The COVID-19 pandemic forced developers to adapt their work pipelines and finish games from home. It's led to multiple delays.
We saw 2020 begin with a slew of high-profile game delays, most notably Cyberpunk 2077 and the Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Then, COVID-19 struck and threw the games industry through a head-spinning loop through 2021. As 2022 begins, more delays continue to hit the industry as developers truly begin to understand the effects the pandemic had on their work pipeline.
So we've compiled a list of every game delayed from 2021 and beyond. Some of these games are stalled indefinitely, while others have set release windows or a final release date. We'll continually update this list as more game news develops.
Games delayed into 2022 and beyond
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
Destiny 2's The Witch Queen expansion was set to release sometime this year. However, the developer realized it needed to add one more unannounced chapter after its Lightfall expansion to satisfyingly conclude the story, 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: Feb. 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.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is one of the most anticipated games in recent years, coming from the minds of George R.R. Martin and Hidetaka Miyazaki, and created by Dark Souls developer FromSoftware. While the team aimed to have it out in January 2022, it has been delayed a month to Feb. 25, 2022, due to its "depth & strategic freedom exceeding initial expectations."
Release date: Feb. 25, 2022
Elden Ring
Elden Ring's delay, thankfully, isn't too long as it was only pushed a month. Set to now release a week after Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring takes players to the Lands Between and tasks them with restoring the titular Elden Ring.
Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16 never had a firm release date, but that hasn't stopped the developer from notifying fans that development was set back by six months. It's unclear when exactly it will launch, though people can expect more information later in 2022. As usual, this delay was attributed to the pandemic.
Release date: TBD
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 it to early 2022 to focus on protecting the team's health and delivering the "unforgettable version" 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 bumped the release date to sometime in 2022.
Release date: 2022
Gotham Knights
WB Games Montreal's highly-anticipated Batman title won't make its planned release 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 it was still disappointing. Guerilla Games hoped to release Horizon Forbidden West in 2021, but Sony revealed that it was delayed until February 2022. However, it's not a huge delay considering it's set at the beginning of the year. So hopefully, this means the highly-anticipated sequel will meet expectations.
Release date: Feb. 18, 2022
Horizon Forbidden West
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 is set to bundle up all nine movies and completely remake the original Lego saga in a new package, but it didn't hit its original spring 2021 release date as planned. TT Games announced it had been delayed, and at Gamescom 2021, it revealed that its new release date would be sometime in the spring of 2022. TT Games eventually settled on an April 5 release date.
Release date: April 5, 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 release in January 2021, its first delay was until March 2021 and then indefinitely.
Release date: TBD
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
Saints Row
Saints Row's reboot was intended for a packed February 2022, but it was moved to August 2022. The developer stated this move was to ensure the game exceeds expectations and meets their high standards to do their vision justice.
Release date: Aug. 23, 2022
Saints Row
Your adventure in Santo Ileso will have to wait a little bit longer. At least until then, you always have the original four Saints Row games to play.
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 this sequel to the cult classic for over a decade. 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
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 climb the ladder.
Source: androidcentral