The calendar is full of days that all blur together, but every once and a while a normal release-day Tuesday becomes something special. We've updated our list of some of the more famous release-day showdowns in video history.
Publishers usually get out of each others' way when it comes to choosing a release date, preferring not to risk losing sales by making gamers pick between multiple must-have titles. But sometimes an immovable object meets up with an unstoppable force, triggering a showdown.
We've updated our list originally published early last year (excluding launch lineups, of course), which you can read here.
November 10, 2015
Fallout 4
Rise of the Tomb Raider
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void
Rise of the Tomb Raider is an Xbox exclusive for now, so it won't challenge Fallout 4 on the sales front, but both are highly anticipated in their own right. Fallout 4 returns after a lengthy hiatus for the series, while Rise of the Tomb Raider looks to capitalize on the 2013 reboot. So if you're a gamer, what's your strategy here? Do you get Fallout 4 first and tuck away Rise of the Tomb Raider for the winter doldrums? Or play Tomb Raider now and save Fallout 4 for when there's nothing else to do but stay inside?
September 1, 2015
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Mad Max
These two titles capped off a summer that wasn't chock full of must-play games. Both presented their own versions of an open world and featured strongly identifiable lead characters. The other thing that these two games have in common is the sheer amount of dust. Lots of dust.
November 18, 2014
Grand Theft Auto V (current-gen)
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Far Cry 4
LittleBigPlanet 3
Ubisoft and Electronic Arts are rival publishers, and there must have been some chest beating when both decided to put out their big guns on the same day. Not to be outdone, Rockstar put out GTA V on the PS4 and Xbox One – a big enough deal even though the game came out for the last-gen systems the previous year. Given how huge the series is, a re-release for Rockstar is like a normal, big-time release for everyone else. Thankfully for the games themselves, they all emerged unscathed, getting their critical and public due.
November 11, 2014
Assassin's Creed Unity
Assassin's Creed Rogue
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Somehow this is the second time Ubisoft made the mistake of releasing two of its big titles on the same day (see page 2 of our feature for more). Assassin's Creed Unity and Rogue were going to come out on different days, but then insanity prevailed and it was full steam ahead into oblivion. Granted, Rogue is a last-gen game so it was always going to be second fiddle, but it's a shame that the story segue into Unity gets trampled. This day will also be infamous for AC Unity and Halo: The Master Chief Collection's launch period technical difficulties, something that still haunts gamers to this day.
October 9, 2012
Dishonored
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
XCOM wasn't a new intellectual property at the time, but given that it was out of the public eye for so long, gamers were lathered up for this day which presented them with two fresh titles. Both featured their own dark, serious worlds that were neither typical action shooters nor open-world sidequest-fests. XCOM and Dishonored have spawned sequels, but it remains to be seen if they'll write themselves into history with true staying power. The franchise's next steps – XCOM 2 and Dishonored 2 – both come out next year.
November 15, 2011
Rayman Origins
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Saints Row: The Third
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Another Ubisoft two-fer (which surprisingly didn't hurt either game), but that's not even what's noticeable about this day. Apart from the sheer number of good games listed above, you have to consider this: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out four days prior, and only two days previously, Nintendo put out Super Mario 3D Land on 3DS. Five days later it would release The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii.
Keep clicking for more historical release-day head-to-heads.