Every video game delay that has happened in 2023 so far

Few things feel as inevitable in the video game industry as delays. Ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, game delays have only become more and more common as developers find previously set timelines unrealistic and adjust their release plans accordingly. Even just about one month into 2023, notable games like Skull and Bones and The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR have already gotten delayed. Because video game release date delays are so common, it can be tough to keep track of every game that has had its launch date shifted in some way.

That’s why, just as we did in 2021 and 2022, Digital Trends is rounding up every game delay that’s announced throughout 2023. Here are the high-profile ones that have happened so far, listed chronologically by their new intended release dates.

The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR (March 16)

As Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is one of the best games for PlayStation VR, The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR, Supermassive Games’ PlayStation VR2 successor, is a highly anticipated launch title for the upcoming VR headset. Unfortunately, it will no longer make PlayStation VR2’s February 22 launch and will instead be released on March 16. On Twitter, a message from Supermassive Games says this delay will ensure that players “receive the most polished, terrifying experience possible” at release.

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key (March 24)

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is the latest in a long line of niche RPGs with a very dedicated fan base. While it was supposed to release on February 24, publisher Koei Tecmo decided to push the game’s release back one month to March 23. “In order to make this game a fitting finale for Ryza and her friends, we have taken on challenges such as adventuring in a vast open field and graphics that express the charm of these characters to the fullest extent,” producer Junzo Hosoi explained in a tweet. “Our team will take this additional time to fine-tune the final touches so that we can deliver to all of you who have been following the series the best possible experience in this culmination of Ryza and her friend’s adventures.”

The Last of Us Part I for PC (March 28)

Originally slated for March 3, fans will need to wait a little bit longer for The Last of Us series’ debut on PC. One month ahead of that original release date, Naughty Dag announced that the PC version of The Last of Us Part One was delayed by a couple of weeks to March 28. The developer says this delay “will allow us to ensure this version of The Last of Us lives up to your, and our, standards.”

EA Sports PGA Tour (April 7)

With less than a month to go until its release, EA made the decision to push back EA Sports PGA Tour by two weeks. Originally slated for a March 24 release, the golf game will now come out on April 7, with those who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition getting early access on April 4. EA pushed it back slightly to line the release up better with the Masters Tournament and “add a few final touches to the game that we are very excited to deliver to all of you, including updates to some favorite courses to reflect 2023 designs.” 

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (April 28)

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the eagerly anticipated sequel to Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, got pushed back by six weeks, just a month and a half before its originally intended March 17 release date. The game will now come out on April 28, but should be a more polished and less buggy experience because of that. “In order for the team to hit the Respawn quality bar, provide the team the time they need, and achieve the level of polish our fans deserve, we have added six crucial weeks to our release schedule,” director Stig Asmussen explained in a tweet about the delay.

Amnesia: The Bunker (May 16)

Originally announced last December with a March 2023 release window, Amnesia: The Bunker will now be released by Frictional Games on May 16. The developers gave no reason for this two-month delay, but likely realized they needed more time to polish the experience. That’s because this is going to be a systems-heavy horror game that relies on player choice as they explore a creepy bunker during World War I. Still, at least horror fans now know exactly when they can expect the game, rather than just having a month-long release window.

System Shock (May 30 for PC, TBA for consoles)

Nightdive Studios’ long-awaited, crowdfunded remake of System Shock needs a little more time. Initially, Nightdive and publisher Prime Matter promised to release the game in March 2023, but only ended up delivering a final beta to backers this month. The full release will now happen on PC on May 30, with its console ports not yet having release dates. Hopefully, the long wait is worth it for fans of this highly influential game. 

Atlas Fallen (August 10)

Just a couple of weeks after confirming a May release date on Twitter, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment took to the social media platform again to announce that they had pushed the release date of action game Atlas Fallen back to August 10. “Our goal has always been to create a memorable A-RPG experience in a unique setting, with exciting gameplay and the option for fully playable seamless co-op with a friend,” the tweet says. “We’d love to give the game some extra time which will allow us to deliver the best possible version of Atlas Fallen. To achieve this, we have made the difficult decision to delay the worldwide launch of Atlas Fallen to August 10, 2023.”

