10 Games That Took Longer to Develop Than GTA VI (2018-2026)

Alright gamers, gather 'round! So GTA VI is finally, hopefully, dropping next year in 2026. That means an eight-year dev cycle if we count from 2018. A whole eight years! I know, I know—after waiting over a decade since GTA V, eight years might not seem that crazy. But it got me thinking... are there other games out there that took even longer to cook? Turns out, the list is longer and wilder than you might think. Let's dive into the development hells and hype trains of ten games that made Rockstar look almost speedy.

10. Dragon Age: The Veilguard - A BioWare Rollercoaster 🎢

Following the massive success of Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014, work on the sequel started in 2015. Sounds normal, right? Oh, how wrong we were.

The development was anything but smooth. After the whole Anthem live-service experiment... didn't go great, plans were scrapped and the game got a full-blown reboot. 😬 Originally titled Dragon Age: Dreadwolf back in 2022, the project was plagued by constant staff turnover at BioWare. We're talking about veterans leaving—Mark Darrah, who'd been there since 1996 and worked on every prior Dragon Age game, left in 2020. Layoffs, voluntary departures... it was a mess. By the time Veilguard finally saw the light of day, its dev cycle had easily surpassed GTA VI's timeline. A true saga of its own.

9. Diablo III - The Blizzard That Took a Decade ❄️

Blizzard announced Diablo III in 2008, but the real story starts way back in 2001. Yeah, you read that right. Over a decade in the making!

So much changed at Blizzard during those years. World of Warcraft exploded, changing the company's entire identity. Then, Activision acquired them in 2008. The game also needed to meet Blizzard's infamous (and sometimes ironic) "high standards." The 2012 launch was... rough, to say the least, with server issues and fan backlash. But hey, look at it now—it's a polished, fun alternative to Diablo IV. Sometimes the longest slogs lead to the best loot grinds.

8. Starfield - Todd Howard's Space Odyssey 🚀

Okay, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Or should I say, the elephant in the galaxy? Starfield was announced in 2018, but whispers and tech demos suggest development started as early as 2013. Todd Howard himself said the tech they needed for their space RPG dream just wasn't possible until this console generation.

Bethesda isn't known for speed runs. We got Oblivion, Fallout 3, Skyrim, and Fallout 4 all within nine years. Then... an eight-year gap between Fallout 4 and Starfield. The debate on whether it was worth the wait still rages on forums daily. Personally, I'm just hoping the gap before Elder Scrolls VI isn't another lifetime.

7. Metroid Dread - The Phantom Menace of the DS Era 👾

Metroid Dread blessed our Switches in 2021. But its ghost haunted the industry since around 2005, when it was first planned for the Nintendo DS. Rumors swirled about reveals at E3 2005 and 2006... and then nothing. For years, fans assumed it was vaporware, another canceled Metroid project.

The game kept failing to meet Nintendo's expectations, bouncing between studios. It finally found a home with MercurySteam after their work on Metroid: Samus Returns for the 3DS. The final product? A masterpiece that proved some phantoms are worth waiting 16 years for. A classic Metroidvania return to form.

6. Mother 3 - The Localization That Never Was 😭

North American fans are still begging Nintendo for an official release of Mother 3. But even Japanese players had to endure a brutal 12-year development cycle for this cult classic.

It started on the Super Nintendo, moved to the N64 (where hardware limitations crushed its scope), was officially canceled in 2000, then resurrected for the Game Boy Advance. It shifted from 3D ambitions to a 2D style to suit the GBA. By the time it released in 2006, its gameplay felt dated, but its story and heart made it an instant classic. The wait was painful, but the payoff was pure magic.

5. Prey (2017) - The Reboot That Wasn't a Sequel 🔄

Hold onto your neuromods, because this dev cycle is legendary for all the wrong reasons. The 2017 Prey is a complete reboot with zero connection to the 2006 game. The original sequel, Prey 2, entered development hell after the first game's release.

IP rights shuffled from Human Head Studios to Bethesda. Leaks in 2013 suggested Arkane Studios (of Dishonored fame) was working on a reboot. The crazy part? Bethesda and Arkane repeatedly and emphatically denied it. Former Arkane president Raphael Colantonio even called press asking about it "sneak [expletives]." The final product was a solid immersive sim, but the journey to get there was a masterclass in corporate secrecy and reboots.

4. The Last Guardian - Trico, We Waited So Long 🦅

Revealed in 2009 (with work starting in 2007), this game from the creators of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus became the poster child for vaporware for years. Planned for a 2011 PS3 release... it vanished.

Team Ico disbanded. Director Fumito Ueda formed genDESIGN. The platform shifted from PS3 to PS4. It re-emerged at E3 2015 to collective disbelief and tears, finally releasing in late 2016. Moving to the PS4 was a genius move—imagine this beauty trapped on PS3 hardware. The wait was agonizing, but playing it felt like a miracle.

3. Final Fantasy XV - The Versus XIII Saga 🛣️

I remember thinking FFXII's six-year cycle was long. Oh, sweet summer child. FFXV's journey began in 2006 as Final Fantasy Versus XIII. It was part of the ambitious Fabula Nova Crystallis project. Then... radio silence.

It grew so large it was rebranded as a mainline title. Director changed from Tetsuya Nomura to Hajime Tabata in 2012. Then, E3 2013 happened. If you weren't there, you can't understand the hype. The trailer, the music, the promise—it was back. The "ten-year development" road trip finally ended in 2016. Was it messy? Yes. Was it a memorable journey with the bros? Absolutely.

2. Duke Nukem Forever - The King of Development Hell 👑

The one. The only. The meme. "Did Not Finish" (DNF) lived up to its initials. Initially developed by 3D Realms, this thing shuffled between studios (Gearbox, Triptych, Piranha) for what felt like an eternity.

It holds the Guinness World Record for longest video game development. Finally releasing in 2011, it was... outdated, crude, and a relic of a bygone era. It never stood a chance against the hype. Sometimes, games should stay in development hell. This is the prime example. Sorry, Duke.

1. DOOM (2016) - From "Call of Doom" to Glory 🔥

After DOOM 3's mixed reception, id Software started work on what would become DOOM 2016. And boy, did it have an identity crisis. Originally called DOOM 4, it was heavily inspired by Call of Duty (earning the nickname "Call of Doom") and was meant to be a sequel to DOOM 2.

Internal reception was poor. The project lacked focus. Following Rage's release, id Software went back to the drawing board and returned to the franchise's roots: fast, brutal, metal-as-hell combat. The result? A masterpiece. A boomer shooter that not only stood tall among modern FPS games but often exceeded them. It spawned DOOM Eternal (2020) and the recent prequel DOOM: The Dark Ages (2026). This wait wasn't just worth it—it was necessary to birth a modern classic.

Final Thoughts 🎮

So there you have it! Ten games that took their sweet, sweet time. From corporate reboots to hardware shifts to just plain old development hell, these titles prove that game dev is rarely a straight line. GTA VI's eight years? In this club, that's almost a sprint. Whether the wait was worth it... well, that's for you to decide. But one thing's for sure: the stories behind these games are often just as wild as the games themselves. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go check for any new Elder Scrolls VI news... again. 😂