Expectation Vs Brutal Reality
Trust gets shattered by pixels and promises. We've all been there. Watching breathtaking trailers, reading developer interviews, and then staring at our screens, wondering where exactly it all went wrong. Well, here are 20 times we were promised the digital moon but got a pixelated rock instead. How many of these disappointments do you remember playing?
1. No Man's Sky
Two streamers on launch day proved what many suspected. The multiplayer didn't exist. Despite visiting identical planet coordinates, they couldn't see each other, exposing Sean Murray's repeated claims about meeting other players as completely false. Hello Games maintained radio silence for months after the 2016 release.
No Man's Sky - Longplay Full Game Walkthrough [No Commentary] 4k by Loopy Longplays
2. Cyberpunk 2077
"Surprisingly good" on last-gen consoles became 2020's biggest gaming joke. CD Projekt Red deliberately prevented reviewers from showing PS4 and Xbox One footage before launch, knowing those versions were barely functional. Vehicles regularly fell through streets while T-posing NPCs wandered Night City like digital zombies.
Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay 4K by UnitedG
3. Anthem
Former BioWare developers later admitted the stunning E3 2017 demo was essentially fake. What happened to the companion dialogue options? The dynamic world events? And that seamless flight showcased to enthusiastic audiences? Apparently, the game had been cobbled together in just 18 months.
Anthem Gameplay (PC HD) [1080p60FPS] by Throneful
4. Fallout 76
The $200 Power Armor Edition advertised a canvas bag but delivered something cheap without warning. When angry customers complained about the switch, Bethesda offered 500 atoms of in-game currency, about $5 worth, as compensation. "It just works," Todd Howard had proclaimed while introducing the game.
FALLOUT 76 Gameplay Walkthrough FULL GAME (4K 60FPS) No Commentary by Shirrako
5. Aliens: Colonial Marines
A single-letter typo in the game's code broke the xenomorph AI. "Tether" was misspelled as "teather," discovered years later by dedicated fans. Gearbox's 2013 release might represent the most brazen bait-and-switch in gaming history, with "actual gameplay" demos bearing no resemblance to the final product.
6. Fable
"Plant an acorn, and come back to see an oak tree later," claimed Peter Molyneux during development. The original RPG was supposed to feature real-time trees, children reacting to every decision, and consequences reshaping the world. None of these made it into the final output.
Fable 1 - Longplay - Good Walkthrough - Full Game - [No Commentary] 4k 😇 by Loopy Longplays
7. Watch Dogs
Modders later realized the stunning E3 graphics were hidden in the game files but deliberately disabled for release. Industry insiders revealed Ubisoft's marketing team had built a specialized demo that developers couldn't possibly deliver on actual hardware. It was seen as a notorious downgrade.
8. Mass Effect 3
BioWare had specifically told fans that Mass Effect 3's conclusion wouldn't be a simplistic "A, B, or C" choice, promising "vastly different" outcomes. The community backlash reached such intensity that the company launched the "Extended Cut" DLC specifically to address player complaints about the ending.
Mass Effect 3 Gameplay (PC HD) by deluxe.mp4
9. Spore
Scientific communities had been wowed for years by Will Wright's presentations promising revolutionary evolution simulation. TED talks showcased unprecedented depth from cellular development to space exploration, generating massive anticipation. Five years of development later, gamers received glorified mini-games instead of the complex scientific simulation.
SPORE Gameplay Walkthrough FULL GAME - [4K ULTRA HD] - No Commentary by TheBaldMan
10. Destiny
Voice actor Dinklage delivered such an unenthusiastic Ghost performance that Bungie eventually recast the role with Nolan North. Basically, the messy development culminated in a complete story rewrite just months before release. Joe Staten's entire original storyline was unfortunately scrapped.
DESTINY 1 Full Game Walkthrough - No Commentary (Full Story with All DLC) by NRMwalkthroughH
11. The Division
E3 2013 footage showed a graphical masterpiece that didn't exist on consoles. Massive Entertainment's creative director later confessed they built the demo on high-end PCs that bore little resemblance to the target hardware. The dynamic door-closing animations and realistic lighting were all gone.
12. Sea of Thieves
"What do you actually do in this game?" became the community meme after launch. Rare had carefully avoided showing the complete playability loop in promotional materials. Xbox marketing emphasized endless adventure on the high seas, yet individuals found just three mission types repeated with minimal progression.
Sea of Thieves Gameplay (PC HD) [1080p60FPS] by Throneful
13. Halo Infinite
Campaign co-op, a staple feature of the franchise since 2001, was inexplicably missing. 343 Industries had repeatedly confirmed this core component would be ready for release day, but silently removed it from marketing materials months before launch. The infamous "Craig the Brute" became an internet sensation.
Halo Infinite Gameplay (PC UHD) [4K60FPS] by Throneful
14. SimCity (2013)
"The cloud makes the game possible," claimed Maxis executives when justifying the always-online requirement. Within days of the disastrous launch, where servers collapsed completely, modders proved the game ran perfectly fine offline. The supposed cloud-based neighborhood simulations didn't actually exist as described.
🌆 SimCity 2013 | 4K HDR Gameplay | Ultra Graphics Showcase by SoldaPlays
15. Street Fighter X Tekken
Twelve additional fighters were found to be locked on the retail disc, which triggered consumer outrage in 2012. Capcom had completed these characters but purposely held them back for paid DLC, charging $20 for content already on the disc that players had purchased.
16. Duke Nukem Forever
Fourteen years of work produced a game trapped in the 1990s that still somehow wasn't finished. 3D Realms had shown spectacular vertical slice demos at trade shows for over a decade. Sadly, what we got were outdated two-weapon limits and frustrating underwater sections.
17. Star Wars Battlefront II
The infamous "sense of pride and accomplishment" comment became gaming's most downvoted Reddit post in history. EA's attempt to justify their predatory loot box progression system backfired after being caught lying about unlock requirements. Internal documents revealed they had designed the system to frustrate players.
JEV PLAYS STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT 2 7 YEARS LATER by FaZe Jev
18. Assassin's Creed Unity
Character models without faces haunted gamers at launch, becoming nightmare fuel memes across communities. Ubisoft had insisted their new engine would enhance NPC crowd technology while delivering Paris in unprecedented detail. The game was released so broken that Ubisoft canceled the season pass.
19. Mighty No. 9
The Kickstarter campaign showed gorgeous hand-drawn artwork and promised a spiritual successor to Mega Man with modern innovations. Four million dollars and multiple delays later, backers received a game with placeholder-quality graphics, embarrassing pizza explosion effects, and mechanics that betrayed every promise made during funding.
Mighty No. 9 Gameplay Walkthrough Part 1 - INTRO - MISSION 1 & 2 by GameRiot
20. Battlefield 2042
All the core features in previous Battlefield games were removed, while claiming this was the most ambitious entry yet. The scoreboard, single-player campaign, and class system were replaced with specialists nobody wanted. Plus, the server browser was not visible at launch.
Battlefield 2042 Gameplay ( 4K Ultra Graphics ) by jackfrags
