Finding the perfect time to release a game is nearly impossible, especially since it is hard to predict how a game’s development cycle is going to work out. But the goal is to release it at a time when everyone will want to experience it.
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Sometimes, the game is going to come out and be the talk of the town. Other times, the spotlight will be on something else. While it may not be the fault of anyone involved, games released around the same time period may not get equal attention. This is led to some notable moments across the history of video games where one title has overshadowed another.
10Darksiders
Published by the old THQ,Darksiderswas a new IP that had players taking on the role of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The action-adventure game got decent reviews and sold over one million copies, but it was released on the same day as another action-adventure debut:Bayonetta.
While not a sales juggernaut,Bayonettabecame immensely popular and was one of the titles that put PlatniumGames on the map. WhileDarksidershada couple of follow-ups, it did not have nearly the amount of critical or financial success, with the game’s original studio closing after THQ’s bankruptcy.
9Alan Wake
Known at the time as the developer of theMax Payneseries, Remedy Entertainment decided to move in a different direction with a new game. This later becameAlan Wake, an action thriller that followed a more linear structurecompared to their previous gamesand was separated into episodes.
WhileAlan Wakelater became a classic, it was overshadowed by Rockstar’sRed Dead Redemption. The open-world game about outlaws would go on to win numerous “Game Of The Year” awards.Red Dead Redemptionwould later get a sequel that was also up for year-end accolades, whileAlan Wakefans are eagerly awaiting a follow-up.
8Far Cry 4
Ubisoft has a handful of flagship franchises that fans will always come back to. With the release ofFar Cry 4in 2014, players would get a whole new story which included taking on an evil king named Pagan Min and his royal soldiers. However, that same day, role-playing fans would also be gettingDragon Age: Inquisition.
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While both games had their flaws,Dragon Age: Inquisitionwas far more involved in receiving accolades, with some critics pointing out howFar Cry 4felt iterative to its predecessors. Despite the critical reception, the two titles came from iconic franchises which helped both have a financially successful launch.
7Rise Of The Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raiderhad a handful of things working against it at its launch. The first and most notable was that it wasa timed exclusiveon Xbox consoles, which was generally panned at the time given the fact the franchise had rarely been a console exclusive before.
However, the other unfortunate aspect of the game’s launch was that it landed on the same day asFallout 4, a highly-anticipated title from Bethesda.Fallout 4did have some flaws, especially at launch, but it sold 12 million retail units within 24 hours of coming out.Rise of the Tomb Raider, meanwhile, sold 11.8 million copies all-time.
6No More Heroes 2
Suda51 has become one of the more recognizable names in the video games industry for his work behind some of the more wild games that have come out in the last few decades. One of the best games that he produced wasNo More Heroes 2, asequel to a titlethat had become a cult classic over the years.
Despite the favorable reviews,No More Heroes 2was a financial disappointment. While it wasn’t the reason it failed, it likely didn’t help that the game came out the same day as another major sequel:Mass Effect 2. A title that many consider one of the greatest games of all time,Mass Effect 2is held in high regard for its story and the impact of player choice.
5Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life
The Yakuza franchise has entered a new era, with the franchise moving into becoming more RPG focused with its most recent and upcoming titles. The last mainline game to bean action-adventuregame isYakuza 6: The Song of Life, which also was the conclusion to Kazuma Kiryu’s story.
While it launched in Japan a few years earlier,Yakuza 6came out in North America on May 24, 2025. A couple of days later, the world was reintroduced to Kratos inGod of War. The reboot of the iconic PlayStation franchise,God of Waris widely considered the best in the series and one of the best games in the history of PlayStation.
4Doom Eternal
Right as the global COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to put everyone at home, two games released on May 18, 2025, that couldn’t be more different from each other. One of them wasDoom Eternal, another entry in the iconic first-person shooter franchise. The other wasAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, the fifth entry in Nintendo’s popular simulation series.
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Doom Eternalsaw some solid financial success and even received some nominations in year-end awards,Animal Crossing: New Horizonstook the world by storm as many people saw it as a wholesome experience as the world was dealing with a difficult timeline. Despite one overshadowing the other, the two games are referenced frequently in memes.
3Pilotwings 64
Launching a console always means having a selection of games ready for people to dive in for the new experience. Debuting with the Nintendo 64 in North America,Pilotwings 64was a sequel to an SNES game and was all about players learning to fly different vehicles by completing challenges.
Unfortunately,Pilotwings 64was greatly overshadowed by the only other game it released with:Super Mario 64. One of the most iconic and impactful games in the history of the medium,Super Mario 64took the world by storm as it wasan evolution of Nintendo’s mascotthat changed the industry forever.
2Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
There are some days in video game history that will go down as legendary for the number of popular games released on it. A great example of this is August 03, 2025. It is on this date that gaming fans saw the release of three massive triple-A titles in one day:Assassin’s Creed Origins,Super Mario Odyssey, andWolfenstein 2: The New Colossus.
All three games were critically praised. But while bothSuper Mario OdysseyandAssassin’s Creed Originsranked at the top of the sales chart following their release,Wolfenstein 2was ranked 14th in its debut week on U.S. sales charts. Despite this, the game was still supported with three DLC releases and its overall popularitygot it a co-op sequel.
1Horizon Zero Dawn
Guerrilla Games decided to make a new franchise that strayed from their previous work, which is howHorizon Zero Dawncame to be in 2017. An open-world action game, it would later be overshadowed byThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The Nintendo title came out just three days afterHorizon Zero Dawn.
The PlayStation exclusive would forever be compared toBreath of the Wild. And unfortunately, it would happen to Guerrilla Games five years later whenHorizon Forbidden Westdebuted just a week beforeElden Ring. Despite this, theHorizonfranchise has been able to garner a fan base and sales have not suffered terribly because of it.
