Video games are very hard to make, take years to finish, and require many people to work together to create them. As a result, video games are incredibly complex and more prone to delays than movies, books, or TV shows. So just because a game is set to come out in 2023 doesn’t mean it actually will…
It should be noted that we can’t tell the future and don’t have any inside knowledge on these projects that we haven’t already reported. So we could (and likely will) be wrong about some or even all of these. But as the pandemic continues to cause production problems around the world, it’s harder than ever to ship a game on time. If these games do get delayed, I hope it spares the devs from having to crunch for months to get something out the door. But even delays can lead to crunch and overtime, as we’ve unfortunately learned this year.
Now, let’s take a look at some games currently scheduled to launch in 2023 that we think might end up getting pushed back into 2024.
The Day Before – PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Current Release Date: March 1, 2023
Open-world zombie shoot ‘em up The Day Before seems like a possible candidate for a delay into 2024 because the devs behind it have a spotty track record and using volunteers to develop a massive open-world MMO seems like a bad idea. Still, it could release in 2023, but what kind of support it will then get from the devs — who have a history of abandoning games shortly after release — remains to be seen.
Ark 2 – Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
Current Release Date: 2023
Ark 2 is a game you may have totally forgotten was announced, and it’s one that will star a digital Vin Diesel. This upcoming sequel to the super-successful dinosaur craft ‘em up was first announced in 2020 at the Game Awards via a CG trailer. Since then though, we’ve not seen any gameplay or new trailers, or heard any substantial news The current plan is to release Ark 2 in early access in 2023, which might still happen, but it also seems just as possible that it doesn’t and Ark 2 comes out next year.
Banishers: Ghosts of a New Eden – PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Current Release Date: 2023
Hey, look, another brand-new game announced at the Game Awards with only a CG trailer that only has a vague 2023 release window attached to it. This time it’s Banishers: Ghosts of a New Eden, the next game from Life is Strange developer Don’t Nod Entertainment. While Banishers looks interesting, newly announced games with CG-only trailers and no gameplay or specific release dates seem more likely to get delayed than released on time. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora are two recent examples of games coming out with flashy CG trailers, only to be delayed later.
Alan Wake II – PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Current Release Date: 2023
It’s been a year since we’ve really seen anything substantial about this upcoming survival horror sequel that was first revealed back at the 2021 Game Awards. As a big fan of the original 2010 game, I can’t wait to play this next Remedy adventure. However, 2023 seems less than likely at this point if we remember the ol’ rule of “CG trailer only, no updates often equals delay.” Guess I’ll just replay Control, again, while I wait.
Armoured Core VI: Fires of Rubicon – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
Current Release Date: 2023
People were beyond excited when Dark Souls devs FromSoftware officially announced that it was making a new Armoured Core game, and for good reason. The popular mech series had been dormant since 2012’s Armoured Core V. And while the trailer revealed at this year’s Game Awards looked fantastic, it also came with no specific release date, just a vague promise of 2023. But right now it seems likely to slip, as so many big games do following a flashy CG trailer. If we don’t see anything new about Armoured Core VI in the next five or six months, be prepared for a delay.
Atlas Fallen – PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Current Release Date: 2023
Focus Entertainment and Deck13’s upcoming action RPG, Atlas Fallen, is another big game that was announced with a cool-looking CG trailer but has since gone mostly radio silent. We’ve not seen much since its initial August 2022 announcement, and with a non-specific release window of 2023, I would not be shocked if this one needed a bit more time.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – PS5
Current Release Date: Winter 2023
Six months after being revealed, Rebirth has mostly been radio silent, even skipping The Game Awards 2022. Of course, it’s possible the next entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake saga will still come out this year, but if we don’t see more about it soonish, it probably won’t make its Winter 2023 release window and will likely fall into early 2024.
Payday 3 – PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Current Release Date: 2023
Dev studio Starbreeze has had a rough time over the last few years, with the company nearly going bankrupt in 2019. Thankfully, the studio is in a better place as of 2022 but those bad years have led to issues developing Payday 3. While the studio seems confident it will be out in 2023, I also wouldn’t be shocked to see it miss that window and end up in 2024 instead.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – Xbox Series X/S, PC
Current Release Date: 2023
I want this to come out in 2023, but sadly a real-life war could keep that from happening. The Ukrainian devs working on this open-world survival shooter already had to delay it before and seeing as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not seem to be ending anytime soon, it’s possible S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 gets delayed again as its devs try to survive a real-life war.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Current Release Date: 2023
I really, really hope I’m wrong about this one because I loved the original Space Marine shooter from 2011. It was a dumb but action-packed adventure that pushed players to be aggressive and featured a lot of space orks yelling “SPPAACCEE MARINE!” in a British accent. What more could you want? Still, while I’m excited, I’m also cautious because a year after it was first revealed in 2021 at the Game Awards, we still don’t have a specific release date beyond 2023. I waited a decade already, so sure, what’s another year?
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