retrogames: Every Game Delay Announced in 2022 (So Far)

Video game delays have become commonplace during the pandemic, as studios largely continue to work within the confines of remote or hybrid development. This unprecedented shift in the way games are made has impacted the last two years of development dramatically, and as such, we're once again seeing a significant number of games delayed. As we've reached October, the number of games delayed this year has already passed the total number of delays in 2021.

To keep track of these ever-shifting release dates and to keep you up on when to expect your most-anticipated games, we've created a running list of every such announcement: full games, notable DLC, and every piece of gaming hardware officially delayed this year.

We're primarily focusing on unreleased games for this list, but if you'd like to see games that were delayed earlier this year and have since been released, you can find those at the bottom. Click through the gallery below or continue scrolling for the full list of every game delay announced in 2022 (so far).

STALKER 2 : Hearts of Chernobyl

Delayed from April 28 to December 8, 2022
Delayed again from December 8 to First Half 2023

STALKER 2 was the first game officially delayed in 2022. "These additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game,” said developer GSC Game World. “STALKER 2 is the biggest project in the history of GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as long as necessary, especially in the case of such a project."

While it was unfortunate news for the sequel, series fans are well practiced with patience; STALKER 2 comes more than a dozen years after the franchise’s last release, Call of Pripyat.

STALKER 2 was once again delayed in June, this time moving to the first half of 2023, according to a graphic of Xbox's upcoming games.

Dying Light 2 for Nintendo Switch

Delayed from February 4, 2022, to later in 2022

Two weeks before its previously expected release date, the cloud version of Dying Light 2 for Nintendo Switch was delayed. Developer Techland says it should be out “within six months” of the original date, though that window has officially passed. The Switch store lists a 2022 release window.

The sequel still hit PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 4.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Delayed from 2022 to Spring 2023

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been delayed from 2022 to Spring 2023. The news was first reported by Bloomberg in February, before Rocksteady confirmed the delay in March. "I know a delay is frustrating," said creative director Sefton Hill, "but that time is going into making the best game we can."

The one-to-four-player action game set in an open-world Metropolis and features four playable characters: Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot, and Captain Boomerang.

The Settlers

Delayed from March 17, 2022, to an unannounced later date

Ubisoft's reboot of real-time strategy series The Settlers was delayed indefinitely following its recent closed beta. Developer Ubisoft Düsseldorf said feedback from the beta made it clear "the quality wasn’t yet in line with the team’s vision."

A new release window was not announced, though the developer said the extra time "will be used to further improve the game and push quality as our main priority for all our players." The Ubisoft store lists a placeholder date of December 31, 2022, suggesting a release sometime before the year is over.

OddBallers

Delayed from March 24 to Early 2023

In March Ubisoft also delayed its dodgeball party game Oddballers. The decision was made "in order to ensure the best experience" for players. "We want the launch of the game to be a smooth and complete experience, and that means making more improvements," said Ubisoft. We are confident that the additional time will allow us to deliver the fun dodgeball party game we envision."

During the latest Nintendo Direct, OddBallers received an early 2023 release window.

Forspoken

Delayed from May 25 to October 11, 2022
Delayed again from October 11 to January 24, 2023

Open world action-RPG Forspoken was delayed from May 25 to October 11, developer Luminous Productions announced in March. The additional development time will allow the team to "focus all of [its] efforts on polishing the game" in order to "deliver a game world and hero that gamers across the globe will want to experience for years to come."

In July, Luminous Productions delayed Forspoken again, this time from October to January 24, 2023. The developer said the "strategic decision" was made as "a result of ongoing discussions with key partners." It added, "All game elements are now complete, and development is in its final polishing phase."

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

Delayed from April 8, 2022, to an unannounced later date

On March 9, Nintendo delayed Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp indefinitely, citing "recent world events," presumably referring to the ongoing war in Ukraine. While Nintendo didn't elaborate further, it's understandable (and wise) that the company is avoiding the promotion and subsequent release of a war-based game in a time of conflict.

Exomecha

Delayed from Q1 2022 to an unannounced later date

Explosive free-to-play FPS Exomecha has been delayed out of its early 2022 release window. Developer TwistedRed made the announcement on Twitter, saying it needs more time to . polish the shooter and "prepare some post-launch content." A new release window wasn't announced.

This is Exomecha's second delay; it was originally scheduled for August 2021.

EA Sports PGA Tour

Delayed from Spring 2022 to Spring 2023

The return of EA Sports PGA Tour has been delayed by a year. The next-gen golf game, originally scheduled for Spring 2022, is now due out in Spring 2023. EA didn't provide a reason for the delay.

