Cyberpunk: 2077 is nearly five years old at this point, yet it's still a game that's used as a benchmark for testing new hardware. The Nvidia RTX 5090, for example, demonstrated its power via the medium of Cyberpunk, which is especially impressive given the state the game launched in back in December of 2020.

I'll admit, I was incredibly hyped for the game when it launched, and I was able to play it reasonably well at lower graphics settings on my machine at the time. It was a pretty buggy mess that most people struggled to run, but it was fine. Given the game had already been delayed, many fans were simply happy the game was here, even if it wasn't in a perfect state.

With that said, not everyone held that opinion. Many said that the game should have had more time to cook before making its way to the public, and I'll be honest, I completely agree. In fact, Cyberpunk is the game that made me learn to feel happy when a game is delayed.

A game getting delayed means it probably wasn't ready to release

And releasing it anyway gives gamers a bad experience

Looking back over the history of delayed games, Cyberpunk is simply one of the most egregious. Given the state that it was in when it launched, it's worrying to think about what state it would have been in if it had released on its original launch date. Its first original launch date was April 2020, facing a handful more delays before finally arriving in December.

Even with the extra time, the game still wasn't ready. It launched with an overwhelming number of bugs, performance issues, and outright broken mechanics. Console players, especially those on older hardware, were left with an unplayable mess. Sony even removed Cyberpunk from the PlayStation Store for months, the kind of move that was almost unheard of for such a high-profile release.

There's a famous quote often misattributed to Shigeru Miyamoto that's still true, regardless of who actually said it: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." While modern game development allows for post-launch updates, day-one patches, and continued support, a rocky launch can permanently damage a game's reputation. Cyberpunk eventually recovered thanks to years of updates and the Phantom Liberty expansion, but the damage was already done. The initial backlash soured many players on the experience, and for some, the game’s redemption arc came too late.

Other developers have learned from Cyberpunk’s mistakes. Games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring were both given ample development time, ensuring they launched in a much more polished state. While both games had their share of minor launch issues, they were stillfully playable and immersive experiences from day one, something Cyberpunk simply couldn’t claim when it launched in 2020.

Games are more complex than ever

Which means testing is even more important

One of the biggest reasons delays are becoming more common is the increasing complexity of modern games. Open-world RPGs like Cyberpunk: 2077 aren’t just about making a functional game, as they’re also about creating a vast, interconnected world that players can explore in all kinds of ways. The sheer scope of these projects means more opportunities for things to break, making proper testing and polishing even more crucial. This is what leads to a project like Cyberpunk being a buggy mess.

In the past, developers could ship a game and know that whatever made it onto the disc or cartridge was final. Today, the pressure to meet deadlines often results in unfinished or undercooked games hitting the market with the hope that post-launch updates will fix them. But as Cyberpunk proved, that approach doesn’t always work, especially when expectations are sky-high.

If Cyberpunk had been given another full year in development before release, it’s likely that its launch story would have been entirely different. Instead of being a cautionary tale about overpromising and underdelivering, it could have been remembered as the next great RPG of its generation right from the start. Keep in mind that the game is now touted as one of the best PC games ever made, but it took a long time to get to where it is today and always has the cloud of what it once was hanging over it in discussions.

Delays can be frustrating, sure, but I’d much rather wait for a game to be polished and optimized than rush into an experience that’s half-baked. When I see a game get delayed now, I don’t feel disappointment... I feel relief. Because I know the developers are taking the time to make sure the game is the best it can be, rather than pushing it out the door to meet an arbitrary deadline.

Cyberpunk: 2077 might have eventually become a great game, but it had to take the long road to get there. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from its launch, it’s that a delay isn’t something to complain about; it’s something to appreciate.