Few things feel as inevitable in the video game industry as delays. Ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, game delays have only become more and more common as developers find previously set timelines unrealistic and adjust their release plans accordingly. Nearly six months into 2023, we’ve already seen some notable AAA games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Skull & Bones, and Pragmata delayed pretty heavily. Because video game release date delays are so common, it can be tough to keep track of every game that has had its launch date shifted in some way.
That’s why, just as we did in 2021 and 2022, Digital Trends is rounding up every game delay that’s announced throughout 2023. Here are the high-profile ones that have happened so far, listed chronologically by their new intended release dates.
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR (March 16)
As Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is one of the best games for PlayStation VR, The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR, Supermassive Games’ PlayStation VR2 successor, is a highly anticipated launch title for the upcoming VR headset. Unfortunately, it will no longer make PlayStation VR2’s February 22 launch and will instead be released on March 16. On Twitter, a message from Supermassive Games says this delay will ensure that players “receive the most polished, terrifying experience possible” at release. The game was released on that date to mixed reviews.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key (March 24)
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is the latest in a long line of niche RPGs with a very dedicated fan base. While it was supposed to release on February 24, the game ultimately came out on March 23. “In order to make this game a fitting finale for Ryza and her friends, we have taken on challenges such as adventuring in a vast open field and graphics that express the charm of these characters to the fullest extent,” producer Junzo Hosoi explained in a tweet when Koei Tecmo announced the delay. “Our team will take this additional time to fine-tune the final touches so that we can deliver to all of you who have been following the series the best possible experience in this culmination of Ryza and her friend’s adventures.”
The Last of Us Part I for PC (March 28)
Originally slated for March 3, fans will need to wait a little bit longer for The Last of Us series’ debut on PC. One month ahead of that original release date, Naughty Dag announced that the PC version of The Last of Us Part One was delayed by a couple of weeks to March 28. The developer says this delay “will allow us to ensure this version of The Last of Us lives up to your, and our, standards.” Sadly, when The Last of Us Part 1 launched for PC on that new date, the port was still rife with technical issues.
EA Sports PGA Tour (April 7)
With less than a month to go until its release, EA made the decision to push back EA Sports PGA Tour by two weeks. Originally slated for a March 24 release, the golf game would eventually launch on April 7, with those who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition getting early access on April 4. EA pushed it back slightly to line the release up better with the Masters Tournament and “add a few final touches to the game that we are very excited to deliver to all of you, including updates to some favorite courses to reflect 2023 designs.”
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (April 28)
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the eagerly anticipated sequel to Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, got pushed back by six weeks to April 28, from its originally intended March 17 release date. “In order for the team to hit the Respawn quality bar, provide the team the time they need, and achieve the level of polish our fans deserve, we have added six crucial weeks to our release schedule,” director Stig Asmussen explained in a tweet about the delay. The game would go on to launch on April 28, but was rife with technical issues at release.
System Shock (May 30 for PC, TBA for consoles)
Nightdive Studios’ long-awaited, crowdfunded remake of System Shock needs a little more time. Initially, Nightdive and publisher Prime Matter promised to release the game in March 2023 but only ended up delivering a final beta to backers this month. The full release will now happen on PC on May 30, with its console ports not yet having release dates. Hopefully, the long wait is worth it for fans of this highly influential game.
Amnesia: The Bunker (June 6)
Originally announced last December with a March 2023 release window, Amnesia: The Bunker was pushed to May 16 shortly thereafter by Frictional Games. Then, in April, its release date was once again adjusted slightly to May 23. The developers said the delay will “allow the team extra time to polish the game to perfection and to strategically avoid releasing during a busy week when multiple other games are hitting the market.” That wouldn’t be the final delay the game would see, though, as Frictional Games once again pushed it back by a couple of weeks due to “unforeseen certification issues,” this time until June 6.
Venba (July 31)
Venba is a charming cooking game about an Indian-Canadian family, and it is shaping up to be a pretty and culturally rich experience. Originally slated for PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch, developer Visai Games revealed in March that Venba would also be coming to the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Game Pass. As a result, it will now release in summer 2023 instead of spring 2023, though. A July 31 release date for the game was confirmed soon thereafter.