The delay was first mentioned back in November, though it wasn't until March that EA made the official announcement and revealed PGA Tour's new release window.

Sons of the Forest

Delayed from May to October 2022
Delayed again from October to February 23, 2023

In late March developer Endnight Games announced it was delaying Sons of the Forest by five months, from May to October 2022. The developer said the initial May release window for its The Forest sequel was "overly ambitious," adding it needs the additional five months "to deliver our vision of the next step in survival games."

Ahead of its new October release window, Endnight Games delayed Sons of the Forest once again, this time to February 23, 2023. The studio said the extra development time will be used "to complete the polish we feel is needed."

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Delayed from 2022 to May 12, 2023

In late March, Nintendo confirmed the sequel to its 2017 hit Breath of the Wild will not be released in 2022 as originally planned. "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," said series producer Eiji Aonuma. The wait will end on May 12, 2023, when Tears of the Kingdom is released for Switch.

The Witcher 3 Next-Gen

Delayed from Q2 to December 14

The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of The Witcher 3 have been delayed indefinitely, CD Projekt Red announced on April 13. (UPDATE: It's now been scheduled for December 14.) The delay comes as CD Projekt moves development of the next-gen upgrades in-house; they were previously being handled by Saber Interactive. While a new release window has not been announced, the studio ensured fans there isn't "some monumental sort of time gap ahead of us."

This is the second delay for The Witcher 3 on PS5 and Series X|S; it was previously pushed from 2021 to Q2 2022.

Hitman 3 Freelancer Mode

Delayed from Spring 2022 to Second Half 2022
Delayed again from Second Half 2022 to January 26, 2023

Hitman 3's Freelancer Mode, an all-new game type that incorporates rogue-like elements into IO's assassination sandbox, was pushed from spring to the second half of the year, IO announced in early May. "We’re taking some extra time to tighten the mode up and improve several elements that we think will greatly improve the gameplay experience," said IO.

The mode was delayed again in early October, this time to January 2023. "We’ve decided to push beyond our original scope for launch and include almost all locations from the World of Assassination from day one," said IO of the most recent delay. "We’re continuing to work on making the launch experience as frictionless as possible for all players."

The Day Before

Delayed from June 21, 2022, to March 1, 2023

On May 5, developer Fntastic delayed its open-world survival MMO The Day Before by 8 months. Alongside the delay, the studio announced it was shifting development on the project to Unreal Engine 5.

"The transition to a more advanced and adapted open worlds engine will make the gameplay of The Day Before even more fantastic," reads a statement from Fntastic. "In this regard, we inform you that the new release date of the game will be March 1st, 2023."

The Day Before is currently the most wishlisted game on Steam.

Redfall

Delayed from Summer 2022 to First Half 2023

In mid-May, Bethesda delayed Arkane Austin's co-op vampire shooter Redfall from Summer 2022 to the first half of 2023. No specific reason was given for the delay; game director Harvey Smith only said "the team needs more time to bring the game to life," noting Redfall is the studio's "most ambitious game yet."

The delay was unsurprising given the lack of new information on Redfall since its E3 2021 reveal leading up to its initial Summer 2022 release window.

Starfield

Delayed from November 11, 2022, to First Half 2023

Alongside Redfall, Bethesda delayed Starfield to the first half of 2023. The next RPG from Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios was previously penciled in for November 11 — a notable date for BGS, which previously released Skyrim on November 11, 2011.

As with Redfall, a specific reason for the delay wasn't given, though BGS followed up the delay announcement with a tweet saying it simply "needs more time."

Kerbal Space Program 2

Delayed from 2022 to February 24, 2023

Kerbal Space Program 2 is the fifth notable game delay announced in May. The space sim will now be released into Early Access on PC next February "and on consoles after that."

As part of the delay announcement, creative director Nate Simpson laid out the development team's ambitions for KSP 2: "We’re creating a game of immense technological complexity. And we’ve assembled a team of passionate, talented people to achieve that goal. But we’ve also set ourselves a very high bar of quality.

"The game has to be performant across a wide range of machines. The graphics have to be peerless. The universe has to be rich and interesting to explore."

Originally due out in 2020, KSP 2 has now been delayed three times — first from 2020 to Fall 2021, then to 2022, and now again to early 2023.

Replaced

Delayed from 2022 to 2023

Belarus-based Sad Cat Studios' retro-futuristic platformer Replaced has been delayed to 2023 due to the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine. "The priority for Sad Cat was for the safety of the team and their families," the delay announcement reads. "As a result, part of the team has now relocated and work has only recently restarted on Replaced."

