Top 5 video games that had to be recalled after release

The recall of video games after launch is not an uncommon phenomenon, as even the most highly anticipated titles can be plagued by serious issues. Whether it's poor graphics, bad AI, or game-breaking bugs, these problems can quickly derail a game's success. The past few years have seen an increase in optimization issues, especially on PCs. This has led to more titles being recalled than ever before.

Listed below are five games that had to be recalled after release. All of these titles were highly anticipated and were developed by huge studios, which made it even more of a surprise that they had the problems they did.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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Ranking Battlefield 4 and other recalled video games after notorious failures

5) Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

GTA San Andreas is one of the most successful video games of all time (Image via Rockstar Games)

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is one of the most iconic video games of all time. The title was released in 2004 and was a massive success, selling over 27 million copies worldwide. However, shortly after its release, it faced controversy over a hidden mini-game called the Hot Coffee mod, which depicted sexual content.

This mini-game caused GTA San Andreas to be rated as "Adult Only," but the game was eventually recalled from stores.

Rockstar Games then released a new version of GTA San Andreas without the hidden content. However, the company faced a class-action lawsuit over the title's misleading advertising.

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4) Batman: Arkham Knight

A glitch in Batman: Arkham Knight (Image via Warner Bros)

Batman: Arkham Knight was the third and final installment in the iconic Arkham series. The first two parts of the franchise were smooth releases, and the same was expected from Arkham Knight. The game was meant to be a proper send-off to the Caped Crusader.

However, upon its release, Batman: Arkham Knight was plagued by poor graphics, game crashes, and numerous bugs. Warner Bros. eventually recalled it from stores and offered refunds to affected players. The company also released various patches, which eventually fixed the problems.

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3) Battlefield 4

Visual bug in Battlefield 4 (Image via Electronic Arts)

Battlefield 4 was a first-person shooter published by Electronic Arts in 2013. The game received generally positive reviews upon its release. However, players quickly began to experience significant issues, including game crashes, corrupted save files, and network connectivity problems.

The problems were so severe that Electronic Arts offered a free game to anyone who purchased Battlefield 4 and experienced the issues. The company also recalled the title from stores and released numerous patches to address the problems.

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2) Cyberpunk 2077

NPC bugs in Cyberpunk 2077 (Image via CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077 was one of the most anticipated video games of the previous decade. It was set to be an epic open-world adventure in a dystopian city and was expected to be one of the best video games ever released. However, upon its launch, fans reported numerous bugs and game crashes while playing it.

Cyberpunk 2077 was basically unplayable upon its release and caused a lot of frustration for those who had been waiting years for it. Developer CD Projekt Red faced significant backlash from the gaming community and eventually recalled the game from stores. The company offered refunds to affected players, and plenty of updates have since been released to address the issues.

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1) No Man's Sky

Patches and updates eventually turned No Man's Sky into a success (Image via Hello Games)

No Man's Sky is a space exploration video game released in 2016. The title promised players an expansive universe to explore, with nearly infinite possibilities for discovery.

Upon its release, though, players quickly realized that No Man's Sky had poor graphics, repetitive gameplay, and misleading advertising. Developer Hello Games faced significant backlash from the gaming community, and the title was eventually recalled from stores.

In response, Hello Games released numerous updates to fix the problems, eventually turning No Man's Sky into a success. The title's initial release remains one of the most notorious game failures in history.