Summary
- Many incredible video games are no longer playable due to digital storefront closures, licensing issues, or seemingly no reason at all.
- Some live service games, including Super Mario Bros. 35 and Friday the 13th: The Game, had their servers shut down, rendering them completely unplayable.
It's always a tragedy when a video game gets delisted, and it's even more devastating if it was one of your favorites. In an era where many titles are digital exclusives or online multiplayer experiences, all it takes is a storefront closure or server shutdown to make dozens of games vanish off the face of the Earth.
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PostsWhether it's due to licensing issues, corporate buyouts, or seemingly no reason at all, incredible video games join the ever-growing list of lost media perhaps a little too often. The following titles, in particular, were fantastic experiences that you simply can't play anymore.
Updated on September 21, 2024, by PJ Molloy: Game delistings and server shutdowns are more common than ever. While it's hard to narrow it down to just a few examples, we've updated the list with more exceptional video games that are lost to time.
8 Super Mario Bros. 35
A Limited-Time Battle Royale That Ended Too Soon
CloseSuper Mario Bros. 35
Platformer Released October 1, 2020 Developer(s) Arika Publisher(s) Nintendo Platform(s) Switch Powered by Expand CollapseSuper Mario Bros. 35 turned the plumber's first NES adventure into a battle royale. You and 34 opponents run and jump through randomly selected levels as either Mario or Luigi. Any enemies you defeat are sent to one of your foes, and the last person standing is the winner. It was an endlessly replayable blast from the past that delighted NSO members for the entirety of its life.
The game launched in 2020 to celebrate the series' 35th anniversary and was always intended to be a limited-time event. Despite its popularity, Nintendo stuck to its guns and removed it from the Switch eShop a mere six months after its debut. To rub salt in the wound, Nintendo also delisted Super Mario 3D All-Stars the day before.
As an avid player of Super Mario Bros. 35, I was heartbroken when it was delisted. Let's hope it comes back eventually.
7 After Burner: Climax
An Arcade Classic That Disappeared, Reappeared, Then Disappeared Again
CloseSega's After Burner: Climax is a fast-paced arcade-style rail shooter where you take to the skies in one of three real-life fighter jets. You control the leader of the United Nations' G.H.O.S.T. squadron, who must race to the other side of the globe to stop a world-ending missile attack. The high-speed gameplay, action-packed levels, and thrilling rock and roll soundtrack create an adrenaline-pumping experience from start to finish.
The game debuted in 2006 for arcades before hitting Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Store, and mobile devices a few years later. Tragically, Sega pulled it from all digital storefronts between 2014 and 2015. It briefly returned as part of the mobile-exclusive Sega Forever service but vanished again when the service closed in 2023.
6 Friday The 13th: The Game
A Spooky Multiplayer Title Now Delisted
CloseFriday The 13th: Ultimate Slasher
Action Released September 4, 2018 Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Developer Gun Media, Nighthawk Interactive, IllFonic, Black Tower Studios Publisher Gun Media Powered by Expand CollapseLicensing issues are a sure-fire way to kill a game. A case in point is Friday the 13th: The Game. This spooky multiplayer title places up to eight people in Camp Crystal Lake. One of you is Jason Voorhees, and the others are counselors trying to escape. It's a bone-chilling game of cat-and-mouse that perfectly captures the terror of the films.
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PostsFriday the 13th: The Game launched in 2017, and its servers shut down three years later due to licensing issues. You could still play through peer-to-peer matching for a while, but the game was sadly delisted in 2023. A fan-made mod called Friday the 13th: Resurrected attempted to bring it back online in early 2024. However, that, too, was delisted after the development team was hit with a cease and desist.
5 Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
An Incredible Remake That Died Alongside The Wii Shop Channel
CloseCastlevania: The Adventure Rebirth
Platformer Action-Adventure Released October 27, 2009 Publisher(s) Konami Platform(s) Wii Developer m2 Powered by Expand CollapseCastlevania: The Adventure ReBirth is a much-needed remake of a poorly received Game Boy title. You control vampire hunter Christopher Belmont as he platforms through a gothic castle on a quest to destroy Dracula. Featuring stunning new visuals, revamped mechanics, and redesigned levels, this remake took a widely hated flop and turned it into one of the best Castlevania games ever.
The game was the last entry in Konami's ReBirth trilogy, which also revived Contra and Gradius. Sadly, all three titles were WiiWare exclusives and became lost media when the Wii Shop Channel shut down in 2019. Many Castlevania collections have launched since then, but The Adventure ReBirth is tragically missing from all of them.
4 Fuser
An Online Rhythm Game Where You Make Mashups
CloseFuser
Rhythm Released November 10, 2020 Developer(s) Harmonix Publisher(s) NCSoft Platform(s) Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One Powered by Expand CollapseFuser put a fascinating spin on the rhythm genre by having you make mashups of real-life songs. The goal is to sample tracks from different albums and fuse them together to make one big dance mix. Can the vocals from Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up blend well with the drum beat from Lady Gaga's Born This Way? That's what you need to figure out.
Despite its positive reception, Fuser's developer Harmonix shut down the servers and delisted the game in 2022 - just two years after its initial launch. While no official explanation was ever given, its dwindling player base and the astronomical cost of licensing over 200 songs were likely contributing factors.
3 Pushmo
A Cute Puzzle Game That's Lost To Time
CloseAround 600 digital-only games vanished into thin air when the 3DS eShop closed in 2023. Pushmo is arguably the most devastating loss. This adorable puzzler has a simple yet engaging concept. Each stage has a tower made of variously shaped blocks that you can push or pull three spaces forward or backward. The goal is to arrange the blocks in a way that allows you to climb to the top.
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PostsPushmo became an immediate hit when it launched in 2011, garnering a loyal fanbase and receiving three sequels. Unfortunately, every game in the series is unavailable due to the eShop closure. Puzzle fans will have to get their brain-teasers from somewhere else.
2 Killer Queen Black
An Innovative Multiplayer Game That Was Suddenly Delisted
CloseKiller Queen Black
Arcade Released October 11, 2019 Developer(s) Liquid Bit Publisher(s) BumbleBear Games Platform(s) Switch, PC Powered by Expand CollapseBased on the arcade cabinet of the same name, Killer Queen Black is an online multiplayer free-for-all with an exciting twist. Two teams of four compete in fast-paced battles by controlling various bees. There are three possible ways to win: kill the other team's queen three times, collect enough berries to fill up your hive, or ride a slow-moving snail through your team's goal.
With so many possibilities, you must read your opponents carefully to figure out which way they'll go and how you can outsmart them. The concept's originality and complexity earned it glowing reviews. However, it was suddenly pulled from storefronts two years after launch when Gamesparks, the service it was built on, shut down.
1 P.T.
A Legendary Horror Game With A Tragic Story
CloseP.T.
Survival Horror Released August 12, 2014 Developer(s) Kojima Productions Publisher(s) Konami Platform(s) PS4 Powered by Expand CollapseHorror fans undoubtedly remember the tragic story behind P.T. Directed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, P.T. was a proof of concept for a much larger project in the Silent Hill series. The gameplay involves exploring a looping hallway, with each go-around presenting increasingly disturbing sights, head-scratching puzzles, and new details about a murder that occurred there.
The teaser showed unlimited potential, and fans eagerly awaited the full game. Sadly, the project was canceled in 2015, and P.T. was removed from the PlayStation Store shortly after. Despite that, it continues to influence the horror genre and is widely considered one of the scariest games ever made.
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