Wrestlequest (August 8)
Wrestlequest is highly anticipated by wrestling fans because of how it adapts the sport to a turn-based RPG format, featuring iconic wrestlers like Macho Man Randy Savage. It was originally intended for release sometime in May 2023, but about halfway through that month, developer Mega Cat Studios announced that it decided to push the game back to summer 2023. The delay happened because the developers recently “secured a new partnership we are extremely excited about,” which added some unforeseen complications in wrapping development up. A more specific August 8 release date was revealed later.
Atlas Fallen (August 10)
Just a couple of weeks after confirming a May release date on Twitter, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment took to the social media platform again to announce that they had pushed the release date of action game Atlas Fallen back to August 10. “Our goal has always been to create a memorable A-RPG experience in a unique setting, with exciting gameplay and the option for fully playable seamless co-op with a friend,” the tweet says. “We’d love to give the game some extra time which will allow us to deliver the best possible version of Atlas Fallen. To achieve this, we have made the difficult decision to delay the worldwide launch of Atlas Fallen to August 10, 2023.”
Immortals of Aveum (August 22)
After an appearance at Summer Game Fest, and with just a month to go until launch, Ascendant Studios and EA made the decision to delay Immortals of Aveum by one month. “In order to realize our full vision, we are going to take a few extra weeks, making our new launch date Tuesday, August 22,” Ascendant Studios explained in a blog post. “This will give us time to further polish the game, finish optimizing all platforms, and deliver a strong launch. We owe it to ourselves and to you to get this right.”
Goodbye Volcano High (August 29)
KO_OP’s coming-of-age narrative adventure game Goodbye Volcano High was supposed to come out on June 15, but got delayed to August 29. “The reality is that, with our current workload, we could not have met our June launch date without significant cuts to the quality and scope of the game,” KO_OP explained in a blog post. “This would mean delivering something much different than what we’ve envisioned and worked toward. We don’t want to release anything less than the best version of the game we have been making throughout our development cycle.”
Starfield (September 6)
Bethesda Game Studios finally revealed a new release date for its highly anticipated sci-fi RPG Starfield. It’s missing the “first half of 2023” release window Bethesda promised when initially delaying the game, but thankfully only by a couple of months as Starfield now launches for PC and Xbox Series X/S on September 6. A dedicated Starfield Direct on June 11 reaffirmed that date.
Baldur’s Gate 3 for PS5 (September 6)
Originally slated to release for PC and PS5 and August 31, the PC release of Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 actually moved up to August 3. Sadly, for PS5 players, the game was pushed back by a week until September 6. “Baldur’s Gate 3 is targeting 60 frames-per-second, and we’re close to achieving that on the platform but need a bit more extra time,” the developers said of the PS5 delay. “We don’t want to compromise on quality and feel it would be a shame to downscale to 30 fps or make other compromises to hit an arbitrary date. We understand that folks may be disappointed with this, but we’re close enough to reaching new heights for RPGs on the system that the benefits of a short delay outweigh the downsides of rushing the PS5 release and having to downscale.”
Front Mission 2: Remake (Q3 2023)
Front Mission 2: Remake, a recreation of a classic mecha turn-based strategy game from Square Enix, was supposed to launch on June 12. Just two weeks before release, though, publisher Forever Entertainment announced that it was delaying the game until [the third quarter of] 2023. “We want to ensure that we have sufficient time to add as many functionalities as possible while proceeding with proper implementation and tests,” a tweet states as the reason for the delay.
Forza Motorsport (October 10)
Forza Motorsport had a spring 2023 release window when it reappeared at 2022’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, but when it was featured in January 2023’s Developer_Direct, that release window changed to just 2023. “We’re not ready just yet to share our release date, and the wait will be worth it when we launch this year,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Digital Trends at the time. “We know the community is excited for more updates, including our release date, and we’re fortunate to work on a game and franchise that means so much to so many. We can’t wait to share more details soon.” At the June 11 Xbox Games Showcase, an October 10 release date for Forza Motorsport was confirmed.
