There's nothing like being excited about a new video game. Hype levels enter full overdrive from the moment the developer debuts the first teaser trailer, which explains next to nothing. In preparation, hopeful players indulge in endless articles, Youtube videos, and theory discussions. Then that game releases, and it's a disaster. Bugs, cut content, poor online, and barebones content. It's the worst feeling for a player to know that all of that excitement led to such a heartbreaking release.

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Many developers aren't afraid to cut their losses and move on, but some do make an effort to make it right – even if it takes years. There are plenty of games that had a terrible launch, but have improved substantially. While it's understandable to be hesitant to support games that failed to meet expectations at launch, some games may be worth a second chance.

10 No Man's Sky Has Become The Poster Child For Overcoming Disaster

Player exploring a city in the Frontiers Update of No Mans Sky

Hello Games' No Man's Sky is one of the most ambitious games ever made. A procedurally generated universe with a number of planets well into the quintillions that players can explore and chart. However, controversy followed No Man's Sky upon release, thanks to the omission of features such as multiplayer, technical issues, and underwhelming gameplay.

In the six years since, Hello Games has tirelessly worked to meet the hype leading up to No Man's Sky's release and far exceeded it through substantial updates, bug fixes, and ports. Now, when players discuss games that rebounded from a disastrous launch, No Man's Sky is one of the first games brought up.

9 Street Fighter V Became One Of The Best Fighting Games Of The Past Generation

Rose hitting Ryu with her Soul Fortune card in Street Fighter V

How could a fighting game release without an arcade mode? What about versus mode against A.I.? An online lobby that allows more than two people? Safe to say Street Fighter V launched years too soon. That, combined with a $60 price tag, has left many Street Fighter fans bitter nearly seven years later.

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Over the course of six years, SFV has blossomed into one of the best fighting games of the past generation. SFV now has the most extensive roster of any mainline Street Fighter to date, more explosive gameplay, online tournament mode, a new producer, and, yes, an arcade mode. The current state of SFV has left players very optimistic about the future of Street Fighter heading into Street Fighter 6.

8 Battlefront II's Comeback Should Give EA A Sense Of Pride And Accomplishment

Clone Troopers leaving a transport ship in Star Wars Battlefront II

Star Wars: Battlefront II had one of the most infamous launches in gaming history. Fans decried the aggressive microtransaction and loot box systems. This led to the most downvoted comment in the history of Reddit, where an EA representative touted that players unlocking heroes through natural gameplay would give them "a sense of pride and accomplishment."

EA did remove microtransactions and loot boxes, providing players with a genuinely rewarding and natural progression online. Between that and progressive updates, Battlefront II is an incredibly enjoyable experience, whether it's playing the canon single-player story mode or battling it out in multiplayer.

7 Halo: The Master Chief Collection's Multiplayer Finally Works As Intended

Two red players sticking close to each other in Halo Reach Multiplayer as a part of Halo The Master Chief Collection

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a phenomenal remaster package of some of the biggest and most influential series in gaming. What went wrong with MCC? The one thing that shouldn't go wrong in Halo: the multiplayer was a mess. Matchmaking was a headache, it was difficult to join up with friends, and match stats were inaccurate. That's just scratching the surface.

343 Industries offered players free goodies, such as Halo 3: ODST's campaign as an add-on, while they fixed the laundry list of issues. MCC has since lived up to its promise of being the definitive Halo collection. MCC is still receiving support in 2022, and the player base is as strong as ever. Not to mention a PC release in 2019 and an Xbox Series X|S release, with cross-play, in 2020.

6 Cyberpunk 2077 Has Begun Its Redemption Tour

Fending off blade-wielding enemies in Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077's troubles are still fresh in the minds of players. A game with so much potential through the highly regarded CD Projekt Red became the video game industry's version of Murphy's Law. Everything that could've gone wrong with Cyberpunk 2077 did, culminating in Sony removing the PlayStation 4 version from its digital storefront.

