10 Unplayable Video Games That Were Released Despite Being Broken

An undeniable classic, unfortunately hindered upon release by being virtually unplayable, Fallout: New Vegas was the much anticipated successor to Fallout 3. Developed by Obsidian – the team behind the original Fallout and Fallout 2 – New Vegas was praised for its narrative, but universally panned for the numerous flaws inherent in its design.

In reality, the game was absolutely riddled with bugs and glitches, somewhat undermining the quality of the experience, and completely destroying any semblance of immersion. Enemies would disappear, only to reappear moments later behind the player; characters would shudder and rotate in the middle of conversations, before vanishing entirely; objects in the environment would levitate above the ground; important quest items would constantly go missing, and nothing about the game seemed reliable, or even remotely stable.

As a result, it was difficult to really enjoy the game without constantly worrying about what might go wrong. I mean, how can a player be expected to invest in a story that won’t behave, or engage with a game that won’t play by its own rules? The problems were eventually fixed, and the game salvaged, but that doesn’t change the fact that the game was essentially shipped in a broken, unplayable state, knowingly.