Every video game delay that’s happened in 2022

Ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, video game release dates have become less and less certain. While developers have had time to adjust, working from home still has its challenges, and sometimes release dates are just too ambitious for development teams to meet. We saw plenty of delays in 2020 and 2021, and if the first couple of months of this year are any indication, frequent delays are a trend that will continue in 2022.

With so many games getting delayed, it can be hard to keep track of what’s been pushed back and when to now expect it. This roundup will keep track of all the major video game delays that have happened so far in 2022.

King Arthur: Knight’s Tale (April 26)

King Arthur: Knight’s Tale is a dark fantasy tactics RPG based on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It’s currently in early access on Steam and was supposed to get a full release there on February 15. Developer NeocoreGames chose to push the full release back to March 29, 2022, in January 2022 as the “extra weeks of development and polish will help to deliver the strongest possible version of King Arthur: Knight’s Tale for its fans.” It got pushed back again to April 26 (the date it ended up launching on) so the developer could continue to polish and localize King Arthur: Knight’s Tale. The game will also come to PS5 and Xbox Series X in the future. 

x

Evil Dead: The Game (May 13)

A multiplayer-focused game based on the Evil Dead franchise is in the works at Saber Interactive and was going to come out in February. Before it could release, though, Saber decided to push the game back to May 13, 2022. “This delay gives our team the time they need to get things just right, so your boomstick will be polished, fully loaded, and ready to blast Deadites on that Friday the 13th of May,” the developers said in a tweet about the delay.

Roller Champions (Spring 2022)

Ubisoft announced this unique 3v3 competitive roller derby game in 2019, but like many Ubisoft games, it has suffered many delays. This game in particular has stayed out of the public eye as Ubisoft continued to refine it through closed betas. It was through the Discord for these closed betas that fans learned that Ubisoft pushed Roller Champions‘ release back from “early 2022” to “late spring.” Hopefully, the wait will be worth it. 

Starship Troopers: Terran Command (June 16)

It seemed like Starship Troopers: Terran Command, a real-time strategy game based on the satirical film, would launch on March 31, but publisher Slitherine Games pushed the release back to June 16 just 10 days before launch. The post revealing the delay confirms this title is content-complete. The developers just need more time to polish the game and fix bugs before they put it in the hands of players. 

MX vs. ATV Legends (June 28)

The latest entry in Rainbow Studios’ long-running offroad racing series MX vs. ATV Legends got a slight delay ahead of its initial release date. Originally slated for May 24, publisher THQ Nordic decided to push the game back to June 28. “In our case, we needed to choose between speed or quality, and the decision was simple,” Rainbow Studios CEO Lenore Gilbert wrote about the delay. “We want to make sure that when MX vs. ATV Legends comes out, it is the highest level of quality that Rainbow Studios can offer.”

Dying Light 2: Stay Human — Cloud Version (summer 2022)

While Techland’s Dying Light 2 is still on track for a February 4 release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X after several delays, the cloud version for Nintendo Switch isn’t so lucky. In January, this port was pushed back “to provide fans with the gaming experience at the level they deserve and that Techland wants to provide.” Techland wants to release this port within six months of the original date, so it should arrive before August 4, 2022.

Sega’s follow-up to Two Point Hospital is Two Point Campus, a comedic university management game. It was originally supposed to release on May 17, but Sega decided to push the game back to August 9, just a month before launch. “Our ambition from the start has been to release Two Point Campus across all PC and console platforms simultaneously to the quality and standard that our community expects from us,” game director Mark Webley said in a blog post about the delay. “This means we will need a little bit more time with Two Point Campus to make sure we deliver the best possible game that can be enjoyed equally on all platforms. We will use these additional three months to optimize Two Point Campus for all platforms.”

Forspoken (October 11)

Forspoken is an exciting new fantasy IP from Square Enix. While it was originally supposed to launch in May 2021, Square Enix decided to push the game back to October 11 about two months before its intended launch. In a tweet, Square Enix explains that the developers will use the extra months to polish the experience further to ensure it’s a memorable experience for players. 

Sons of the Forest (October)

Developer Endnight Games was originally going to release Sons of the Forest, a follow-up to the popular survival-horror game The Forest, on May 20. The developer ultimately decided to push the game back to October, explaining in a tweet, “We have realized that our May 2022 release date for Sons Of The Forest was overly ambitious. To be able to deliver our vision of the next step in survival games, we’ve decided to move our release date to October 2022.”

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl (December 8)

The first notable delay of 2022 was a lengthy one. The highly anticipated postapocalyptic shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl got an April 28, 2022, release date at E3 2021, but was pushed all the way to December 8. “These additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game,” developer GSC Game World stated in a tweet about the delay. The news came just shortly after the studio announced it would add NFTs to the title and subsequently canceled the plans 24 hours later due to backlash.

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection for Nintendo Switch (2022)

Here’s another Nintendo Switch port that also won’t hit its originally desired release date. While Life is Strange: Remastered Collection will come to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Google Stadia on February 1, the Nintendo Switch version was delayed less than two weeks before its intended release. Square Enix says to expect the Switch version of Life is Strange: Remastered Collection sometime “later this year.”

