Everywhere you look, gamers are foaming at the mouth to post their lists of the top releases of 2025. However, what of the flops, the low achievers? Let's take a moment to recognize the absolute worst games of the year, based on the critical consensus on Metacritic. Could each of these games as bad as the ratings suggest? Here is the list.
10. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
Metascore: 54/100, Audience Score: 3.4/10
First impressions to this pack-in experience were heavily influenced by its $9.99 price tag, with many feeling cheesed off it wasn't a bundled game like competing console launches. Professional assessment was quite mixed, from "crushing disappointment" to more generous reviews that noted the polished software underneath the controversy. Despite the grumbling, the title proved to be a notable seller during its launch month.
9. Rennsport
Aggregate Score: 53/100, Audience Score: 3.2/10
Presented as "more than a racing game," this driving sim from Competition Company and Teyon garnered overwhelmingly poor reviews. Reviews pointed out that the game felt unfinished in almost every category, especially in a year featuring high-quality racing games. Ultimately, this disappointing sim was advised to be left in the garage.
8. The Purrfect Bubsy Collection
Metascore: 53/100, Audience Score: 8.6/10
First things first: the confusing colon usage is a notable point of contention. This anthology of 1990s-era platforming games revives a rude feline known for non-stop hacky one-liners. The consensus was that these games were not good to begin with and have not improved with age. The surprisingly strong user score remains a curious oddity to the critical reception.
7. Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact
Metascore: 53, Audience Score: 3.5
This anime-inspired fighter encountered harsh criticism from both critics and fans. Issues included a small roster of characters and a dearth of content. User reviews was especially vitriolic, with some voicing a desire that the title's failure would serve as a lesson for future projects.
6. Neptunia Riders Vs Dogoos
Aggregate Score: 51, User Score: 5.3
Based on the quirky Hyperdimension Neptunia series, this vehicle combat game tasks players with collecting slime-like creatures. The assessment was that its goal to mimic a unique gameplay loop ultimately fell flat, coming across as more of a cash grab than a meaningful addition to the franchise. Its 3-hour duration combined with a $40 price tag seemed like a bold choice.
5. Captain Blood
Aggregate Score: 50, Audience Score: 5.3
This title is a curious artifact from the Xbox era, launched after nearly two decades in legal limbo. The developers made the decision to keep the game as an original experience of its time, accepting that modern gamers might criticize its old-school mechanics. As such, many reviews remarked that the fascinating story of its development was more compelling than the end product.
4. Salvation
Aggregate Score: 44, User Score: 2.4
This anime-art roguelike shooter inspired by games like *Returnal* fell flat with critics. Frequent criticisms included repetitive adversaries, samey environments, and a unengaging plot. A much-criticized system involving the character's attire was widely panned and detracted from the game's potential charm.
3. Ambulance Life
Aggregate Score: 44, User Score: 4.9
Think of the tense medical sims of the past, then remove the memorable characters. That, according to reviews, is pretty much *Ambulance Life*. Players found the ambulance-driving sequences to be tedious and repetitive, and the story's portrayal of serious themes was criticized as being poorly executed. The overall experience was deemed largely unsatisfying.
2. Tamagotchi Plaza
Metascore: 43, Audience Score: 5.8
This departure from the classic virtual pet formula makes the franchise into a town-management title. The result, based on critics, was a vapid collection of simple minigames that quickly grew tiresome. Some reviews went so far as to label it one of the lowest-quality titles available on its platform, noting a profound lack of satisfying gameplay.
1. MindsEye
Metascore: 37, Audience Score: 2.5
Intended to be a blockbuster open-world action game from a team featuring industry veterans, *MindsEye* was a notable disappointment. Reviews heavily criticized its lousy combat, dull missions, and a plethora of game-breaking glitches. Many found it to be a regression compared to much older games in the action genre. Amidst the overwhelming criticism, a few of optimistic players found value in the experience, providing a lonely vote of confidence.
