RECOMMENDED: Star Citizen - expected launch 2026 / 2012-2026

Star Citizen's development began with early prototypes and pre-production in 2010-2011, but the public crowdfunding campaign launched in October 2012, marking the effective start of its development and leading to the 2025 release date being 13 years after its initial crowdfunding campaign. 

Star Citizen has not officially launched; it is still in alpha development, though aspects of the game have been playable since 2017, with the hanger module available even earlier. The single-player campaign, Squadron 42, is targeting a 2026 release, with the full multiplayer Star Citizen 1.0 version aiming for a full release sometime in 2027 or 2028.

Star Citizen (video)

Illustration: art_by_afterworldarts