PlayStation Home

Oh, PlayStation Home. You were simply too ahead of the times to ever be successful.

This was an early PS3 virtual world. Players could explore virtual spaces and create their own. There were also opportunities to voice chat with strangers (albeit through a crappy interface) and interact with brands (companies could create their own in-game spaces and show off movie trailers and other promotional material).

In 2015, Sony finally pulled the plug. But just a few years later, Epic Games showed us a much more natural synergy of gaming and corporate advertising. And unlike PlayStation Home, Epic has been quite successful in selling players a small mountain of DLC.

OutRun Online Arcade

The OutRun Online Arcade game came out for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. And unlock After Burner Climax, this game was so much more than a simple port of a Sega classic.

Technically, this was more of an updated version of OutRun 2006: Coast to Coast. It now had better graphics and an online mode allowing six players to play at once. But thanks to the expiration of Sega’s Ferrari license, this amazing title was delisted.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Marvel Ultimate Alliance feels like a real-time capsule now. Released before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the CGI scenes of this game were an early look at what these heroes would look like on the big screen.

In 2016, gamers could buy enhanced versions of this game allowing themselves and up to three other players to battle as their favorite heroes and villains. This was the definitive version of this game, but after two years, it was no longer available to download.

Oh, well. You can always track down those old discs and play the original version.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition

What if there was an amazing Zelda game and almost no way to play it? That’s exactly what happened with The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition.

This was first a DSi version of the classic GBA game, and after five months, Nintendo yanked it down. Later, they’d re-release it for the 3DS...before yanking it down after literally just a few days.

Dear Nintendo: this is why people pirate your games!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Game

To 80’s kids, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game was like a dream come true. We finally had a video game that looked and sounded like the cartoon, along with a chance to grab some friends and play as all the turtles.

We got a chance to relive the magic on PS3 and Xbox 360 before the title was delisted. Here’s hoping that the upcoming Shredder’s Revenge game scratches the same itch that this title did.

Super Mario Bros. 35

Nintendo yanked down a fan-made Mario battle royale game and wasted no time releasing their own version. And to Nintendo’s credit, Super Mario Bros. 35 was one of the best Nintendo games ever made and an amazing online title.

However, Nintendo decided it would only be available until March 31, 2021. There is now no legal way to play this game, and getting access to that damn Pac-Man battle royale game isn’t enough to make gamers feel any better.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Tell-Tale Series

The rise and fall of Tell-Tale Games is still one of the biggest tragedies in gaming. And in 2019, one of their best titles was delisted: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

This game effortlessly fused together with the comics versions of these characters with their MCU counterparts. The gameplay was engaging, the dialogue was witty, and the soundtrack was absolutely banging.

No lie: if you didn’t get to play this one, you seriously missed out.

Marble Blast Ultra

The best modern versions of video games help to bring an original idea to life in a new way. And one of the best examples of this is Marble Blast Ultra.

The original Marble Blast was fun as hell, but it faced the serious limitations of NES hardware. But this sequel to Marble Blast Gold helped take advantage of enhanced game physics and the kind of momentum-driven gameplay of titles like Super Monkey Ball.

Now that it’s been delisted, what am I supposed to? Actually, go outside and play marbles?

TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled

The “Re-Shelled” version of Turtles in Time may be one of the more controversial additions to this list. Some fans hated the new graphics (very different from the arcade original) while others liked the enhanced gameplay (hey, you can finally attack in all directions!).

Still, this was the only modern way to play one of the coolest TMNT games ever made. After it was delisted, the only real option was to go blow the dust off your SNES and go play the classic version of Turtles in Time.

After Burner Climax

Sega used to rule the arcade roost thanks to titles like After Burner. And in 2010, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 got arguably the best version of this title: After Burner Climax.

It was mostly just a port, but it looked incredible while maintaining the gameplay that we loved as children. Seriously: if you love After Burner, the franchise didn’t get any better than this title. When this game was delisted, it was sadder than the death of Goose in Top Gun.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 took the 4-player fun of the original game and added cool new “fusion” attacks (allowing pairs of characters to do special attacks combining their powers) and a better story.

Like its predecessor, this game got an enhanced version in 2016 that had better graphics and more intuitive gameplay. When it was delisted in 2018, the only way to play it was to pay someone a ridiculous sum of money for a download code card.

X-Men Arcade Game

Despite being in several of the most popular comic series of all time, the X-Men rarely got a good video game adaptation. But that all changed with the X-Men Arcade Game.

The graphics were comics-accurate and the mutant-powered combat was gripping. It was so good, in fact, that we overlooked the hilarious mistranslations (“welcome to die!”). When this title was delisted from Xbox 360 and PS3, though, there was no legal way to recruit others into your mutant family.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2

The Marvel vs. Capcom series arguably reached its apex with the second game in the franchise. And for a time, you could easily buy a digital copy of this game for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Once it was delisted, though, you could only get your fix by playing stuff like Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. And we’d rather be snapped by Thanos that endure that!

The Simpsons Arcade Game

Somewhere along the way, Konami realized that what gamers really wanted were fun beat-'em-up starring their favorite cartoon and comics characters. To this end, they created the Simpsons Arcade Game.

The gameplay was simple enough. But the real magic of this game came from the fun character designs and colorful levels. And the 4-player feature meant that you could take the entire Simpsons family into battle.

P.T.

P.T. is a really easy entry for this list. This PS4 download was intended as a teaser (a “playable teaser,” hence the name) for an upcoming Silent Hill game.

That game was canceled, and so it makes sense that P.T. would get delisted as well. But this was a killer game experience in its own right, and now new players will never get a chance to play it.