Video game release dates are more a suggestion than a promise these days, and understandably so. Making games is hard and audiences have never been busier and more fickle. Still, it’s disappointing when you find out that sci-fi shooter or fantasy adventure you’ve been waiting for won’t be out any time soon, and a lot of that disappointment is going around right now, as a bunch of this year’s notable releases have recently slipped to 2025.
The recent retreat into 2025 began with Avowed. Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming action-RPG was set to come out this fall but will now hit in February instead. Microsoft said the delay would give extra breathing room to its current slate of upcoming Game Pass exclusives and allow the studio more time to polish up the open world-ish game. The company keeps promising at least one big release a quarter, and the move might help it stick to that more closely.
Next up was Replaced, another Xbox console exclusive. The often-delayed 2.5D retro-futuristic platformer was pushed to next year to “ensure we meet the high standards we’ve set for ourselves,” the development team posted on Twitter. The game will still be playable at Gamescom later this month, but a new release window hasn’t been set yet.
Not to be left out, Terminator: Survivors snuck in its own delay in August as well. “Over the past few months, we’ve been really impressed by your enthusiasm and amazed by the response to our announcements, and we know how eagerly fans are awaiting Terminator: Survivors,” read a post on Twitter. “To realize our vision, and to make sure to deliver the game that fits your expectations, we need some additional time.” The open-world survival game was supposed to come out in Early Access in October. Now fans will have to wait until 2025 to get a taste of its re-imagining of Skynet’s robot takeover.
Meanwhile, a lot of other major 2024 blockbusters still don’t have specific release dates. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater are all still supposed to arrive this year. Hopefully none of them get sucked into a delay vortex either.
Replaced
Players have been ogling Replaced since its 2021 E3 debut. Several delays later, they’re still waiting to get their hands on the sci-fi adventure about an outlawed AI hiding in a human’s body. “We’ll keep it short: Replaced will not be released in 2025,” the development team recently announced. “Our initial release date was optimistic, and we apologize for that. Developing Replaced is a unique challenge, and we’re proud to be creating something that special.”
Avowed
We haven’t had a new Elder Scrolls in quite some time, and it’ll be many years more until we get the next one. Avowed isn’t a Skyrim-killer, but it is a first-person fantasy-RPG with an emphasis on combat, dialogue trees, and navigating rival factions. “So many games coming!” Microsoft tweeted on August 2, suggesting the game was delayed to give it a better chance of finding an audience. “As such, we’re moving Avowed to Feb 18, 2025 to give players’ backlogs some breathing room.”
Terminator: Survivors
Nacon announced Terminator: Survivors back in 2022, saying it would focus on an original story prior to John Connor’s resistance going to war with Skynet. Early Access was slated for this year but no longer. “We are working very hard to bring the post-apocalyptic world of Terminator to life,” the company wrote on August 12. “Our goal is to create a deep immersive experience where each decision you make is crucial to your surviving.”
Little Nightmares 3
The third game in the 2.5D survival horror/puzzle platformer series was revealed at Gamescom 2023 with a release window of this year. Unfortunately, Little Nightmares 3, which has a different developer from the first two, was one of the first games to ditch 2024. “The teams at Supermassive Games and Bandai Namco Europe have been working hard towards delivering the best experience possible for the next entry in the franchise,” the team announced in March. “As much as we can’t wait for you to return to the Nowhere, we also want to make sure we give the game the care and love it deserves. Quality is a top priority for us, and we know you feel the same way. For this reason, we’ve made the decision to shift the release of the game to 2025.”
Transformers: Reactivate
Another Game Awards announcement, Transformers: Reactivate debuted with a trailer in late 2022. A closed beta for 2023 was delayed until 2024, but there’s still no official word on where the game is or what’s going on with it. Back in May, a Hasbro manager said he hoped to have more to share on the mysterious release in 2025. Fans took that as another unofficial delay. Splash Damage, the studio working on the game, has been facing financial struggles this year.
The Division Resurgence
Ubisoft’s mobile revolution has stalled. The French publisher promised lots of spin-offs of its biggest franchises for portable touchscreens that still haven’t panned out, and The Division Resurgence is one of them. The third-person free-to-play shooter was recently pushed from 2024 to after March 2025. Rainbow Six Mobile was pushed out of this year as well. At least it’s better than getting outright canceled.
Nivalis
Ion Lands released Cloudpunk in 2020, a lovely cyberpunk adventure about a flying car taxi driver who gets embroiled in a missing girl investigation and city politics. Nivalis is the studio’s next game, an ambitious life sim that mixes the art and vibe of the first game with the social interactions and comforting routines of an Animal Crossing. Unfortunately, it won’t make the 2024 cutoff either. “Nivalis will be launching in Spring 2025!” Ion Lands announced in a Steam post this summer. “Our city has taken on a life of its own, growing and evolving in ways we are eager to share with you… Ensuring that Nivalis provides the best possible experience is our priority. Your patience and support are invaluable as we navigate through this creative journey.”
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