Everywhere you look, fans are foaming at the mouth to post their lists of the best releases of 2025. However, what of the flops, the failures? Let's take a momentary detour to honor the absolute worst games of the year, based on the critical consensus on Metacritic. Could each of these games truly as terrible as their scores suggest? Let's find out.
10. Welcome Tour for Switch 2
Metascore: 54/100, Audience Score: 3.4/10
Initial reactions to this tech demo were colored by its $9.99 price tag, with many feeling cheesed off it wasn't a bundled game like competing console launches. Critical opinion was quite mixed, from scathing critiques to somewhat forgiving reviews that noted the polished software itself. Despite the grumbling, the title proved to be a surprisingly robust digital seller during its launch month.
9. Rennsport
Aggregate Score: 53/100, User Score: 3.2/10
Presented as "more than a racing game," this vroom-vroom title from studios in Germany and Poland received overwhelmingly poor reviews. The consensus was that the game fell short in almost every category, particularly in a year filled with high-quality racing titles. In the eyes of critics, this disappointing sim was advised to be left on the shelf.
8. Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection
Metascore: 53/100, Audience Score: 8.6/10
Before we start: the confusing punctuation is a silly annoyance. This collection of retro mascot platformers revives a rude feline known for incessant quips. The consensus was that these games were mediocre to begin with and have not improved with age. The surprisingly strong user score remains a baffling contrast to the Metascore.
7. Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact
Metascore: 53, Audience Score: 3.5
This *Hunter x Hunter* fighting game was met with widespread disappointment from both professionals and fans. Complaints centered on a limited fighter lineup and a severe lack of features. Fan reaction was especially vitriolic, with some voicing a desire that the title's failure would be a warning for similar releases.
6. Riders Vs Dogoos
Aggregate Score: 51, Audience Score: 5.3
Hailing from the quirky Hyperdimension Neptunia series, this motorcycle action game tasks players with gathering Dogoos. Reviewers felt that its effort to mimic a *Katamari Damacy*-like gameplay loop didn't land, coming across as more of a cash grab than a worthy Neptunia game. Its brief runtime combined with a premium price was criticized.
5. Captain Blood
Metascore: 50, User Score: 5.3
This title is a resurrected relic from the Xbox era, finally released after a very long time in legal limbo. The publishers made the decision to release the game as an period-accurate artifact of its time, acknowledging that modern gamers might dislike its old-school mechanics. As such, many reviews noted that the interesting history of its resurrection was far richer than the end product.
4. Salvation
Metascore: 44, User Score: 2.4
This anime-art action game drawing from games like *Returnal* fell flat with critics. Frequent criticisms centered on repetitive adversaries, monotonous stage design, and a unengaging plot. A controversial mechanic involving the protagonist's clothing was widely panned and took away from the game's overall experience.
3. Ambulance Life: A Paramedic Simulator
Metascore: 44, User Score: 4.9
Think of the engaging medical sims of the past, then remove the compelling story. That, according to reviews, is pretty much *Ambulance Life*. Reviewers found the ambulance-driving sequences to be a slog, and the story's portrayal of mental health topics was criticized as being tone-deaf. The overall experience was deemed not very compelling.
2. Tamagotchi Plaza
Metascore: 43, Audience Score: 5.8
This new direction for the classic virtual pet formula transforms the franchise into a town-management title. The result, per critics, was a unsatisfying collection of basic activities that quickly grew tiresome. Some reviews went so far as to label it one of the worst titles available on its platform, citing a dearth of depth.
1. MindsEye
Aggregate Score: 37, Audience Score: 2.5
Intended to be a high-profile crime saga from a ex-Rockstar veteran's industry veterans, *MindsEye* was a notable commercial failure. Reviews savaged its poor shooting mechanics, dull missions, and a multitude of horrendous bugs. Critics found it to be a regression compared to previous-generation games in the same genre. Amidst the scathing reviews, a small handful of positive user reviews found value in the experience, serving as a lonely contrast.