The Day Before (March 1, 2023)

Survival MMO The Day Before gained notoriety by becoming the most-wish-listed game on Steam, but that added pressure also caused developer Fntastic to push the game back from June 21 to March 1, 2023. The added time will allow it to convert the game to Unreal Engine 5. “Feeling and understanding the great responsibility that we face, with enormous gratitude in our hearts, [we are] pleased to announce that The Day Before is switching to the new Unreal Engine 5 technology!” Fntastic told IGN. “The transition to a more advanced and adapted open-worlds engine will make the gameplay of The Day Before even more fantastic.”

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (spring 2023)

Many Warner Bros. Games titles were hit by delays in 2021, so it’s not a surprise that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice has been pushed back despite its appearance at The Game Awards 2021. On February 2, 2021, Bloomberg reported that the game was quietly pushed to 2023. Its delay gives the developers more time to work on the title and frees up space for 2022 WB Games’ other 2022 titles like Gotham Knights and Hogwarts Legacy (both of which were supposed to launch last year) to shine. Its new release window has since been confirmed to be Spring 2022. 

EA Sports PGA Tour (spring 2023)

Experience the next generation of championship golf 🏌️🎮

Coming Spring 2023 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/4UNdgFoGiL

— EA SPORTS PGA TOUR (@EASPORTSPGATOUR) March 22, 2022

EA is finally making another golf video game, which it hasn’t made since 2015. While the revival was originally intended for spring 2022, EA confirmed in March that the EA Sports PGA Tour will now come out in spring 2023. No reason was given for this shift, but EA is probably just taking the time to ensure they get this revival right. 

Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (spring 2023)

The still-unnamed sequel of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild reappeared at E3 2021 with a 2022 release window, but that was not meant to be. On March 29, 2022, Nintendo released a video in which series producer Eiji Aonuma explained that the title will now release in spring 2023. “In order to make this game’s experience something special, the entire development team is continuing to work diligently on this game, so please wait a while longer,” he said. 

Redfall (first half of 2023)

Arkane’s vampiric game Redfall got a significant delay from its original summer 2022 release window. This cooperative shooter is definitely a major shift from Arkane’s typical immersive sim fair, so it’s not too surprising that they need more time to polish it before launch. The game will now release sometime during the first half of 2023. 

Starfield (first half of 2023)

An update on Redfall and Starfield. pic.twitter.com/pqDtx26Uu6

— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 12, 2022

One of the most notable delays of this year is Starfield. Unveiled with a November 11, 2022, release date at E3 2021, Bethesda seemed adamant about not pushing this game back. Ultimately, Bethesda game studios decided that the game needed more time and pushed it back to 2023, alongside Redfall. “The teams at Arkane Austin (Redfall) and Bethesda Game Studios (Starfield) have incredible ambitions for their games, and we want to ensure that you receive the best, most polished versions of them,” Bethesda tweeted about the delay.

Rumbleverse (TBA)

The weird melee-combat-focused battle royale Rumbleverse from Iron Galaxy Studios and Epic Games was indefinitely delayed. It was supposed to come out on February 15, 2022, but the team decided to push back the release following a First Look session in December. “We’re excited about the game we’re making — and we’re glad you are, too — but there’s more we want to do to perfect the experience,” the developers said in a blog post. “We’re going to take the time to make sure we can get that right.”

Ubisoft’s soft reboot of the classic city builder and real-time strategy game hybrid The Settlers was set to launch on March 17. Ahead of its release, many fans got the chance to try out a closed beta for the game. Unfortunately for Ubisoft, the results weren’t that positive. The game was delayed indefinitely two weeks before its intended launch so the developers could “further improve the game and push quality as our main priority for all our players.”

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (TBA)

After getting pushed back from December 2021, Nintendo and WayForward’s Advance Wars remakes for Nintendo Switch were supposed to finally launch on April 8, 2022. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nintendo decided to indefinitely delay this war-based strategy game. “In light of recent world events, we have made the decision to delay Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, which was originally scheduled to release on Nintendo Switch on April 8th,” Nintendo tweeted. “Please stay tuned for updates on a new release date.”

Exomecha (TBA)

Exomecha is a free-to-play FPS game featuring mechs that gained notoriety after being featured in a July 2020 Xbox showcase. The game was originally slated for release in August 2021 but got delayed so the developers could continue to refine the experience. Now, Exomecha was delayed again with no new release window given because the developers at TwistedRed Games want to continue to polish the experience and prepare some post-launch content. We can only hope that this delay won’t be too significant. 

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S (TBA)

We’ve known about the PS5 and Xbox Series X port of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for some time, but it has yet to release. It was originally slated for 2021 before being pushed back to Q2 2022. Unfortunately, the port was indefinitely delayed in April when CD Projekt Red decided to take the project away from Saber Interactive and develop it in-house. Hopefully, this delay doesn’t end up as long as it currently seems like it could be.