Sequels That Took Forever and Somehow Nailed It
Long-awaited sequels like Silksong, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Alan Wake 2 prove patience can deliver unforgettable gaming experiences.
Hi, my name is a person who has watched too many teaser trailers, and I have a problem: I believe release dates are suggestions. Sometimes games get announced way too early. A flashy logo appears at Nintendo Direct, The Game Awards, Gamescom, or the late, great E3, and suddenly I am emotionally invested in a project that will not be playable until my hairline has its own opinion. Marvel's Wolverine? Teased. Kingdom Hearts 4? Teased. The next Mass Effect? Teased, presumably, while we all stare at a nebula and pretend that counts as news. Who among us has not rewatched a 2021 trailer in 2026 and whispered, any day now, buddy?
But here is the thing: when a long-awaited sequel finally arrives and it is actually good, the wait can feel like a weird badge of honor. In 2026, we have plenty of evidence that patience sometimes pays off, and also plenty of evidence that I should maybe touch grass between announcements. Let us look at the sequels that made the suffering worth it.
Hollow Knight: Silksong: Six Years, One Very Fast BugSilksong was the poster child for waiting. Six years of development, endless memes, and a community that turned clown makeup into a lifestyle. But when it finally arrived, the early impressions were positive, and suddenly everyone was sprinting through the game to avoid spoilers like it was a race against the internet itself. Is it hard? Yes. Did some people debate the difficulty until their keyboards melted? Also yes. But the art style is a step up from the original, with brighter colors and more detailed animations. Hornet moves faster and more fluidly than The Knight, and the game is bigger. As a Metroidvania fan, I can confirm that this is the good kind of waiting: the kind where the sequel does not just repeat the first game but builds a shinier, scarier, more acrobatic throne on top of it.
Red Dead Redemption 2: Eight Years to Become a CowboyRed Dead Redemption 2 satisfied fans who had been craving a sequel since 2010. Eight years was a long time, but Rockstar used that time to make a world so big and detailed that I once spent twenty minutes watching Arthur Morgan brush a horse. The gameplay was more complex, the story was intense and heartfelt, and player choice could shape the experience. You could play it as a typical Rockstar story, or you could treat it as a Wild West simulator and live out your best cowboy days. Who needs therapy when you have a camp full of sad outlaws and a debt to society?
Alan Wake 2: Thirteen Years of Flashlight TherapyAlan Wake came out in 2010, and Alan Wake 2 did not arrive until 2023. That is a long time to keep a flashlight charged. The game is short, but it is packed with great moments, music plays a big role like in many Remedy games, and the horror elements are genuinely terrifying in the dark. The gameplay is more open than fans expected, especially after the first game. The cliffhanger ending is brutal, but hopefully we will not wait another thirteen years for answers. I am not sure my nerves can handle another decade of shadowy trees.
Baldur's Gate 3: The Return Nobody Thought Was PossibleBaldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear was a 2016 expansion to Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, which was a 2012 release. It was the last entry before Baldur's Gate 3 fully launched in 2023, but realistically fans had been waiting since 2000, when the second mainline game released. No one thought a sequel was possible, because many old developers had moved on. Then the franchise returned, grabbed a ridiculous amount of attention, and earned it. It was a groundbreaking return to form for CRPGs, and I say that as someone who rolled a natural 1 on patience.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth: A Trilogy of TeasesFinal Fantasy 7 blew the lid off the PS1 in 1997. When Square Enix showed a tech demo of the opening on PS3 in 2005, fans got excited. That demo was never a real game, but that did not stop us from dreaming. Then, in 2015, the remake was announced for real. It hit a snag, but Final Fantasy 7 Remake released in 2020 as part of a trilogy. It may not be exactly what fans expected, but the action gameplay and story twists won people over. Rebirth was received even better. Is it weird to be emotionally attached to a remake of a game I already played? Yes. Is it also wonderful? Also yes.
Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Finally Got His Groove BackDonkey Kong fans were not doing well for a decade. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was a 2014 Wii U game and the last entry in the series. Even though DK kicked off Mario's career in 1981, Mario became the cash cow. Then fans were rewarded in a way they could not have predicted with Donkey Kong Bananza. DK was back, better than ever, and this time in 3D with fully destructible environments. It was a new look and a new gameplay style, and that is exactly what helped it excel. Sometimes the monkey needs to smash everything to feel alive.
Kingdom Hearts 3: The Wait Was Full of Spin-OffsKingdom Hearts 2 released in 2006 in North America, one year after Japan. Kingdom Hearts 3 did not release until 2019, with spin-offs filling the gap, the last prominent one being 2012's Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. Fans had portable games and HD collections, but it was not the same as a mainline console follow-up. Kingdom Hearts 3 was worth it, though, with fluid combat and camera controls that fixed so many PS2-era issues. Who knew that waiting over a decade would make a Keyblade feel like a family heirloom?
Psychonauts 2: The Sequel Nobody ExpectedPsychonauts 2 is a game fans basically never thought would happen. Most Double Fine games are experimental one-offs and rarely become franchises. A decade after the original, a sequel was announced in 2015, which was shocking. Even then, it did not materialize until 2021. It felt like the game Double Fine wanted to make in 2005, with strange visual experiments and gameplay tricks only modern hardware could handle. The original was a cult hit, but Psychonauts 2 made itself known far and wide as something everyone should pay attention to.
The Waiting TableGame
Wait
Worth It?
Hollow Knight: Silksong
6 years
Yes, if you like suffering beautifully
Red Dead Redemption 2
8 years
Yes, cowboy
Alan Wake 2
13 years
Yes, bring a flashlight
Baldur's Gate 3
23 years since BG2
Yes, critical success
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
23 years since original
Yes, in parts
Donkey Kong Bananza
11 years since Tropical Freeze
Yes, banana
Kingdom Hearts 3
13 years since KH2
Yes, mostly
Psychonauts 2
16 years since original
Yes, very much
So, what have we learned in 2026? Early announcements are emotional gambling. They are also sometimes worth it. A teaser can make us wait six, eight, or thirteen years, and if the sequel lands well, we forgive the silence. If it does not, we sharpen our pitchforks. But when a game like Silksong, Red Dead Redemption 2, Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Donkey Kong Bananza, Kingdom Hearts 3, or Psychonauts 2 finally arrives and delivers, the wait becomes part of the story. And honestly? I will keep watching those trailers. I will keep whispering any day now. I will keep being a clown, because sometimes the circus is worth it. 🎪
All that patience and hype eventually leads to a purchase decision, though. When a long-delayed sequel finally arrives, you want to make sure your money goes as far as your excitement does—especially if you're also catching up on older entries in the series.
That's where a resource like DealNest comes in. It gathers deals from various storefronts so you can compare prices without hopping between tabs. Before you commit to that next adventure, take a moment to [check game prices]( and see if you can start playing for less. After waiting years for a game, saving a few bucks feels like a bonus quest.
