10 Great Games Delayed to 2024

Ashley_Buckwell

In the video game industry, launch date delays are a part of life, and they can happen to any game big or small. The reason is that programming is tough, and game-breaking bugs can appear at any time, including during the final phases of development. When that happens, developers can either choose to delay release and iron out the bugs or ship a product that might break at any moment. Although painful for fans, delaying a game’s release is usually the better choice. Gabe Newell, the cofounder of Valve, would agree: “Late is just for a little while. Suck is forever. Right?” He was echoing the famous quote, “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad,” often attributed to Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto, although more likely to have originated from Origin Systems in the 1980s. Unfortunately, 2023 has seen its fair share of high-profile setbacks. Read on for our list of 10 great games delayed to 2024.

1. Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 - second half 2024 

Perhaps the most anticipated game in the Warhammer franchise, the long-awaited Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 will have to be a little longer-awaited. Sabre Interactive’s game has moved from a vague 2023 window to the second half of 2024. According to publisher Focus Entertainment, this was done to “provide the time needed to properly polish the game and to ensure the best possible experience.” 

 2. Hollow Knight: Silk Song - TBC

Team Cherry originally planned to release its highly anticipated Metroidvania Hollow Knight: Silksong sometime during the first half of 2023, but that has obviously not panned out. “We’re excited by how the game is shaping up, and it’s gotten quite big, so we want to take the time to make the game as good as we can,” Team Cherry’s Matthew Griffin explained in a tweet back in May. “Expect more details from us once we get closer to release.” More details are yet to be announced, but at this point we are fairly confident for a 2024 launch.

3. Pragmata - TBC

Pragmata’s delays up to now have mostly been met with relative indifference because we hardly know anything about its strange premise of an astronaut partnering up with a powerful young girl. Capcom revealed the sci-fi title in 2020 and originally slapped it with a 2022 release window before extending the likely release date to 2023, giving no specific reason for the delay other than wanting to provide a better gameplay experience. Then in June 2023, Capcom debuted gameplay for Pragmata at the Capcom Showcase; however, its appearance came with an indefinite delay announcement. We’re itching to see more of this fascinating title in the near future and betting on a 2024 release.

4. Persona 6 - TBC

It’s been seven years since the release of Persona 5, and fans have been eagerly awaiting the next mainline game in the series for a few years already. But in traditional Atlus fashion, the wait for the next installment has so far only seen an updated rerelease and a handful of spinoffs. Persona 6 has supposedly been further delayed internally, which is not surprising considering Atlus has yet to show even a single piece of concept art for the project. Persona 6 is likely to be a massive experience with an almost absurd amount of content, and Atlus are likely to be holding off on an official release date announcement until they are more confident in their release schedule.

5. Destiny 2: The Final Shape - June 4, 2024 

Following several rumors and reports that Destiny 2's next expansion was going to be delayed, developer Bungie has officially confirmed that the release date for Destiny 2: The Final Shape will be pushed back to June 4, 2024. According to an official announcement, Bungie is “taking the time we need to deliver an even bigger and bolder vision, one that we hope will be remembered and treasured for years to come.” Granted, the expansion was originally only slated for release on February 27, 2024, meaning the delay is only four months long; however, we can never be sure if a revised release date will actually stick. The expansion will have players exploring a new destination called The Pale Heart, and one of the biggest changes it will bring to the game is an episodic format, ditching the previous structure whereby four seasons would be released per year.

6. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 - late 2024 

There’s already a gigantic gap between the release of the 2004 horror RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines and Bloodlines 2. Although both games may revolve around the immortal undead, players don’t have forever to wait, and any further delays are cause for concern. The sequel has been awash in controversy and production issues, and the development team has changed twice for various reasons, with one previous developer Hardsuit Labs having to lay off several staff after dropping development of Bloodlines 2. Based on the tabletop RPG by White Wolf, the original game gave players tremendous freedom to tell their own bloody story. From choosing your clan to beating the hell out of your enemies, there was a lot to love about the original. The only thing scarier than a long wait is getting a mediocre experience, so maybe it’s a good thing if Bloodlines 2 joins the ranks of games delayed in 2024.

7. Ark 2 - late 2024

Originally slated for release in 2022, the early access release for Ark 2 has been pushed back yet again, this time from 2023 until “the end of 2024.” In a community post that announced the delay, Studio Wildcard explained that the delay is happening because the team needs more time to get used to working with Unreal Engine 5. In the meantime, it has sought to tide fans of the series over by launching Ark: Survival Ascended, an Unreal Engine 5 remaster of the original game.

8. Homeworld 3 - May 13, 2024 

In May, developer Blackbird Interactive announced that it would be delaying its space-based RTS sequel, Homeworld 3, from the first half of 2023 to February 2024. “Our primary goal is to deliver a Homeworld experience that lives up to the standards set by its predecessors and is worthy of this series’ incredible legacy… Homeworld 3 is shaping up to be exactly that, but in order to fully realize that vision, we need more time to refine and polish the game.” This marked the second time the release date for Homeworld 3 had been pushed back; when the game was first announced in September 2019, it was supposed to come out in late 2022. The latest information on Homeworld 3’s launch came at a gaming show a month ago, where Blackbird confirmed the game would now be launching on March 9, 2024. However, in a recent post, Blackbird Interactive has unfortunately pushed the release date back to May 13, 2024, with advanced access set for May 10.

9. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl - September 5, 2024 

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 developer GSC Game World, originally based in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, has faced delays due to geopolitical events in the region. Initially planned for a December 2022 launch, these circumstances led to the studio relocating from Kyiv to Prague, Czech Republic, in 2022 to continue development, with a new release target set for late 2023. However, at Gamescom in August this year, GSC Game World announced a further delay, pushing the release to the first quarter of 2024. Despite the ongoing political situation and the team's relocation far from home, GSC Game World remained committed to delivering the game. In a recent update, the final release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has been confirmed as Thursday, September 5, 2024, marking the end of its postponements and solidifying the new launch timeline.

10. Skull & Bones - February 16, 2024

Whether you grew up with the Monkey Island series or have spent 1,000 hours clowning around with your friends in Sea of Thieves, you’re probably keeping a close eye on Skull and Bones. The prospect of hopping on to a pirate ship and setting sail in an open world developed by Ubisoft in pursuit of treasure and glory is a tantalizing one. The ambitiously gorgeous Skull and Bones has experienced its fair share of delays, totaling half-a-dozen. However, the wait is nearly over, as the game is officially set to release on February 16, 2024. The reasons for its previous delays, including the need for additional polish, balancing, and progression, indicate Ubisoft’s commitment to ensuring the gameplay experience is as rich and engaging as possible—befitting a game set on the high seas where a shallow experience would be as out of place as a ship without sails.

And that rounds up our list of 10 great games delayed until 2024. Make sure to wishlist your favorites, and for more games, make sure to check out the lineup available with an Xbox Game Pass. Furthermore, with the purchase of a Windows 11 PC from Acer, you can enjoy one month free of Xbox Game Pass.