The delay will "ensure that the game is in the best state it could possibly be," while giving the studio space to prioritize "both the physical and mental health of the developers."

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake

Delayed from Ubisoft's FY23 to an unannounced later date

Ubisoft's Prince of Persia remake has been delayed once again, the company announced in June. The delay follows Ubisoft's announcement that development on the project was being moved from Ubisoft Pune and Mumbai to Ubisoft Montreal. Ubisoft told IGN the delay is a "consequence" of that shift to Ubisoft Montreal.

The game was previously scheduled for Ubisoft's 2023 fiscal year, which runs from April 2022 through March 2023. This is Prince of Persia's third delay; it was originally due out in January 2021.

Homeworld 3

Delayed from Q4 2022 to First Half 2023

Homeworld 3 was delayed from late 2022 to the first half of 2023, developer Blackbird Interactive announced on June 10. Blackbird said the additional development time will allow it to "make good on [its] commitment to quality in a healthy and sustainable way for all those involved."

Sea of Stars

Delayed from 2022 to 2023

Sea of Stars, a turn-based RPG from The Messanger developer Sabotage Studio, was delayed into 2023. The studio said the decision supports its "two main priorities — quality of life for our team and quality of the finished game."

Sabotage added it's "looking at options" to potentially release a demo sometime this year.

Star Wars: Hunters

Delayed from 2022 to 2023

Star Wars: Hunters, a free-to-play arena battler for Switch and mobile, was delayed from 2022 to 2023, developer Zygna announced in July. "We understand game delays are frustrating," the company wrote, "however, our top priority is ensuring players will have the best possible experience."

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (and an Unannounced Ubisoft Game)

Delayed from 2022 to Ubisoft's 2023-24 financial year (April 2023 - March 2024)

Ubisoft's upcoming first-person action Avatar game, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, is no longer set to be released at the end of 2022, as previously expected. During Ubisoft's Q1 earnings report, the company confirmed Ubisoft Massive's Avatar game will be delayed to Ubisoft's next fiscal year, meaning it would be released in April 2023 at the earliest, and potentially as late as March 2024.

No explicit reasons were given for the delay, other than Ubisoft saying, "While this additional development time is a reflection of the current ongoing constraints on productions across the industry, we are hard at work to design the most efficient working conditions to ensure both flexibility for our teams as well as strong productivity while delivering the best experiences to players."

Ubisoft also delayed a "smaller unannounced premium game" out of this current financial year and into the next; Bloomberg reported that game is Assassin's Creed Rift.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

Delayed from September 1, 2022, to "a few months" later

On July 25, developer Daedalic Entertainment announced it had delayed The Lord of the Rings: Gollum by "a few months" in order to "deliver the best possible experience." The company added it will announce a specific release date "in the near future."

Gollum was initially scheduled to hit all but one platform on September 1; the Switch version was already expected to be released at a later date. It's unclear if this delay affects the Switch release date or rather aligns the release date on all platforms.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Delayed from September 13 to November 30, 2022

The PC version of co-op shooter Warhammer 40K: Darktide was delayed from September 13 to November 30, with the Xbox Series X|S version expected "shortly after." Developer Fatshark Games said the extra time is needed to "improve stability, performance, and to mature key systems."

Season: A Letter to the Future

Delayed from Fall 2022 to Q1 2023

Season, the evocative bicycle road trip game from Scavengers Studio, was delayed from Fall 2022 to the first quarter of 2023. The studio said the decision was made in order to "push for quality without it affecting the wellbeing of our team." The extra time will be used for polish and refinement, according to the developer.

ARC Raiders

Delayed from 2022 to 2023

ARC Raiders has been delayed from 2022 to 2023, developer Embark Studios announced on August 8. It said the extra development time will be used to "expand the experience and allow it to reach its fullest potential." ARC Raiders is a vibrant, sci-fi third-person PvE shooter with support for three-player co-op. It's the debut game from Embark, a studio comprised of ex-DICE devs and led by former EA exec Patrick Söderlund.

Marvel's Midnight Suns

Delayed from October 7, 202 to December 2, 2022

Marvel's Midnight Suns, the upcoming tactics game from XCOM developer Firaxis, has seen another delay. However, it won't be a particularly long delay, as Take-Two will release Midnight Suns in early December. Midnight Suns' new delay also has a bit of a split — that new date is just for the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series versions, while the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch editions are expected to be released even later.

Metal Slug Tactics

Delayed from 2022 to 2023

Upcoming Metal Slug strategy game Metal Slug Tactics was delayed from its 2022 release window to 2023, developer Dotemu announced on August 11. "[Metal Slug characters] Marco, Eri, Fio, and Tarma are tinkering away to make Metal Slug Tactics as explosive as possible on release, but the squad needs a bit more time in the shop to prepare for the battles ahead," reads the developer's delay announcement.