Endless Dungeon (October 19)
Amplitude Studios and Sega’s unique twin-stick shooter, tower defense, and roguelite hybrid Endless Dungeon was supposed to come out on May 18, but just over a month before launch the game was pushed back until October 19. “This additional time will allow Amplitude to better incorporate community feedback essential to such an innovative game and continue in the footsteps of its previous titles in the award-winning Endless Universe,” a press release about the delay explained. “Drawing on player feedback, Amplitude will work on improvements including balancing, meta-progression, onboarding, and general polishing to create the ultimate roguelite experience for players.”
The Day Before (November 10)
The most suspicious delay to happen yet this year is for The Day Before. This game gained fame for becoming Steam’s most wish-listed game, but has encountered controversy over its developer’s lack of transparency and use of volunteers. Developer Fntastic and publisher Mytona claim that someone else trademarked the game’s title before they could. Because of this, Fntastic said on Twitter that it needed to delay the game to November 10 from March 1 “to ensure we release the best possible game,” much to the ire of fans of this anticipated zombie MMO. We’ll need to wait and see if The Day Before can sort out this trademark dispute and make the new release date.
Hyper Light Breaker (fall 2023)
Hyper Light Breaker is an ambitious follow-up to indie darling Hyper Light Drifter. It’s much bigger than its predecessor, as it’s a full 3D open-world roguelike action game, with the catch that players explore a new procedurally generated world every time they die. On top of that ambition, it also features four-player co-op. As such, it’s understandable why the smaller team at Heart Machine needs more time on the game, pushing back its early access launch from spring 2023 to fall 2023.
Skull & Bones (fiscal year 2024)
Ubisoft’s long-awaited and oft-delayed pirate game Skull and Bones has made the list yet again. It finally seemed like the game was going to come out on March 9, but after the underperformance of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Ubisoft announced a delay into the wide release window of “early 2023 to 2024” in order to ensure Skull and Bones’ quality. “The additional time has already paid off and brought impressive improvements to its quality, which has been confirmed by recent playtests,” Ubisoft said of the delay. “We believe players will be positively surprised by its evolution. We have decided to postpone its release in order to have more time to showcase a much more polished and balanced experience and to build awareness.”
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (February 2, 2024)
After already getting pushed from 2022 to May 2023, Rocksteady Studios’ long-awaited Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League failed to impress when it appeared at a State of Play showcase in February. Almost two months after that showing and some rumors of an impending delay, WB Games confirmed the game could be pushed back nine months to February 2, 2024. It said this extra time is necessary so the developers can “take the time needed to work on getting the game to be the best quality experience for players” in a tweet.
Homeworld 3 (February 2024)
For the second year in a row, Gearbox Entertainment made the decision to delay its sci-fi real-time strategy game Homeworld 3, from its “first half of 2023” release window until February 2024. “Our primary goal is to deliver a Homeworld experience that lives up to the standards set by its predecessors and is worthy of this series’ incredible legacy,” a tweet about the delay explained. “Homeworld 3 is shaping up to be exactly that, but in order to fully realize that vision, we need more time to refine and polish the game.”
Another Crab’s Treasure (early 2024)
This Soulslike starring a crab made a strong first impression when it was announced at an Indie World presentation in 2022. Another Crab’s Treasure was originally slated for release in 2023, but on May 16, developer Aggro Crab revealed the game had been delayed to early 2024 in a Twitter thread. “After a lot of discussions, we’ve decided that spending another few months on developing this mfer is going to make it a way better game — one that’s worth the wait,” Aggro Crab explained. “We underestimated how much content this game would need in order to feel like a proper entry in its genre, and we need some additional time to get it right.”
The Wolf Among Us 2 (2024)
After reemerging last year with a 2023 release window, Telltale Games’ highly anticipated sequel to The Wolf Among Us has been pushed back to 2024. Speaking to IGN, Telltale CEO Jamie Ottilie explained that its developers are upgrading The Wolf Among Us 2 from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5, and are pushing it back to avoid any crunch. “If we put this game out and it’s not ready, we’re going to get torn to shreds,” he explained. “I’ve done [crunch], and I don’t want to do it again, and it’s not fair to ask it. You can’t plan a business around it. So yeah, part of it is about maintaining a healthy work culture. We don’t want to burn out our good people.”
