Summary
- Many hyped games launch broken, but steady patches and new content can turn them into hits.
- Examples: No Man's Sky, Cyberpunk 2077, FFXIV, Modern Warfare 3 and Sea of Thieves rebounded.
- Player trust is rebuilt through transparency, fixes, fresh content and consistent community support.
Gamers know the story all too well. A new game is announced, the hype takes over, and players begin anticipating the game’s inevitable release. A game’s launch is arguably the most important moment in its life cycle, as it is when many long-awaited players dive in for the first time. However, while a lot of games manage to meet player expectations, others fail to stick the landing.
Longest Open-World Games
Even the most sophisticated gamer will be bewildered by the sheer scale of these games. These are the open-world games that take the longest to beat.
There is a long line of games that have launched in a terrible state, crashing and burning as a result. However, very few have actually gone through a redemption arc and recovered. For those who have, players are often rewarded with some of the best games on the market. Here are five games that managed to recover from the roughest of launches.
No Man's Sky
From Failed Promises to Epic Sci-Fi Adventure
No Man's Sky
- Released
- August 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Hello Games
- PC Release Date
- August 12, 2016
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Nintendo Switch 2
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Up first is No Man’s Sky, a standout game on this list. While many of the later entries launched in a state where the game was either released too soon without polish, suffered from game-breaking bugs or server issues, or was simply unplayable, No Man’s Sky did not actually suffer from too many bugs or performance issues. The game ran smoothly, was incredibly stunning, and provided a generally fun experience during the initial launch window. However, there was one major problem.
No Man’s Sky takes players to a procedurally generated universe where they can chart the stars and explore new worlds. However, the game launched without many of the promised features that got fans invested in the game in the first place. From no multiplayer at launch, to a general lack of variety in the worlds players visited, and a slew of other missing features, No Man’s Sky’s biggest problem was failing to meet the expectations the developers had set.
Despite this, No Man’s Sky is now considered one of the best sci-fi games on the market, not just because of its ambitious premise, but because of the sheer number of free updates added to bring that missing content, and more, into the game.
Cyberpunk 2077
From Unfinished Mess to Excellency
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Franchise
- Cyberpunk
- PC Release Date
- December 10, 2020
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
If any game deserves the title of the worst experience at launch, this next title takes the crown by a large margin. Though CD Projekt Red’s widely popular Cyberpunk 2077 is held in high regard now, its success is the result of a long effort to fix the game after its terrible state at launch.
Cyberpunk 2077 was the subject of heavy controversy due to the game’s numerous technical and performance issues that made it largely unplayable for many players. While a bulk of the issues were found on PS4 and Xbox One, to the point where refunds were distributed, next-generation consoles and even high-end PC users could not escape the game’s overwhelming number of problems.
From countless crashes, graphical problems, and hilariously game-breaking glitches, to a general lack of polish, there is no denying that Cyberpunk 2077 launched far too soon in an unfinished state. However, through a long stream of updates and patches, Cyberpunk 2077 was eventually brought back into a playable state, allowing players to finally enjoy the game’s stellar gameplay and masterful storytelling the way it was intended.
Final Fantasy XIV
From One of the Worst Launches to the Best MMORPG
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
- Released
- July 2, 2024
- ESRB
- Teen // Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
WHERE TO PLAY
- Base Game
- Final Fantasy 14
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Won numerous rewards including Role-Playing Game of the Year at the DICE Awards 2022
When it comes to the best comebacks in gaming, no game has made a better turnaround than Final Fantasy XIV. While the game is now often regarded as one of the best MMORPGs ever, it originally launched in an abysmal state, sparking a studio-wide effort to bring it back into the spotlight.
Final Fantasy XIV was in a rough spot, to say the least, with its first iteration being incredibly poorly received by players. The game was riddled with bugs, suffered from extremely poor optimization that made it feel clunky to play, and was plagued by countless technical issues, along with a general lack of content and clear focus.
Final Fantasy XIV was in such a state that Square Enix ultimately sunset the game in an epic in-game event that saw the world end in real time. However, that was not the end of Final Fantasy XIV, as the game later relaunched as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Today, Final Fantasy XIV is far more acclaimed than its predecessor, fixing many of the issues that plagued the original release while also introducing a breadth of new content for fans to dive into.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
From Modern Warfare 2's Cash Grab DLC to an Epic Standalone Title
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III
- Released
- November 10, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Sledgehammer Games
- Franchise
- Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is often regarded as one of the best modern Call of Duty titles, but the game was also the subject of major controversy at launch. To put it bluntly, the initial launch of Modern Warfare 3, though still record-selling, may have been one of the roughest launches of any Call of Duty to date.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 arrived with what was arguably one of the worst and most lackluster Campaigns in the series, and its initial content offering earned it the label of being little more than DLC for Modern Warfare 2. The game featured only a few original weapons, with over half of the arsenal carried over from the previous title. The Multiplayer map roster also consisted entirely of remastered versions of maps from the original Modern Warfare 2. Pair that with an open-world extraction-style Zombies mode, which, while enjoyed by a niche portion of the community, failed to resonate with hardcore Zombies fans, and Modern Warfare 3 definitely got off to a rough start.
However, Campaign aside, Modern Warfare 3 also managed to pull off one of the best comebacks in Call of Duty history, becoming one of the few games in the series that actually gained players over time. This was largely due to strong post-launch support, which introduced consistent new maps and modes, limited-time events, and weekly Aftermarket Parts, weapons, and camos through Weekly Challenges. Combined with the improvements Sledgehammer Games introduced, including faster overall movement, smoother weapon handling, and the removal of several controversial features from Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3 successfully evolved into a strong standalone entry with its own identity.
Sea of Thieves
From Disastrous Server Outages to an Excellent Pirate Adventure
Sea of Thieves
- Released
- March 20, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Crude Humor, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Rare
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- Has won numerous awards, including Xbox Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2018
Sea of Thieves was easily one of the most anticipated games of 2018 and remains widely popular today thanks to its long-term success. Promising players a fun shared-world adventure on the open seas, complete with epic ship battles and dangers lurking in the depths, Sea of Thieves stood out as one of the more unique titles on the market. Unfortunately, the game’s launch was far from stellar.
Due to the sheer number of players jumping in on launch day, Sea of Thieves suffered from massive server outages and matchmaking failures, keeping thousands of players from enjoying the game for up to two full days in some cases. To address this, Rare deployed frequent server maintenance, which further limited access, with regular downtime sessions running throughout the entire launch week.
Players who did manage to get in also had to contend with numerous game-breaking issues. These included the Plunder Pass failing to work, players not receiving Gold from items sold at Outposts, and even major exploits such as the ladder launch. To put it bluntly, the game’s launch was a chaotic nightmare. However, through consistent technical fixes, strong post-launch content support, and much-needed quality-of-life improvements like reworked inventory management, better ways to spot loot, and more, Sea of Thieves ultimately went on to become one of the best games to jump into today.