Every video game delay in 2020: Upcoming release dates
The global pandemic has forced developers to adapt their work pipelines and finish games from home. This has led to multiple delays.
This year began with a slew of high-profile game delays, most notably Cyberpunk 2077 and the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but then COVID-19 struck and and threw the games industry through a loop. We've compiled a list of every game that's been delayed into 2020 and beyond. Some of these games have been delayed indefinitely while others have release windows or a final release date.
We'll continually update this list as more games are delayed.
Games delayed in 2020
The Ascent
This isometric action-RPG was supposed to be a launch title for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, but it was pushed back until 2021. The good news is that it will now launch into Xbox Game Pass when it releases.
Release date: 2021
CrossfireX
Another title delayed into next year. Developer Smilegate that due to COVID-19, CrossfireX needed to be pushed until sometime in 2021. This should hopefully ensure that the studio can deliver on the experience the team set out to create.
Release date: 2021
Cyberpunk 2077
Hey remember when this game went Gold and we all thought it wouldn't be delayed again? Joke's on us. Just a few weeks ahead of when it was supposed to launch, CD Projekt RED has pushed Cyberpunk 2077 back by almost a month. It will now launch in December. Fingers crossed this is the last delay.
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Release date: December 10, 2020
Maybe we'll play it in 2020. Maybe we'll play it in 2077. At the rate this year is going, it's anyone's guess. Until then you can always admire the pretty trailers and screenshots that CDPR keeps releasing.
Deathloop
Arkane needs a little more time with Deathloop. What was supposed to be a launch title on the PS5 has now been bumped to May 21, 2021. This delay was attributed to the adjustments of having to work from home during the pandemic. The studio wants it to live up to the level of polish and quality that players expect.
Release date: May 21, 2021
Colt and Juliana are two assassins on the island of Blackreef stuck in a time loop. While it may not have released as a launch title on PS5 like originally planned, you can get your hands on it closer to the summer.
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 can't seem to catch a break. It was supposed to hit consoles and PC sometime in Spring 2020, but Techland has since delayed it indefinitely, with no word on a new release date. All we can do is stay tuned for more details in the coming months. Let's just hope it doesn't land in development hell.
Release date: TBD (Delayed indefinitely)
After creating the Dead Island series, developer Techland moved onto Dying Light, and it became exactly the type of zombie apocalypse game it was hoping for. Dying Light 2 aims to continue the trend whenever it eventually releases.
Far Cry 6
Ubisoft had intended to release Far Cry 6 in February 2021, but the company has since delayed it later into the year. A Microsoft Store listing seemingly indicates that it could release in May 2021, though Ubisoft has yet to confirm a new launch date. This delay was attributed to the ongoing pandemic.
Release date: 2021
Far Cry 6 stars Giancarlo Esposito as a dictator raising his son to follow in his footsteps. You'll be able to play it and explore its "tropical paradise" sometime later in 2021.
Halo Infinite
What was meant to be a flagship launch title for Microsoft's Xbox Series X has been delayed into next year. 343 Industries confirmed that due to COVID-19 and other factors, Halo Infinite needs more development time to deliver a game that meets their vision. This news came weeks after gameplay was shown and received a lukewarm reception.
Release date: 2021
Halo Infinite is the next ambitious chapter of the Halo franchise set to feature Master Chief and the Banished. It's multiplayer is expected to be free-to-play when it releases.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spirits debuted at Sony's PS5 conference in June as was expected to release this holiday, but it was delayed to next year due to development hurdles caused by COVID-19. In order to give it some extra polish and ensure that it lives up to people's expectations, Ember Lab moved its release date to Q1 2021.
Release date: Q1 2021
No More Heroes 3
No More Heroes 3 is a Nintendo Switch exclusive that was originally expected to release this year, however game designer Goichi Suda confirmed that the game was delayed into 2021 due to the ongoing global pandemic. Considering it's been over a decade since the last numbered entry in the series, what's another several months?
Outriders
Release date: February 2, 2021
Outriders was set to hit consoles this holiday just in time for next-gen, but COVID-19 and "work-process-restructuring" have bumped its release date back until February 2, 2021. Because the game is largely complete, at least according to Square Enix, it shouldn't suffer any more delays... hopefully.
Outriders is a new drop-in-drop-out co-op shooter from developer People Can Fly set in a dark sci-fi universe. While it was meant to come out this year, it's been pushed back until 2021.
Psychonauts 2
Psychonauts 2 has been in development for a few years now ever since it was crowdfunded through Fig. Last we heard from Double Fine, Psychonauts 2 is set to hit consoles and PC in 2021. Though the developer is now owned by Microsoft, the game will still come to PlayStation.
Release date: 2021
Psychonauts set the bar for a psychological platformer, with cleverly implemented humor and underseated messages about mental health and the state of the mind. We'll just need to wait a little longer to get our hands on it.
Rainbow Six Quarantine
We don't know a lot about Rainbow Six Quarantine, and we may not learn more for a bit now. It was supposed to release before the end of Ubisoft's fiscal year — April 2020 — but it has since been pushed to an undetermined date during the next fiscal year.
Release date: After April 2021
Team up and take on a mutating alien virus in Rainbow Six Quarantine. It's an entire game inspired by Rainbow Six Siege's Outbreak event in Operation Chimera. The developer ensures that the enemies this virus creates are more lethal than ever.
Skull & Bones
This isn't the first delay that Skull & Bones has 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 2020 and it has still yet to release.
Release date: After March 2021
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 over a decade for this sequel to the cult classic. 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.
Release date:2021
Jennifer Locke has been playing video games nearly her entire life, and is very happy Xbox is growing a stronger first-party portfolio. You can find her obsessing over Star Wars and other geeky things on Twitter @JenLocke95.