Blue Protocol (2024)
As part of its MMO push, Amazon Games is publishing the Western release of Blue Protocol, a new fantasy MMO from Bandai Namco Studios. While the game was initially supposed to come out in North America and Europe sometime this year after its launch in Japan this month, the decision was made to push the Western release back to 2024. A blog post explained that this decision was made so Amazon could focus on its “continued efforts to localize the deeply immersive stories and build the infrastructure needed to engage in multiplayer adventures and massive online raids against towering monsters.” A PC Closed Beta will still take place later this year, though.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (2024)
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn was a Soulslike originally slated for release in 2022 that got pushed back into the first half of 2023. We hadn’t heard much about the game during the first half of 2023, though, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise when developer A44 Games revealed that it had been delayed to 2024. “To make Flintlock the absolute best experience it can be at launch, we have made the decision to move the game’s release to 2024,” a Twitter thread explained. “We’ve been hard at work crafting a unique and deeply detailed open world brimming with thrilling fights, rewarding exploration and a true sense of discovery. It’s important to our whole team that Flintlock is a special experience, and we owe it to ourselves and to all of you who have been following the game since we announced to make it the most impressive and unforgettable game it can be.”
Anger Foot (2024)
Anger Foot is an upcoming indie game from Broforce developer Free Lives and publisher Devolver Digital. It’s an intense FPS where, as the title suggests, one of the player’s most powerful attacks is to angrily kick their enemies. There’s also a wide range of guns to use if shooting is more your thing. Originally slated for 2023, it was pushed back to 2024 during June’s Steam Next Fest event, with Free Lives joking that it “needs more anger” in a video. A demo is available on Steam if you want to try it before then, though
Stick it to the Stickman (2024)
Anger Foot isn’t the only Free Lives game to get delayed. Stick it to the Stickman is a tongue-in-cheek roguelike where, as a stickman, players fight their way through the offices of corporate America. Its delay was announced alongside Anger Foot’s, with Free Lives joking that the game “needs more sticking it.” Stick it to the Stickman will now release in 2024 but has a demo on Steam if you want to try it out before then.
Bounty Star (2024)
Bounty Star is a post-apocalyptic mech action game that also blends in farming and base-building elements. When it was revealed at the 2022 Annapurna Showcase, the game had a 2023 release window, but when it reappeared at the 2023 Annapurna Showcase, that release year had changed to 2024.
Ark 2 (End of 2024)
Yet another game originally slated for release in 2022, the early access release for Ark 2 was pushed back yet again, this time from 2023 until “the end of 2024.” In a community post that announced the delay, Studio Wildcard explained that the delay is happening because the teaming needs more time to get used to working with Unreal Engine 5. In the meantime, it will tide fans of the series over with Ark: Survival Ascended, an Unreal Engine 5 remaster of the original game coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S in August.
Warhammer 40K: Darktide for Xbox Series X/S (TBA)
The Xbox Series X/S version of Warhammer 40K: Darktide was supposed to release alongside the PC version in September 2022, but that’s not how things ultimately played out. When the game got pushed back to November 30, 2022, the Xbox Series X/S version of the sci-fi shooter lost its release date, but was said to launch “shortly after” the PC version. Sadly, that’s no longer the case. The Xbox port hasn’t released in the months since Warhammer 40K: Darktide’s launch, and in a new message on Twitter, the developers at Fatshark revealed that they have indefinitely pushed back the Xbox Series X/S release so they can focus on reworking the crafting and progression systems, fix bugs, and improve the game’s performance on PC over the next few months. Hopefully, the port will eventually see the light of day later this year.
Hollow Knight: Silksong (TBA)
Team Cherry originally planned to release its highly anticipated Metroidvania Hollow Knight: Silksong sometime during the first half of 2023, but that did not pan out. “We’re excited by how the game is shaping up, and it’s gotten quite big, so we want to take the time to make the game as good as we can,” Team Cherry’s Matthew Griffin explained in a tweet. “Expect more details from us once we get closer to release.”
Pragmata (TBA)
Three years after its announcement, Capcom debuted gameplay for Pragmata at its June 2023 Capcom Showcase. Sadly, this reappearance came with an indefinite delay announcement, both within the trailer and in a message that appeared afterward. “It is with a heavy heart that we must further postpone the release of Pragmata,” the message reads. “Our team is currently hard at work on making the best game that we possibly can, but we need more time. We will continue to do our best to ensure that the final product is one that is worthy of your patience.”
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