Greatest Historical Head-To-Heads

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.

January 5, 2010

Bayonetta
Darksiders

In early January, the gift-giving season is over, so getting a release date right after the holidays could be a death sentence. Despite an enthusiastic reception from the hardcore crowd, neither of these games moved an incredible number of units. However, they both delivered a unique twist on stylish action, and won a devoted fan following. I don’t remember anyone feeling the need to choose between the two games at the time – people were mainly happy to have a couple options for something new and interesting to play so early in the year.

October 21-28, 2008

LittleBigPlanet
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Far Cry 2
Fable II
Fallout 3

Okay, so this one technically encompasses two release weeks, but the significant titles in that timeframe is pretty amazing. Not only that, but the available games offer a little something for everybody, from open-word FPS to post-apocalyptic role-playing to whimsical platforming. Not all of these games were industry-defining juggernauts, but they served their audiences well and made it a fun time to be a gamer.

November 16-20, 2007

Assassin’s Creed
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Rock Band
Mass Effect

If you had to pinpoint a release week that defined the last generation, this would be a top contender. In the span of a few days, some of the biggest and most successful franchises in history were launch. At the time, they all looked like good games, and it was hard to decide which one to play first. In retrospect, the impact is even greater; these titles would define the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the years to come.

November 11-12, 2003

Beyond Good & Evil
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time 
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando

This is one of the most infamous examples of a publisher burying some quality products. Prince of Persia and Beyond Good & Evil were Ubisoft’s biggest and best holiday games, and the company dropped them both right on top of each other. To make matters worse, both games had staggered releases, so some platforms were available weeks before others over the course of November and early December. It was a screw-up that failed to give either title the attention they deserved. As for Going Commando, there’s no sad story there – it’s just another good game released in the crossfire.

November 17, 2002

Metroid Prime
Metroid Fusion

Today, Metroid fans are eager for any kind of announcement or acknowledgement from Nintendo. That’s a stark contrast to 2002 – a year that not only had two major Metroid releases, but had them both on the same day. Companies will often avoid releasing multiple products on the same day in order to give each one its own time in the spotlight; in this case, Nintendo gave gamers a dose of Metroid’s past (Fusion) and future (Prime) all at once. Instead of these two games competing, the enthusiasm for one fed into the other.