The COVID-19 pandemic has forced developers to adjust their workflows and complete games from home. This caused multiple delays.
We’ve seen 2020 start off with a string of high-profile game delays, most notably Cyberpunk 2077 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Then, COVID-19 hit and sent the gaming industry through a head-turning cycle until 2021. As 2022 begins, more delays continue to affect the industry as developers really begin to understand the impact of the pandemic on their work pipelines.
So we’ve compiled a list of every game delayed from 2021 and beyond. Some of these games are discontinued indefinitely, while others have a release window or final release date set. We’ll keep updating this list as more gaming news develops.
Games postponed to 2022 and beyond
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
Destiny 2’s Witch Queen expansion was originally scheduled to release sometime this year. However, the developers realized it would need to add an unannounced chapter after the Lightfall expansion to end the story satisfactorily, so the Witch Queen was bumped into 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
$40 at Walmart $40 at GameStop
You’ll have to wait a bit to play The Witch Queen, which may feature Savathûn, the sister of the Stolen King. The upcoming expansion is scheduled to launch in 2022.
Eldon Ring
Elden Ring is one of the most anticipated games in recent years, from the minds of George RR Martin and Hidetaka Miyazaki, from Dark Souls developer FromSoftware. While the team was targeting a January 2022 launch, it has been pushed back a month to February 25, 2022 due to “more depth and strategic freedom than originally expected.”
release date: February 25, 2022
Eldon Ring
$60 at Amazon $60 at Best Buy $60 at Walmart
Thankfully, the delay on Elden Ring wasn’t too long, as it was only pushed for a month. Set to release a week after Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring takes players to the middle ground and asks them to restore the titular Elden Ring.
final fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16 never had a firm release date, but that didn’t stop developers from notifying fans that development had been delayed by six months. It’s unclear when it will launch, but one can expect more information later in 2022. As usual, the delay is due to the pandemic.
release date: pending
Ghost Line: Tokyo
This new IP from Tango Gameworks was originally intended to be exclusive to PS5 and PC in 2021. However, the developer announced it will now be delayed until early 2022 to focus on protecting the health of the team and delivering the “unforgettable release” the studio has been working on.
release date: Early 2022
Ares Ragnarok
We don’t know much about Ragnarok beyond what we can glean from its trailer, but we do know it won’t release in 2021 as originally planned. Instead, Sony Santa Monica needed more time and pushed the release date to sometime in 2022.
release date: 2022
Gotham Knights
WB Games Montreal’s highly anticipated Batman title isn’t scheduled to release in 2021. So, in order to provide the best experience possible, Gotham Knights has been delayed until next year. When it launches 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
racing 7
The next entry in Sony’s racing series was originally planned to hit store shelves this year. However, with the pandemic affecting development and causing production issues, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has revealed that Gran Turismo 7 won’t launch 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 at the Sony PS5 press conference in September 2020. The upcoming RPG was supposed to bring us back to the popular wizarding world later this year, but it was delayed until 2022 in order to create the “best experience.” Looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer, but hopefully it’s worth it.
release date: 2022
Horizon Forbidden West
This delay isn’t unexpected, but it’s still disappointing. Guerilla Games hoped to release Horizon Forbidden West in 2021, but Sony revealed it was delayed until February 2022. However, considering it was set at the beginning of the year, that’s not a huge delay. So hopefully this means the highly anticipated sequel will live up to expectations.
release date: February 18, 2022
Horizon Forbidden West
$70 at Amazon $70 at Best Buy (PS5) $70 at Walmart
Travel to the aptly named Forbidden West and help Aloy find out the cause of the mysterious plague that ravaged the land. The highly anticipated sequel may not be released in 2021, but it will be in early 2022.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will bundle all nine films and fully remake the original LEGO Saga in a new package, but it doesn’t release as planned in Spring 2021. TT Games announced that it had been delayed, revealing at Gamescom 2021 that its new release date would be sometime in Spring 2022. TT Games has finalized an April 5 release date.
release date: April 5, 2022
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
$60 at Amazon $60 at Best Buy
We’ll have to wait a little longer to relive the adventures of Anakin, Luke, and Rey in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. On the plus side, a galaxy far, far away never looks better in LEGO form when it comes to PS4 and PS5.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Ubisoft is remastering the classic Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, but let’s be honest, the trailer looks… rough. Nothing deserves more than a proper remake. While it was intended to be released in January 2021, its first delay was until March 2021 and then indefinitely.
release date: pending
Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an interesting one. It’s easily the biggest and most ambitious game yet from developer Daedalic Entertainment, so it makes sense that it would need more time to make sure it lives up to expectations. Daedalic says it should “harness the full power of a new generation of consoles” and “will faithfully reproduce the universe” when it launches in 2022.
release date: 2022
saints row
The restart of Saints Row was originally scheduled to be crowded in February 2022, but was moved to August 2022. The developers say the move is to ensure the game exceeds expectations and lives up to their high standards to do their vision justice.
release date: August 23, 2022
saints row
$60 at Amazon $60 at Best Buy $60 at Walmart
Your adventure in Santo Ileso will have to wait longer. At least until then, you can always play the original four Saints Row games.
skull and bones
This isn’t the first delay Skull & Bones has encountered, and it probably won’t be the last. It is expected to be released in Q3/Q4 2018 before being pushed back to 2019. We could see how it rolls out in 2021 – and it’s not released yet.
release date: 2022-2023
skull and bones
see Ubisoft
Have you ever played Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and thought it would be great to have a full game based on pirates and naval warfare? Well, soon (probably, maybe soon) you can be in Skull & Bones.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the sequel to this cult classic for over a decade. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was originally slated to hit shelves in March 2020, but was delayed until later in 2020, and then sometime in 2021 for an unspecified date. The publisher then went on to wipe out the development team and postpone it indefinitely.
release date: Pending (delayed indefinitely)
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
$60 at Amazon $60 at Best Buy $60 at Walmart
Vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures have secretly shaped human history in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. As a thin vampire, your character is weaker than most, but you can climb the ladder.
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