RELATED: 10 Ways The Edgerunners Update Has Saved Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt Red has progressively fixed most Cyberpunk 2077 bugs and released new content to flesh out the experience alongside a current generation version. Cyberpunk 2077 is set to receive its first major expansion in Phantom Liberty in 2023. The Cyberpunk universe also expanded through the universally acclaimed Cyberpunk: Edgerunners web anime, which generated a lot of enthusiasm toward Cyberpunk 2077.

5 Diablo III's Auction House Was Hell

A group of players meet up in Diablo III Reaper of Souls

Some developers can't help themselves when it comes to microtransactions and loot boxes. For Diablo III, Activision-Blizzard introduced the Auction House. the Auction House was a way for players to acquire items through in-game gold or real-life money. This includes 15% fees, whether a flat fee or a cashing out fee. Diablo III had other issues, such as its bright color palette and always-online structure.

It took three years before the Auction House was finally removed from Diablo III, and replaced with the "Loot 2.0" system. The rewarding Loot 2.0 system was a part of a massive quality-of-life update that complimented the release of the amazing Reaper of Souls expansion.

4 Fallout 76 Has Developed An Amazing Community

A group of players enter The Pitt in Fallout 76

Fallout 76 was controversial from the second it was announced. Few players were clamoring for a multiplayer Fallout. When Fallout 76 was released, there were no human NPCs, the story was mostly through audio logs, and there technical issues galore.

Through the "Wastelanders" update, Fallout 76 received human NPCs with classic Fallout dialog and skill checks, unlike Fallout 4. Fallout 76 has received numerous free story expansions that greatly flesh out Appalachia. More recently, players can return to Fallout 3's The Pitt to participate in "Expedition" questlines. Fallout 76 is still not perfect, but it's grown enough to justify its delightful and passionate community.

3 Destiny Was Destined For Success; It Just Took Some Time

Three players run and gun in Destiny The Taken King

Destiny was too big to fail, not for the lack of trying. Destiny was Bungie's first game after stepping away from the Halo series, and their return to multiplatform development. Destiny's story, server issues, monotony, excessive grinding requirements, and a surprisingly phoned-in acting job by Peter Dinklage led its first year to be the butt of jokes.

Destiny would persevere through updates, such as a deeper story thanks to expansions, a greater amount of content, and refined grinding and looting mechanics. Dinklage's Ghost was even recast with Nolan North, who re-recorded all of Ghost's lines. By Year Three, Destiny looked like a completely different game.

2 Battlefield 4 Eventually Became Playable

A player waiting for other players to join in Battlefield 4

Of all the potential complaints a video game could have, perhaps the worst is "unplayable." Video games are supposed to be played. So if a game is such a technical mess that players deem it unplayable, then that's the recipe for a disastrous launch, as was the case for Battlefield 4.

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Battlefield 4 was faced with freezes, crashes, and corrupted save files. It took months before EA was able to patch Battlefield 4 into a reliably playable state. Once it did, patient players and late adopters were rewarded with a great multiplayer FPS that remains active even after subsequent Battlefield releases.

1 Final Fantasy XIV Was Completely Overhauled To Become A MMO Juggernaut

A group of players fight a large dragon boss in Update 9.67 (6.2) of Final Fantasy XIV

It may feel like a surprise now, but Final Fantasy XIV was initially abysmal. Final Fantasy's second MMO was criticized in nearly every area outside of visuals and music. The backlash was so extensive that Square Enix shut down FFXIV, overhauled the development team, and later released the new iteration of FFXIV titled Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.

FFXIV's rebirth was a huge success, becoming one of the most popular MMOs. Its latest expansion, Endwalker, was so popular that FFXIV had to be removed from storefronts due to servers being unable to handle the number of players. No game has rebounded as strongly as FFXIV.

NEXT: 10 Games That Were Critical Failures But Developed A Cult Following