5 Most Notorious Bugs in Gaming History

Most video games are released with some bugs, as they’re common enough in programming that a few slip past quality control. These days, they can often be patched out, but some bugs are more problematic. Then there are the bugs notorious for their impact on a game, some of which become known both within and beyond the world of gaming. We’ve combed through the archives to identify five of the most notorious bugs and glitches in gaming history, taking from console games, as well as PC gaming, and arranged them in no particular order.

1) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Giant Space Program

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an objectively perfect game, but it didn’t release without glitches and bugs, including its infamously hilarious “Giant Space Program” bug. Because of a mismatch in the game’s physics engine, whenever your character meets their end via a giant’s massive weapon, they’re launched several hundred feet into the air, and all you can do is watch as their lifeless body tastes the freedom of the upper atmosphere. It’s one of those bugs that’s so funny, it was never patched out, and is basically now a feature, as players expect to be launched nearly into orbit whenever they find a giant in any future Elder Scrolls games.

2) Pokémon Red and Blue – MissingNo.

The MissingNo. glitch is an unofficial Pokémon species you can acquire through a very specific set of instructions in Pokémon Red and Blue. If you encounter MissingNo., it causes several graphical glitches, anomalies, and gameplay alterations, potentially erasing your progress. Players used to warn one another against finding it, while others did so on purpose just to check it out. For a long time, the bug was one of gaming’s most famous, and it spread beyond the Pokémon franchise to popular culture, influencing other games. Even players who have never encountered it likely know what you mean when you say “MissingNo.” to them.

3) Super Mario Bros. – Minus World

Perhaps the most famous bug on the Nintendo Entertainment System was Minus World in Super Mario Bros. This could be encountered through a very specific move near a warp area accessed at the end of World 1-2. Doing so would trigger an endless water level, so reaching the end would only restart it. There were a few different levels in Minus World, and they all glitched out pretty badly, including sending the player back to the start screen. You knew you were in the Minus World because the game couldn’t accurately display the correct world data (36-1), so it displayed “-1” instead, hence the Minus World.

4) GTA IV – Swing Set Launcher

One of the funniest and most purposefully exploited bugs in gaming is the Swing Glitch in Grand Theft Auto IV. If you go up to one of several specific swing sets and hit it in just the right way, the physics engine decides to chuck Newton’s nonsense in the bin and fling you as far and as high away from it as possible. In most cases, it’s going to kill your character, as you’re truly flung high into the sky. Landing in water might save you … might. It was such a funny bug that people would do it on purpose to see how far they could get, making it into a competition, and there’s even a list of the best vehicles to try it with.

5) World of Warcraft – Corrupted Blood Pandemic

Of all gaming’s bugs, the Corrupted Blood Pandemic in World of Warcraft was likely the most notorious. Because of a bug, a Corrupted Blood attack remained with the player if they hid their pet during a raid, making it possible to carry the infection outside of the regular area. The infection spread like wildfire, and the devs couldn’t beat it back. Some players helped stem the tide while others purposefully infected others. It was utter chaos, with bodies scattered everywhere, until the devs finally reset the entire game. Interestingly, the pandemic offered a real-world look at how people reacted, which likely aided health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic 14 years later.

What’s the funniest bug you’ve encountered? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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