The COVID-19 pandemic has forced developers to adapt their work pipelines and finish games from home. It has led to multiple delays.
Last year began with a slew of high-profile game delays, most notably Cyberpunk 2077 and the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but then COVID-19 struck and threw the games industry through a loop. Now that we're well into 2021, more delays continue to hit the industry as developers truly begin to understand the effects of the pandemic on their work pipeline. One of the first major delays to surface this year was Hogwarts Legacy, pushed into 2022.
We've compiled a list of every game that has been delayed into 2021 and beyond. Some of these games are delayed indefinitely, while others have set release windows or a final release date.
We'll continually update this list as more games are delayed.
Games delayed in 2020 and 2021
Back 4 Blood
As a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood is another zombie game from Turtle Rock Studios. It was expected to release this summer, but it has since been pushed back to October 2021 to give the team the time it needs to make it perfect. So there will be an open beta period over the summer instead.
Release date: October 12, 2021
Back 4 Blood
You'll need to wait a little bit longer to hop into Back 4 Blood, but hopefully, it will be worth it. The team is no stranger to cooperative zombie experiences.
Battlefield 2042
After rumblings that this year's Battlefield would be delayed, publisher EA confirmed that Battlefield 2042 had indeed slipped a few weeks. Instead of launching in October, its new release date is now in late November, sandwiched between Halo Infinite in December and after Call of Duty: Vanguard earlier in the month.
Release date: November 19, 2021
Battlefield 2042
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Though it's forgoing a single-player campaign, Battlefield 2042 still won't make its initial release date. Its multiplayer will instead release in all of its glory in November.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
Destiny 2's The Witch Queen expansion was set to release sometime this year; however, the developer realized that it needed to add one more unannounced chapter after its Lightfall expansion to conclude the story satisfyingly, so The Witch Queen got bumped to 2022. When it does release, it will represent "an important evolution in the ongoing story of Destiny 2."
Release date: February 22, 2022
Destiny 2: Beyond Light
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You'll need to wait a little longer to play The Witch Queen, which may feature Savathûn, the Taken King's sister. The upcoming expansion is due out in 2022.
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 can't seem to catch a break. It was supposed to hit consoles and PC sometime in Spring 2020, but Techland has since delayed it to December 2021, surprising everyone who thought the game would languish in development hell.
Release date: December 7, 2021
Dying Light 2
After creating the Dead Island series, developer Techland moved on to Dying Light, and it became exactly the type of zombie apocalypse game it was hoping for. Dying Light 2 aims to continue the trend whenever it eventually releases.
Far Cry 6
Ubisoft intended to release Far Cry 6 in Feb. 2021, but the company has since delayed it later into the year. Ahead of E3 2021, Ubisoft confirmed that it would be releasing over the fall in October. This delay was attributed to the ongoing pandemic.
Release date: October 7, 2021
Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6 stars, Giancarlo Esposito as a dictator raising his son to follow in his footsteps. You'll be able to play it and explore its "tropical paradise" later in 2021.
Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach
The next entry in the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise was due out in 2020, but the developer has since pushed it to late 2021. Scott Cawthon says he's "made the decision to put more time and money into it to make sure it's finished properly." FNAF: Security Breach is expected to launch on PS4, PS5, and PC.
Release date: Late 2021
Ghostwire: Tokyo
This new IP coming from Tango Gameworks was meant to hit PS5 and PC exclusively in 2021. However, the developer announced it's now pushed to early 2022 to focus on protecting the team's health and delivering the "unforgettable version" that the studio's been working on.
Release date: Early 2022
God of War Ragnarok
We don't know much about God of War Ragnarok other than what we can glean from its reveal trailer, but we do know that it won't release in 2021 as initially planned. Instead, Sony Santa Monica needs some more time and has bumped the release date to sometime in 2022.
Release date: 2022
Gotham Knights
WB Games Montreal's highly anticipated Batman title won't be making its planned release date of 2021. So to deliver the best experience possible, Gotham Knights was postponed until next year. When it does launch on PS5, players will be able to take control of the Bat Family and uncover the secrets behind the Court of Owls.
