Some Games Refuse to Hurry
Video game development can take years even when everything goes according to plan, but some projects take patience to an entirely different level. Delays, ambitious ideas, technology changes, studio problems, creative disagreements, and complete development restarts can turn what was supposed to be a relatively quick project into a decade-long saga. In some cases, fans waited so long that the gaming landscape changed several times before the finished product finally appeared.
1. Duke Nukem Forever
The twisted development history of Duke Nukem Forever is one of gaming’s best-known stories. Development began all the way back in 1997 before changing engines, directions, and teams multiple times before eventually releasing in 2011. It took approximately 14 years for players to finally get their hands on Duke’s next adventure.
2. The Last Guardian
The Last Guardian was originally announced back in 2009 for PlayStation 3. Hype for the game was huge from the start due to its developers, Fumito Ueda and Team Ico, and their previous work on titles like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. The game changed directions, suffered from technical issues, and was ported to PlayStation 4 before releasing many years later in 2016.
3. Final Fantasy XV
Infamous for its many delays and change in direction, Final Fantasy XV began as Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Development of this entry into the famous RPG series began in 2006 and took on a new crew, engine, and storyline multiple times before settling on its eventual namesake and releasing in 2016. Its ten-year transformation involved a new direction, new technology, and substantial changes to the game's story and structure.
4. Prey
Oddly enough, the Prey title has a long development history all on its own. The first Prey game was released in 2006 at the end of about 11 years of development. A sequel was then announced and eventually canceled, while Arkane Studios later created a completely different game using the Prey name in 2017.
Nikita Kachanovsky on Unsplash
5. Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 was given its official announcement trailer all the way back in 2012. Development had not quite begun at that point, as CD Projekt Red was busy with other projects. Many delays and tons of hype later, Cyberpunk 2077 released in 2020 to an audience that had been hearing about it for what felt like centuries.
6. Shenmue III
From the initial release of Shenmue II, fans were obsessed with learning more about Shenmue III. Ultimately, Shenmue III was released in 2019, which put 18 years between major entries. The delays led to a Kickstarter campaign that successfully funded the development of Shenmue III.
7. Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread wasn’t actively being developed from the beginning of its life. Rumors say that Metroid Dread was first conceived of as a Nintendo DS project as far back as 2005. It finally appeared in 2021 as a Nintendo Switch game, roughly 16 years after the original concept emerged.
8. Alan Wake
Alan Wake spent years in development before fans got to see what Remedy Entertainment was finally creating. The project began with a much more open-world concept before undergoing significant changes during development. After years of work and shifting ideas, the final game became a focused psychological thriller centered around writer Alan Wake.
9. Too Human
Too Human is another victim of an absurdly long and rocky development process. Originally, Too Human’s development began in the mid-'90s under Silicon Knights, who wanted the game on PlayStation and Nintendo systems. From Nintendo systems to Xbox and years of development later, Too Human finally saw release in 2008 on Xbox 360.
10. Team Fortress 2
When Team Fortress 2 was announced back in 1999, it looked nothing like it did upon release in 2007. Valve switched up the direction and design multiple times throughout the development of Team Fortress 2. As players played more and more of the released product, it became clear this new style of TF2 was exactly what players wanted.
11. Diablo III
Diablo III was announced way back in 2008 at BlizzCon and finally released in 2012 after years of development and changes in lead designers. Diablo III was supposed to take the series in a new direction but faced immense backlash over its gameplay systems during its beta testing phases.
12. Kingdom Hearts III
Kingdom Hearts fans suffered through what felt like an eternity of waiting between Kingdom Hearts II and III. Kingdom Hearts II was released in 2005, and fans didn’t get Kingdom Hearts III until 2019. The project also moved from its original development plans to Unreal Engine 4, adding another major transition along the way.
13. StarCraft II
If you only looked at StarCraft II’s official release date, you’d think this game wasn’t bothered by any serious development issues. However, the original StarCraft had been released in 1998, meaning fans waited 12 years for a true sequel. During that period, the original game became one of the most influential strategy titles ever made, making expectations for the follow-up enormous.
14. Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2 is infamously known for having the longest development history of any game in existence. Development officially began in 2008 and has experienced many delays and public droughts. Even as of 2026, the game has still not been fully released. It’s expected that fans will wait an uncomfortably long time before they can play Beyond Good & Evil 2.
Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
15. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord was announced in 2012 and didn’t release until 2020 in early access and finally in 2022. The developers spent years expanding the game's systems, combat, economy, politics, and enormous sandbox. For fans who had been following the project since its announcement, finally getting to play it was a major milestone.
16. Dead Island 2
Dead Island 2 unfortunately has had one of the most stressful development histories in recent years. Dead Island 2 was announced in 2014 but suffered through multiple studio developers being fired and replaced until Dambuster Studios took over during its final years of development.
17. Psychonauts 2
Psychonauts 2 was first announced during development way back in 2015 and was finally released in 2021. As if that wasn’t crazy enough, fans helped fund the game via crowdfunding, allowing them to directly fund the sequel they’d all been waiting for. Five years of waiting and fans were finally given more access to the wonderfully weird world of Psychonauts.
18. Skull and Bones
Ubisoft's Skull and Bones was announced in 2017 and went through years of delays before finally launching in 2024. The project reportedly underwent substantial changes during its development, with the final game looking quite different from some of its earliest presentations. Seven years of waiting gave players plenty of time to wonder whether the pirate adventure would ever leave development.
19. Diablo IV
The development of Diablo IV may not have technically taken long, but it was impacted by years of planning out what the game should be following Diablo III’s release. Diablo IV wasn’t officially announced until 2019 but had been in the works and changed significantly throughout Blizzard’s post-World of Warcraft era.
20. Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V was not ridiculously delayed in development like some of the other titles on this list. However, GTA V was released in 2013 and is still going strong today thanks to the popularity of GTA Online. The game has lasted multiple generations of consoles and is still one of the most popular games not only on this list but of all time.
