5 Broken Video Games That Took Years to Fix

With the expectations of gamers only rising with time, game development has become increasingly difficult. This has caused many shall we say, “interesting” launches of many titles in the industry. Whether it be from a technical aspect, or not delivering the quality expected upon release. How your game launches can mar a reputation in some instances for good. With that being said, it also takes a lot of effort to repair these titles into something workable and successful. So with further ado, here are 5 broken video games that took years to fix.

5. Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV is now a staple of the MMORPG genre and an industry titan. This has not always been the case, however, with the game launching in such a broken and unserviceable state that the game essentially had to be relaunched. With many critics attesting to the fact that the game had the potential to be great. But suffering from an array of issues. With many claiming that the game was released unfinished and could barely serve to be called a full title.

This would not be the case forever, however, taking the criticism they received on the chin. Square Enix buckled down and rebuilt the game from the ground up as A Realm Reborn. The developers at Square even sought to include those who stuck with the game through its rocky launch will be included in the creation of the new game. This manifested in the form of having the game world literally destroyed in an event to make way for the improvements to come in A Realm Reborn. But this was not accomplished until three years later in August of 2013.

4. Elder Scrolls Online

Elder Scrolls Online is a game with fantastic lore and voice-acted quests but one of the most broken releases ever. Released on April 4th, 2014, Elder Scrolls Online launched with a myriad of issues, including players paying for subscriptions not receiving the time paid they paid for. This as well as an item duplication glitch ensured that the in-game market would be beyond repair for quite some time. In a genre that is ran by the market board, it can make or break an MMORPG. With players who benefited from this exploit being banned by Zenimax, it would be a long road ahead for the title and developer.

The release of Tamriel Unlimited on March 17th, 2015 allowed the game to be played without a subscription. This made the barrier to entry less impactful. With the addition of many expansions released following this misstep, Elder Scrolls Online looked to improve on its game world and it's various systems. Featuring DLCs that are available via a subscription to the game. These are based on many different regions in the Elder Scrolls universe. Now in 2022, Elder Scrolls Online has overcome its initial struggles to become successful. However, this does not make up for the fact that it was a broken video game on release.

3. Ark: Survival Evolved

ARK: Survival Evolved launched in such a horrid state it's surprising it was able to be released at all. Launched August 29th, 2017, ARK initially received very divisive reviews. Whether it was because of the inaccessibility of the game. Or due to its difficulty or buggy state with problems regarding game models or dinosaurs spawning out of nowhere in zones that they aren't supposed to be in. All this was not without its dose of anguish as ARK initially was a monotonous grind. With players having to accumulate all progress again following their death, the experience quickly became frustrating.

While its initial release certainly was rocky, ARK has improved. Mostly in the performance department as the game runs much smoother than it did upon launch. With various DLCs were being released to add to the game through different mechanics, items and dinosaurs the game improved. ARK now is a fun time for anyone trying to play. While this might not have always been the case, the game is almost unrecognizable from its launch counterpart. Making for one of the 5 Games that Took Years to Fix.

2. Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that thoroughly disappointed fans and critics alike. Developed and published by CD Projekt Red the studio behind the critically acclaimed game Witcher 3. Better was expected upon the release of Cyberpunk 2077 on December 10th 2020. Releasing in such an unfinished state that there were quests that couldn't be completed and so buggy it could barely run. Although the game graphically was impressive it could not hold this positive attention past all the bugs and glitches. While the console version of the game was serviceable, the PC port of the game was absolutely atrocious.

This failure to perform resulted in an unprecedented apology from the game studio refunds were even issued. Critics absolutely tore the PC port of the game apart as it was barely workable, especially for the time it was released. Gaming store GameStop even changed its policy on allowing boxed returns of the game even after they were opened by players. However, Cyberpunk 2077 has been greatly improved following its release. Although it was released in such a terrible state, it has improved technically since launch. Regardless, Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most broken video games to ever release.

1. No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky is infamous for its release. Released initially on August 9th,2016, No Man's Sky certainly failed to deliver on its promises upon its release. Developed and Published by Hello Games, the game promised seemingly endless planets and environments to explore. With co-founder of Hello Games, Sean Murray going on many press runs hyping the game up more than it could actually offer. Famously saying that players would have little to no chance of interacting with each other. When reaching the end of the game, Murray was quickly proven wrong.

While the game's developers initially said that the game would have multiplayer, this had to be added in a post-launch update. The game was also played ahead of its launch due to a leaked copy being sold online. With so many negative things going wrong with the game Hellow Games were made to eat crow. However, following its rough launch, the team got hard to work on fixing and improving the game. Luckily it's not considered to be one of the broken video games anymore.

So, what do you think of the five broken video games? Do you agree with our top five picks? Are there any games we should know about? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.