Video game fans can be fickle. As a group, some want sequel after sequel of the things they love. If a series like Mario continues to dazzle players along with making money for Nintendo, why should they stop? On the other hand, too much of a good thing can be bad too.

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Releasing nothing but sequels can create stagnation. That’s why new IPs pop up, but it’s always a risk for developers. Sometimes the risk is worth the reward and sometimes it isn’t. The point is even if a series goes away, it may come back be it two, three, ten, or more years. Some sequels have a wait time so ridiculously long that fans are amazed that a new game even came out, in the first place.

Updated on January 16, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: The video game industry is full to the brim with many unique stories that many fans are interested in. From underdog successes to falls from grace and everything in between, it's easy to see why gaming fans are so entertained by the many stories that come out regarding this industry every single time. A series that has been dormant for more than a decade can still come back with a great entry that channels the spirit of a classic game while adding a unique spin of its own, which has happened time and time again.

13 Fallout 2 & Fallout 3

10 Years

After the release of Fallout 2, the craze for CRPGs died down. As a result, many people thought that this post-apocalyptic series wouldn't see the light any time soon, but Bethesda put this notion to rest after acquiring the Fallout IP.

This led to the release of Fallout 3, an excellent game that helped make this series more mainstream than ever before. Exploring a fully 3D open-world game set in the Fallout universe was a thing of beauty, and Bethesda has never looked back since.

12 Marvel Vs Capcom 2 & 3

11 Years

Marvel vs Capcom 2hit arcades and the Dreamcast in 2000. After that, fans would not experience the series again (save for an HD port) until Marvel vs Capcom 3 hit in 2011, which was for the PS3 and Xbox 360. To be fair, there were crossover games in-between this time so including Mv3 may seem like a cheat. That said, there is no beating that iconic name as the main bout fans care most for.

11 Earthbound & Mother 3

12 Years

Mother 2 launched in 1994 for the Super Famicom in Japan with a 1995 release for the West under the new name of EarthBound. Based on the Japanese launch, it would take twelve more years before Nintendo put out a sequel, Mother 3, in 2006, for the Game Boy Advance. It was meant to come sooner as a N64 game. However, drawbacks forced it to get pushed back multiple times. It still hasn’t received an official translation for the West either.

10 Doom 3 & Doom

12 Years

Another game with a twelve-year gap shaded in multiple redesigns is Doom. Doom 3 hit PCs in 2004 with the next full sequel arriving in 2016.

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Doom 2016 served as a soft reboot for the franchise and one that was worth the wait if the critics have anything to say about it. Its sequel, Doom Eternal, is equally well-praised and adds the difficulty and gore back to the series' modern day.

9 Gungrave: Overdose & VR

13 Years

Gungrave: Overdoselaunched in 2004 for the PS2 with the next game releasing in 2017 for PSVR: Gungrave VR. Now, this is a more obscure game than most but it does have its fans for one big reason: Gungrave was a clone of the original Devil May Cry, which was meant as a tie-in for the anime. Yasuhiro Nightow, who most know from Trigun, was also the designer of Gungrave which is why it got some attention at the time.

8 Breath Of Fire: Dragon Quarter & 6

14 Years

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter was released for the PS2 in 2002 in Japan and 2003 in North America. Breath of Fire 6 was a 2016 release in Japan for PC and mobile platforms. While it is primarily a mobile game– which many fans would be rightful to dismiss– it is a numbered sequel which is an odd case. Does Capcom have any plans to bring it to consoles and or the West in general? That’s the bigger question.

7 Psychonauts & Psychonauts 2

16 Years

Psychonauts is one of Double Fine's best games, with this platforming title featuring an ingenious premise where players delve into the minds of people and try to uncover secrets while going through several challenging platforming segments. The result is a highly entertaining title that fans adore.

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When news came out that this series would finally receive the sequel it deserved, fans couldn't be happier. It helped that Psychonauts 2 channeled the spirit of the original game with great panache, tightening and modernizing the gameplay loop wherever required to make the experience more bearable.

6 Killer Instinct Gold & Killer Instinct

17 Years

Killer Instinct Gold was released for the N64 in 1996. The series would not return until 2013 as a reboot simply titled Killer Instinct. Besides that, it also got three seasons' worth of content. It may not have had as big of a splash as other fighting games, like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, but those who got into it supported the scene.

5 Narc & Narc

17 Years

Like Gungrave, Narc is perhaps a more obscure title than most. It hit arcades in 1988 with too many console ports to name. It was popular and widespread enough to gather nostalgia for a reboot later on. Narc, another video game in the series with the same name, hit the PS2 and Xbox in 2005 and was a total flop critically and commercially. It might be safe to assume this series is gone for good.

4 F-Zero Climax & F-Zero 99

19 Years

3 Kid Icarus: Of Myths And Monsters & Uprising

21 Years

Even Nintendo’s franchises aren’t safe from being forgotten. Kid Icarus launched in 1986 for the Famicom in Japan and a year later for the NES. Its sequel, Kid Icarus: Of Myths And Monsters, was a long wait for the time, released in 1991 for the Game Boy. Funnily enough, that only hit North America & Europe and wouldn’t go to Japan until 2012 via the 3DS’ eShop.

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After a longer wait of twenty-one years, Kid Icarus: Uprising launched for the 3DS in 2012. While most of the game was praised as one of the best reboots of all time, the 3DS’ cramped controls held it back. If only it could get a modern port to Switch.

2 Streets Of Rage 3 & 4

26 Years

Streets of Rage 3 launched for the Sega Genesis in 1994. Streets Of Rage 4 launched just this year for a variety of current platforms. It is a return to form which some fans praise while others think the series hasn’t evolved enough in the past twenty-six years. Was this its one shot at redemption?

1 Battletoads Arcade & Battletoads

26 Years

Tied at number one is another classic beat 'em-up franchise, Battletoads. The last game, BattletoadsArcade, hit arcades (duh) in 1994. The new Battletoads launched in 2020 for Xbox One and PC. Since the hiatus of the franchise, many were concerned it would be suddenly canceled, but thankfully, it wasn't, and hopefully this is not the last that audiences see of the Battletoads.

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