Everywhere you look, enthusiasts are eagerly sharing their lists of the greatest games of 2025. Yet, where are the flops, the failures? We'll take a moment to honor the lowest-rated games of the year, as determined by the aggregate scores from Metacritic. Is every one of these games as bad as their scores suggest? Here is the list.
10. Welcome Tour for Switch 2
Aggregate Score: 54/100, Audience Score: 3.4/10
The early response to this showcase title were shaped by its $9.99 price tag, with many feeling cheesed off it wasn't a free pack-in like similar console launches. Critical opinion varied dramatically, from "crushing disappointment" to slightly kinder reviews that noted the delightful software itself. Regardless of the debate, the title proved to be a notable seller during its launch month.
9. Rennsport
Metascore: 53/100, Audience Score: 3.2/10
Marketed as "not just a racing game," this driving sim from Competition Company and Teyon garnered pretty unanimous reviews. Reviews pointed out that the game felt unfinished in nearly every way, especially in a year packed with high-quality racing games. For many, this sputtering stinker was advised to be left unplayed.
8. Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection
Metascore: 53/100, User Score: 8.6/10
To begin with: the awkward punctuation is a silly annoyance. This collection of SNES and PS1 platforming games revives a rude feline known for incessant jokes. The consensus was that these games were mediocre in their time and feel dated with age. The improbably high user score stands as a baffling contrast to the Metascore.
7. Hunter x Hunter Fighting Game
Metascore: 53, Audience Score: 3.5
This anime-inspired fighter was met with harsh criticism from both reviewers and fans. Complaints centered on a small roster of characters and a severe lack of content. Player sentiment was especially harsh, with some stating a desire that the title's poor performance would serve as a lesson for the developers.
6. Neptunia Riders Vs Dogoos
Metascore: 51, User Score: 5.3
Based on the niche Hyperdimension Neptunia series, this motorcycle action game tasks players with collecting slime-like creatures. Reviewers felt that its effort to channel a rolling-collection feel was unsuccessful, coming across as more of a cash grab than a meaningful addition to the franchise. Its brief runtime combined with a premium price was criticized.
5. Captain Blood
Aggregate Score: 50, User Score: 5.3
This title is a resurrected relic from the past, launched after nearly two decades in production delays. The team behind it opted to keep the game as an original artifact of its time, accepting that today's audiences might criticize its dated design. As such, many reviews concluded that the fascinating story of its journey was more interesting than the end product.
4. Salvation
Metascore: 44, Audience Score: 2.4
This anime-art third-person shooter modeled after games like *Returnal* disappointed with critics. The main issues centered on repetitive adversaries, monotonous stage design, and a snoozy narrative. A much-criticized system involving the character's attire was seen as adding nothing and detracted from the game's potential charm.
3. Ambulance Life
Metascore: 44, User Score: 4.9
Think of the tense medical sims of the past, then remove the satisfying gameplay. That, according to reviews, is essentially *Ambulance Life*. Reviewers found the emergency response sections to be monotonous, and the narrative's handling of serious themes was criticized as being poorly executed. The overall experience was deemed largely unsatisfying.
2. Tamagotchi Plaza
Aggregate Score: 43, Audience Score: 5.8
This new direction for the classic digital companion formula transforms the franchise into a minigame collection title. The result, per critics, was a vapid assortment of basic activities that rapidly became boring. Some reviews went so far as to declare it one of the worst titles available on its platform, noting a complete absence of satisfying gameplay.
1. MindsEye
Metascore: 37, User Score: 2.5
Intended to be a high-profile open-world action game from a studio led by well-known figures, *MindsEye* was a catastrophic commercial failure. Reviews heavily criticized its lousy combat, uninspired storytelling, and a multitude of technical problems. Many found it to be a regression compared to previous-generation games in the same genre. Amidst the scathing reviews, a small handful of fans found value in the experience, serving as a distinct vote of confidence.
