Everywhere you look, gamers are foaming at the mouth to post their selections of the greatest releases of 2025. But what about the stinkers, the underperformers? It's time to take a momentary detour to honor the most panned games of the year, according to the aggregate scores from Metacritic. Are all of these games truly as terrible as their scores suggest? We shall see.
10. Welcome Tour for Switch 2
Aggregate Score: 54/100, Audience Score: 3.4/10
Initial reactions to this pack-in experience were shaped by its $9.99 price tag, with many feeling cheesed off it wasn't a free pack-in like similar console launches. Reviewer sentiment varied dramatically, from scathing critiques to slightly kinder reviews that highlighted the charming software itself. Despite the controversy, the title proved to be a surprisingly robust seller during its launch month.
9. Rennsport
Metascore: 53/100, User Score: 3.2/10
Marketed as "beyond a racing game," this simulation from Competition Company and Teyon was met with pretty unanimous reviews. The consensus was that the game fell short in almost every category, particularly in a year filled with stellar racing games. In the eyes of critics, this underwhelming entry was advised to be left in the garage.
8. The Purrfect Bubsy Collection
Metascore: 53/100, Audience Score: 8.6/10
To begin with: the awkward punctuation is a silly annoyance. This anthology of 1990s-era Bubsy titles revives a sarcastic feline known for incessant jokes. Critics observed that these games were not good originally and feel dated with age. The notably positive user score remains a peculiar contrast to the critical reception.
7. Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact
Aggregate Score: 53, Audience Score: 3.5
This *Hunter x Hunter* fighter encountered significant backlash from both professionals and the dedicated community. It was lambasted for a thin roster of characters and a severe lack of content. User reviews was notably harsh, with some voicing a hope that the title's poor performance would serve as a lesson for future projects.
6. Neptunia Riders Vs Dogoos
Metascore: 51, Audience Score: 5.3
Hailing from the niche Hyperdimension Neptunia series, this bike-riding title tasks players with collecting Dogoos. The assessment was that its attempt to channel a unique gameplay loop was unsuccessful, coming across as more of a low-effort product than a substantial series entry. Its 3-hour duration combined with a $40 price tag raised eyebrows.
5. Captain Blood
Metascore: 50, User Score: 5.3
This title is a resurrected relic from the past, finally released after nearly two decades in production delays. The team behind it made the decision to preserve the game as an authentic artifact of its time, accepting that contemporary players might dislike its old-school mechanics. As such, many reviews remarked that the tale of its journey was more compelling than the game itself.
4. Scar-Lead
Metascore: 44, User Score: 2.4
This anime-art action game inspired by games like *Returnal* failed to impress with critics. The main issues centered on uninspired foes, samey environments, and a unengaging plot. A much-criticized system involving the protagonist's clothing was seen as adding nothing and took away from the game's overall experience.
3. Paramedic Simulator
Metascore: 44, User Score: 4.9
Recall the tense medical sims of the past, then take out the compelling story. That, according to reviews, is pretty much *Ambulance Life*. Reviewers found the emergency response sections to be tedious and repetitive, and the story's portrayal of its subject matter was criticized as being poorly executed. The overall experience was deemed a missed opportunity.
2. Tamagotchi Plaza
Aggregate Score: 43, User Score: 5.8
This departure from the classic virtual pet formula makes the franchise into a minigame collection title. The result, based on critics, was a vapid assortment of simple minigames that very soon grew tiresome. Some reviews went so far as to declare it one of the lowest-quality titles available on its platform, pointing to a dearth of depth.
1. MindsEye
Aggregate Score: 37, Audience Score: 2.5
Positioned as a major open-world action game from a studio led by experienced developers, *MindsEye* was a spectacular commercial failure. Reviews heavily criticized its weak action, boring plot, and a host of horrendous bugs. Critics found it to be a downgrade compared to much older games in the action genre. Among the overwhelming criticism, a small handful of positive user reviews found fun in the experience, offering a rare counterpoint.
