Video game delays have become commonplace during the pandemic — we tallied 60 delays in 2021 alone — as studios largely continue to work within the confines of remote or hybrid development. This dramatic shift in the way games are made may remain the norm throughout 2022, and as such, we're once again expecting to see a significant number of games delayed.
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.
Click through the gallery below or continue scrolling for the full list of every game delay announced in 2022 (so far).
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.
Delay Length: 7 months, 10 days | Affected Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
Project_Hel, a major new DLC for Ghostrunner, was delayed from late January to early March. The extra development time will be used “to make even more worthwhile improvements while ensuring the health & safety of our team and global partners,” reads a statement from the game’s official Twitter account.
In Project_Hel you play as Hel, one of the original game’s bosses. The DLC includes six story missions, new enemies, bosses, and six new tracks from electronic musician Daniel Deluxe.
Delay Length: 1 month, 4 days | Affected Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
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, putting the Switch version's tentative release window between February and August.
The sequel will still hit PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 4.
Delay Length: ≤6 months | Affected Platform: Switch
The second seasons of Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific and Call of Duty: Vanguard were both delayed by two weeks. Activision said it would use the additional time to “deliver updates, including optimizations to gameplay, game balancing (including weapon and equipment balancing), to fix game stability and bugs, and to ensure an overall level of polish to improve the experience.”
Delay Length: 12 days | Affected Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC
The Nintendo Switch version of Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection — a bundle of Life Is Strange and the follow-up prequel Life Is Strange: Before the Storm — was delayed less than two weeks before its initial release date. The developer said it experienced a setback with the Switch version and plans to have it ready “later this year.”
The remastered games feature updated visuals, improved animations, and lighting upgrades. The collection is still expected to hit other platforms — PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia — on February 1.
Delay Length: TBD | Affected Platform: Switch
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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.
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
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.
Delay Length: 7 months, 10 days | Affected Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
Ghostrunner: Project_Hel DLC
- Delayed from January 27 to March 3, 2022
Project_Hel, a major new DLC for Ghostrunner, was delayed from late January to early March. The extra development time will be used “to make even more worthwhile improvements while ensuring the health & safety of our team and global partners,” reads a statement from the game’s official Twitter account.
In Project_Hel you play as Hel, one of the original game’s bosses. The DLC includes six story missions, new enemies, bosses, and six new tracks from electronic musician Daniel Deluxe.
Delay Length: 1 month, 4 days | Affected Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Dying Light 2 for Nintendo Switch
- Delayed from February 4 to an unannounced later date
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, putting the Switch version's tentative release window between February and August.
The sequel will still hit PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 4.
Delay Length: ≤6 months | Affected Platform: Switch
Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific and Vanguard Season 2
- Delayed from February 2 to February 14
The second seasons of Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific and Call of Duty: Vanguard were both delayed by two weeks. Activision said it would use the additional time to “deliver updates, including optimizations to gameplay, game balancing (including weapon and equipment balancing), to fix game stability and bugs, and to ensure an overall level of polish to improve the experience.”
Delay Length: 12 days | Affected Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection for Nintendo Switch
- Delayed from February 1 to “later this year”
The Nintendo Switch version of Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection — a bundle of Life Is Strange and the follow-up prequel Life Is Strange: Before the Storm — was delayed less than two weeks before its initial release date. The developer said it experienced a setback with the Switch version and plans to have it ready “later this year.”
The remastered games feature updated visuals, improved animations, and lighting upgrades. The collection is still expected to hit other platforms — PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia — on February 1.
Delay Length: TBD | Affected Platform: Switch
Continue reading...