Nightingale

Delayed from 2022 to First Half 2023

The Early Access release of Victorian-style fantasy game Nightingale was delayed from its initial 2022 release window to the first half of 2023. Developer Inflexion Games cited two reasons for the delay: an upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 and additional time needed to "make key improvements, bolster content, and polish gameplay.”

Hogwarts Legacy

Delayed from Holiday 2022 to February 10, 2023

The highly anticipated Wizarding World RPG Hogwarts Legacy was delayed from its holiday 2022 release window to February 10, 2023, developer Portkey Games announced on August 12. That new date applies to the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC versions of the game; the Switch version remains without a firm release date. As part of the delay announcement, Portkey simply said it "needs a little more time to deliver the best possible game experience."

Deliver Us Mars

Delayed from September 27, 2022, to February 2, 2023

Deliver Us Mars, the narrative-driven sci-fi adventure from the creators of Deliver Us the Moon, was delayed by 4 months. Developer KeokeN Interactive announced the delay on Twitter, saying Deliver Us Mars is the studio's "most ambitious project to date" and more time is needed "to ensure that we are able to live up to that ambition."

Evil West

Delayed from September 20 to November 22, 2022

Evil West was delayed by just over two months in order to ensure it "reaches its full potential," according to developer Flying Wild Hog. The additional time will be used to give the dark fantasy action-adventure game "more polish."

Planet of Lana

Delayed from 2022 to Spring 2023

Vibrant puzzle-adventure Planet of Lana was delayed from 2022 to Spring 2023, developer Wishfully Studios announced on August 17. Creative director Adam Stjärnljus said the studio needs more time to "ensure [the game] lives up to the vision we have presented for it so far." Planet of Lana will launch into Xbox and PC Game Pass.

High on Life

Delayed from October 25 to December 13, 2022

High on Life, the bonkers shooter from Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, was delayed by just over a month, from late October to mid-December. Developer Squanch Games said it's working “to polish the best possible gaming experience for High on Life." The shooter will launch into Xbox and PC Game Pass.

Flashback 2

Delayed from Late 2022 to 2023

Flashback 2, the sequel to the 1992 sci-fi action game Flashback, was delayed from its initial late 2022 release window to 2023, publisher Microids announced in August. A reason for the delay wasn't stated.

A Space for the Unbound

Delayed from 2022 to TBD

Pixelart adventure game A Space for the Unbound was delayed indefinitely in late August after developers Toge Productions and Mojiken Studio terminated their contract with publisher PQube Games. The developers claim PQube "used [the studios'] position and heritage as developers from Indonesia to obtain a diversity fund [...] intended to help underrepresented game developers," then "intentionally withheld information about the grant and used it as a leverage for their own commercial gain." PQube denied the allegations.

The developers claim PQube has refused to return the console publishing rights and is therefore delaying A Space for the Unbound until they "can make new arrangements and ensure that it is published as intended and in a way that is consistent with [their] values."

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Delayed from 2022 to Summer 2023

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, a spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio, was delayed from 2022 to Summer 2023, developer Team Reptile announced on August 31. "We are convinced that releasing the game this year will not take it to a level where we would be personally satisfied with," Team Reptile wrote on Twitter. "To create a fulfilling and unique game we are extending the development time of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk."

Halo Infinite Season 3

Delayed from November 8, 2022, to March 7, 2023

On September 1, 343 announced it was delaying Halo Infinite's third season by nearly four months. Despite the delay, a couple of key features are still due out on November 8: campaign co-op (online only) and the Forge beta. Alongside the roadmap update, 343 announced the cancellation of local co-op campaign: "In order to improve and accelerate ongoing live service development, and to better address player feedback and quality of life updates, we have reallocated studio resources and are no longer working on local campaign split-screen co-op."

Atomic Heart

Delayed from Q4 2022 to February 21, 2023

Atomic Heart will launch in February 2023 rather than late 2022. "Polishing and delivering a game of the highest quality is the priority of this talented team," said publisher Focus Entertainment. The Soviet-set action-RPG was first revealed in 2018. It will be released into Xbox Game Pass.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

Delayed from September 29 to December 22, 2022

Square Enix delayed its Valkryie Profile: Lenneth remaster days before its expected September 29 release date. The remaster, currently exclusive to the Valkyrie Elysium Digital Deluxe Edition on PS4 and 5, will now be released on December 22.

The developer said the extra time is needed to "improve the quality of the title."

Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals

Delayed from 2022 to 2023

In September developer Night School Studio delayed Oxenfree 2 into 2023. "To make Oxenfree 2 truly special and add more localizations, we're moving our release window to 2023," the studio wrote on Twitter.

Oxenfree 2 was originally announced with a Fall 2021 release window; it was previously delayed to 2022.

Skull and Bones

Delayed from November 8, 2022, to March 9, 2023

Ubisoft's pirate game Skull and Bones was delayed for the fifth time in late September, this time by four months. Ubisoft said development is "finished" but it needs the extra time to "further polish and balance the experience."

Skull and Bones' history of delays dates back to its initial release window in 2018. Its release date has been pushed once a year since.

Company of Heroes 3

Delayed from November 17, 2022, to February 23, 2023

Company Heroes 3 was delayed by three months, developer Relic Entertainment announced in early October. "Our team has decided the game is not quite up to our players' or our own high standards," it wrote. "There are still bugs to squash, pixels to polish, gameplay to adjust, and feedback to address." The strategy game will now launch in February 2023.

Witchfire

Delayed from Q4 2022 to 2023

The early access release of fantasy first-person shooter Witchfire was delayed into 2023, developer The Astronauts announced on October 12. The delay comes as Witchfire moves to an open-world game. "It makes the game better," said creative director Adrian Chmielarz. "It is kind of hard for me to imagine the player did not have that freedom before."

Witchfire's early access launch will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store, though it'll come to other platforms when it hits 1.0.

Firmament

Delayed from Late 2022 to Early 2023

Firmament, a narrative adventure from the studio behind Myst, was delayed into early 2023. Developer Cyan said the delay came "as a result of discussions with key team members and staff," adding "the game is very close to complete, and development is rapidly approaching its final phase." Firmament is designed for VR, though it will be playable on PC and PlayStation consoles as well.

Humankind for Consoles

Delayed from November 4 to an unannounced later date

In mid-October developer Amplitude Studios delayed the console port of 4X strategy game Humankind "until further notice." In a forum post, Amplitude cited "unexpected challenges in porting Humankind to consoles" as the reason for the delay. The port, coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and Xbox One, is being developed by Aspyr Media in collaboration with Amplitude.

Star Trek Resurgence

Delayed from 2022 to April 2023

Narrative adventure Star Trek Resurgence was delayed out of 2022, developer Dramatic Labs announced in mid-October. The decision was made "in order to give the game a final coat of polish and create a truly immersive Star Trek experience."

Football Manager 2023 for PS5

Delayed from November 8 to an unannounced later date

The PS5 version of Football Manager 2023 was delayed "due to unforeseen complications" that arose during Sony's submissions and approvals process. "We're devastated by this outcome, which we have worked tirelessly with our partners for a number of weeks to try to address," said Miles Jacobson, studio director of developer Sports Interactive. "We will continue to do everything in our power to get this game into the hands of PS5 gamers as soon as we can."

The Xbox and PC versions of Football Manager are still on track for November 8. A streamlined version will be released the same day for Switch and mobile.

DokeV

Delayed from 2023 to an unannounced later date

DokeV, a Pokemon-like creature-collecting game, has been delayed beyond its initial 2023 release window, developer Pearl Abyss announced in November as part of its Q3 earnings report (via Eurogamer). The developer cites its prioritization of another project, Crimson Desert, as one reason for the delay.

Other Games Delayed in 2022

This section compiles games that were delayed earlier in 2022 and subsequently released. Those games are:

King Arthur: Knight's Tale (delayed from February 15 to April 26)
Ghostrunner: Project_Hel DLC (delayed from January 27 to March 3)
Call of Duty: Warzone and Vanguard Season 2 (delayed from February 2 to February 14)
Evil Dead: The Game (delayed from February 2022 to May 13)
Battlefield 2042 Season One (delayed from Early 2022 to June 9)
Martha Is Dead (PS5, PS4 Physical Versions) (delayed from February 24 to May 13)
Roller Champions (delayed from Early 2022 to May 25)
Two Point Campus (delayed from May 17 to August 9)
The Quarry Online Multiplayer (delayed from June 10 to July 8)
Rumbleverse (delayed from February 15 to August 11)
MultiVersus Season 1 (delayed from August 9 to August 15)
Immortality (delayed from July 26 to August 30)
Little Orpheus Console/PC Ports (delayed from March 1 to September 13)
Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection for Nintendo Switch (delayed from February 1 to September 27)
Halo Infinite Co-op Campaign (delayed from May 3 to November 8)
Dying Light 2 Story DLC (delayed from Early Summer to November 10)

Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN.