Video game copies are sent to reviewers before they’re released to the public. This gives the reviewers enough time to play the game, explore its highs and lows, and then write a review about their experiences with the game. However, reviewers at Player.com agreed that bugs are our biggest enemies.
Sometimes, it’s just a texture distortion; Other times, bugs can make video games unplayable. Bugs are why Cyberpunk 2077 was review-bombed when it was first released. The game itself was a joy to play, but tons of bugs made progressing in the game tough.
Also Read: Assassin’s Creed Mirage Collector’s Edition: Is it Worth It?
Notable Examples of Video Game Bugs
Many video games have been released and naturally, some of them are buggy, whereas others aren’t. To that end, below are six games that are plagued by bugs. We also included the types of bugs that affected the gameplay.
#1: Cyberpunk 2077
Many bugs plagued Cyberpunk 2077, including the ones that turned cars into hats. Sometimes, quests won’t start correctly so players won’t receive certain mission items. We also encountered incorrect dialogue options, which stalemated our progression in the game. Thankfully, Cyberpunk 2077’s reviews are on the rise due to the developers’ timely updates. Some other memorable glitches that messed with our experiences are:
- A bug allowed players to walk through cars.
- Another bug turned windows into springboards for players to jump to great heights.
- A few times, an error in the gun mechanics prevented us from shooting our shotguns.
- On rare occasions, crowds completely disappeared from Night City and other times, you could see the game’s NPCs walk right through walls.
#2: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
For one, only the console version of the game was playable, while the PC version was just a messy port. It was afflicted with technical bugs and then some. Hopefully, Star Wars Outlaws won’t be as buggy. A brief overview of the bugs in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor can be found below.
- The game is prone to crashing even on consoles, so PCs aren’t the only affected platform.
- Different parts of the environment tended to phase into each other.
- Long loading times plagued the game, even when the area it was loading wasn’t necessarily huge.
- Some PC users didn’t experience any improvement even when they reduced the graphics settings.
- Pop-in was insufferable during cutscenes.
- The game frequently suffered from screen tearing.
#3: Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a phenomenal game with plenty of content and powers to explore. However, bugs troubled the game upon its release because there are 12 classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 and 46 subclasses that players could pick from. For one, you could choose to be a Paladin and wouldn’t face any game-breaking errors. However, opt for the Fighter class instead, and you could face issues like long loading times, texture distortion, and screen tearing. Other glitches that we encountered while playing the game are:
- Crashes: The game crashes because of incompatibility with the PC hardware, drivers, GPU, and CPU. Sometimes, it crashes due to bugs in its code.
- Save Game Corruption: The game doesn’t always save your progression. So, you may have to repeat missions and activities depending on how severe the bug is.
- Quests Aren’t Completed: Other times, you may have completed a quest, yet, the game won’t register your progress. This is why some gamers are stuck at a point in Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Items Disappear and UI Bugs Persist: Items sometimes disappear from your inventory and other times, UI elements like dialogue options suddenly disappear. So, you won’t be able to progress in the game.
#4: No Man’s Sky
The hype before No Man’s Sky was phenomenal, which is a shame because the game didn’t perform up to the gaming industry’s expectations. It suffered from the effects of bugs, which pushed away many gamers. Some of the bugs that affected the game at launch are:
- Save-breaking bugs that won’t allow you to save your progress.
- Spaceships can take off without you, their pilot.
- Players can’t see each other when they’re in the same area.
- An objective bug that forces players to see an objective even when it has been completed.
- The game frequently crashes when warping.
#5: Battlefield 2042
Battlefield 2042 was supposed to rival the likes of PUBG, Fortnite, and Call of Duty: Warzone. However, it has suffered from a myriad of bugs ever since it was launched. Some bugs crashed the game, while others let players phase through buildings. Other glitches that we experienced while playing the FPS are:
- A bug prevented gamers from gaining XP when they’re playing 128-player servers.
- Players sometimes get stuck on the map due to a glitch.
- A glitch caused issues with the recon drone and XDR holo sight.
- An issue with vertical aiming is also prevalent in the game.
- A glitch disabled the Dozer’s ballistic shield, which affected the Specialist in Battlefield Portal, All-Out Warfare, and Hazard Zone.
- Sometimes, an error causes the parachute to stay open even after landing.
#6: Assassin’s Creed: Unity
Assassin’s Creed: Unity is an adventure game with plenty of action. You control Arno, who is hell-bent on using the French Revolution to his advantage. However, on your way to conquering Paris, you’ll encounter many bugs, such as:
- The gameplay suffered from frame rate issues due to a glitch.
- Arno can climb invisible walls and walk on thin air due to bugs.
- The protagonist can also phase through buildings due to glitches.
- There are bugs that mess with co-op matchmaking.
- The animations of crowds are sometimes ugly due to bugs.
- A few times, the texture of buildings, characters, and other elements just won’t load.
Our Final Say: Bugs Are Notoriously Inconsistent
The issue with bugs is that they don’t always show up when you launch a game. Instead, they bide their time, waiting for an opportunity to do their worst. This means that players don’t necessarily experience the same bugs. However, when bugs do rear their ugly heads, their effects are devastating. In Baldur’s Gate 3, merely looting a sword before it’s given as a quest item can break the game because the developers didn’t code the sequence. The only solution is to document all the bugs encountered during games and then submit them to the developers for a fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Most Common Bugs in Video Games?
There are many types of glitches in video games, including graphical and audio bugs. The full list of common game bugs includes:
- Loading errors.
- Text and typographical errors.
- The game freezes or crashes.
- Texture distortion and gameplay defects.
- Errors in game physics.
Do Reviewers Finish the Game Before They Publish Their Reviews?
Yes, reviewers finish the game they’re reviewing before posting its rating online. However, this doesn’t mean that they need to completely finish the game. Rather, reviewers usually complete the main missions, beat a few side missions, and experience the ending.
How Much Do Game Reviewers Get Paid?
Game reviewers in the UK get paid per hour and most times, it’s less than £30. In the United States, they earn less than $25, except if the reviewer is experienced with words. In that case, you can expect the game testers to earn almost $50 per hour. However, if the reviewer can’t paint pictures with his or her words, he or she will earn the barest minimum.