Starfield (September 6)

Bethesda Game Studios finally revealed a new release date for its highly anticipated sci-fi RPG Starfield. It’s missing the “first half of 2023” release window Bethesda promised when initially delaying the game, but thankfully only by a couple of months as Starfield now launches for PC and Xbox Series X/S on September 6. We will get our next in-depth look at the game during a dedicated Starfield Direct on June 11.

Venba (Summer 2023)

Venba is a charming cooking game about an Indian-Canadian family, and shaping up to be a pretty and culturally rich experience. Originally slated for PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch, developer Visai Games revealed in March that Venba would also be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and be available via Xbox Game Pass. As a result, it will now release in Summer 2023 instead of Spring 2023, though.

The Day Before (November 10)

The most suspicious delay to happen yet this year is for The Day Before. This game gained fame for becoming Steam’s most wish-listed game, but has encountered controversy over its developer’s lack of transparency and use of volunteers. Developer Fntastic and publisher Mytona claim that someone else has trademarked the game’s title before they could. Because of this, Fntastic said on Twitter that it needed to delay the game to November 10 from March 1 “to ensure we release the best possible game,” much to the ire of fans of this anticipated zombie MMO. We’ll need to wait and see if The Day Before can sort out this trademark dispute and make the new release date.

Hyper Light Breaker (fall 2023)

Hyper Light Breaker is an ambitious follow-up to indie darling Hyper Light Drifter. It’s much bigger than its predecessor, as it’s a full 3D open-world roguelike action game, with the catch that players explore a new procedurally generated world every time they die. On top of that ambition, it also features four-player co-op. As such, it’s understandable why the smaller team at Heart Machine needs more time on the game, pushing back its early access launch from spring 2023 to fall 2023. 

Forza Motorsport (TBA 2023)

Forza Motorsport had a spring 2023 release window when it reappeared at 2022’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, but when it was featured in January 2023’s Developer_Direct, that release window changed to just 2023. “We’re not ready just yet to share our release date, and the wait will be worth it when we launch this year,” a Microsoft spokesperson tells Digital Trends. “We know the community is excited for more updates, including our release date, and we’re fortunate to work on a game and franchise that means so much to so many. We can’t wait to share more details soon.”

Skull & Bones (early 2023 to 2024)

Ubisoft’s long-awaited and oft-delayed pirate game Skull and Bones has made the list yet again. It finally seemed like the game was going to come out on March 9, but after the underperformance of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Ubisoft announced a delay into the wide release window of “early 2023 to 2024” in order to ensure Skull and Bones’ quality. “The additional time has already paid off and brought impressive improvements to its quality, which has been confirmed by recent playtests,” Ubisoft said of the delay. “We believe players will be positively surprised by its evolution. We have decided to postpone its release in order to have more time to showcase a much more polished and balanced experience and to build awareness.”

The Wolf Among Us 2 (2024)

After reemerging last year with a 2023 release window, Telltale Games’ highly anticipated sequel to The Wolf Among Us has been pushed back to 2024. Speaking to IGN, Telltale CEO Jamie Ottilie explained that its developers are upgrading The Wolf Among Us 2 from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5, and are pushing it back to avoid any crunch. “If we put this game out and it’s not ready, we’re going to get torn to shreds,” he explained. “I’ve done [crunch], and I don’t want to do it again, and it’s not fair to ask it. You can’t plan a business around it. So yeah, part of it is about maintaining a healthy work culture. We don’t want to burn out our good people.” 

Warhammer 40K: Darktide for Xbox Series X/S (TBA)

The Xbox Series X/S version of Warhammer 40K: Darktide was supposed to release alongside the PC version in September 2022, but that’s not how things ultimately played out. When the game got pushed back to November 30, 2022, the Xbox Series X/S version of the sci-fi shooter lost its release date, but was said to launch “shortly after” the PC version. Sadly, that’s no longer the case. The Xbox port hasn’t released in the months since Warhammer 40K: Darktide’s launch, and in a new message on Twitter, the developers at Fatshark revealed that they have indefinitely pushed back the Xbox Series X/S release so they can focus on reworking the crafting and progression systems, fix bugs, and improve the game’s performance on PC over the next few months. Hopefully, the port will eventually see the light of day later this year.