Release date: 2022
Gran Turismo 7
The next entry in Sony's racing franchise was initially planned to hit store shelves this year. However, due to the pandemic impacting development and causing production problems, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan revealed that Gran Turismo 7 was bumped until sometime in 2022. The company later announced a March 4 release date.
Release date: March 4, 2022
Hogwarts Legacy
WB Games unveiled Hogwarts Legacy during a Sony PS5 press conference in September 2020. The upcoming RPG was set to take us back to the popular Wizarding World sometime later this year, but to create "the best possible experience," it was delayed until 2022. It looks like we'll need to wait a bit longer, but hopefully, it's worth it.
Release date: 2022
Horizon Forbidden West
This delay wasn't unexpected, but still disappointing. Guerilla Games had hoped to release Horizon Forbidden West in holiday 2021, but Sony revealed that it had been delayed until February 2022. It's not a huge delay considering it's at the beginning of the year, and hopefully, this means the highly-anticipated sequel will meet expectations.
Release date: February 18, 2022
Horizon Forbidden West
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Journey to the titular Forbidden West and help Aloy find the cause of a mysterious plague that decimated the land. This highly-anticipated sequel may not make it in 2021, but it's coming early in 2022.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was set to bundle up all nine movies and completely remake the original Lego saga in a new package, but it won't hit its Spring 2021 release date after all. TT Games revealed it's delayed, and at Gamescom, it announced that its new release date would be sometime in the Spring of 2022.
Release date: Spring 2022
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
We'll need to wait longer to re-experience the adventures of Anakin, Luke, and Rey in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. On the bright side, a galaxy far, far away will never look better in Lego form when it comes to PS4 and PS5.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Ubisoft is remaking the classic Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, but in all honesty, the reveal trailer looked ... rough. Nothing like what a proper remake should. Though it was intended to be released in January 2021, it was first delayed until March 2021 and then indefinitely.
Release date: TBD
Rainbow Six Extraction
Rainbow Six Extraction — initially titled Rainbow Six Quarantine before the pandemic — was delayed a couple of times before Ubisoft re-revealed it at E3 2021. Then, after being announced for September 2021, it got postponed again until January 2022.
Release date: January 2022
Rainbow Six Extraction
Team up and take on a mutating alien virus in Rainbow Six Extraction. It's an entire game inspired by Rainbow Six Siege's Outbreak event in Operation Chimera. The developer ensures that the enemies this virus creates are more lethal than ever.
Riders Republic
Deemed a massive multiplayer sports playground by Ubisoft, Riders Republic was initially slated for release in early 2021. Unfortunately, it was pushed back until September and then again into October.
Release date: October 28, 2021.
Riders Republic
The action-packed sports game from Ubisoft was meant to hit relatively soon but was pushed back later into 2021. Hopefully, when it releases, it can live up to the promise of a sports paradise.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an interesting one. It's easily by far the biggest and most ambitious title from developer Daedalic Entertainment, so it makes sense that it needs more time to ensure that it meets expectations. Daedalic said it should "fully leverage the power of the new generation of consoles" and "the universe will be faithfully represented" when it launches in 2022.
Release Date: 2022
Skull & Bones
It's not the first delay Skull & Bones suffered, and it probably won't be the last. It was expected to release in Q3/Q4 of 2018 before being pushed into 2019. We can see how that panned out as it's 2021 — and it has still yet to release.
Release date: 2022-2023
Skull & Bones
Were you ever playing Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and thought it would be awesome to have a full game based on piracy and naval combat? Well, soon (possibly, maybe soon-ish) you can in Skull & Bones.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Fans have eagerly awaited over a decade for this sequel to the cult classic. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was initially scheduled to hit store shelves in March 2020 but was delayed later into 2020 and then further until sometime in 2021 at an unspecified date. Then, the publisher went on to obliterate the development team and delayed it indefinitely.
Release date: TBA (Delayed indefinitely)
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
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Vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures have secretly shaped all of human history in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. As a thinblood vampire, your character is weaker than most, but you can work your way up the ladder.
Source: androidcentral