean Murray, nor did it offer a good gameplay hook. 2018’s No Man's Sky Next update, which added multiplayer, is when some generally think the game finally turned things around. However, it was definitely a struggle to convince naysayers to jump back in after that lackluster debut.
Fallout 76
A Giant, But Empty World
Fallout 76
- Released
- November 14, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Fallout 76 had a similar problem to No Man’s Sky in that it lacked content when it launched in 2018. Fallout was always a series fans could count on to provide them with an immersive world full of NPCs and quests, but those features weren't added to Fallout 76 until well into 2020. However, the game itself was not even the wildest thing about the launch.
There was also a kerfuffle about the special editions being of poor value, prompting Bethesda to right their wrongs and ship better goods like Duffel Bags. Out of all these examples, Bethesda probably had the roughest time righting their ship, but they did manage to pull it off and eventually created a great game.
All Soulslike Games Revealed At Gamescom 2025
From indies to triple-A sequels, Gamescom 2025 featured a lot of Soulslikes that were announced for the first time during its live events.