The Lowest-Rated Video Games of the Year 2025, According to Metacritic

Everywhere you look, enthusiasts are quick to share their lists of the best titles of 2025. However, what of the stinkers, the low achievers? We'll take a momentary detour to recognize the lowest-rated games of the year, based on the aggregate scores from Metacritic. Is every one of these games truly as terrible as their scores suggest? Let's find out.

10. Switch 2's Welcome Tour

Aggregate Score: 54/100, Audience Score: 3.4/10

Initial reactions to this showcase title were colored by its $9.99 price tag, with many feeling cheesed off it wasn't a bundled game like some other console launches. Critical opinion was quite mixed, from scathing critiques to more generous appraisals that praised the charming software underneath the controversy. Despite the controversy, the title proved to be a surprisingly robust commercial performer during its launch month.

9. Rennsport

Aggregate Score: 53/100, User Score: 3.2/10

Marketed as "not just a racing game," this vroom-vroom title from Competition Company and Teyon received pretty unanimous reviews. Reviews pointed out that the game felt unfinished in nearly every way, notably in a year featuring excellent racing titles. For many, this disappointing sim was best left in the garage.

8. The Purrfect Bubsy Collection

Aggregate Score: 53/100, User Score: 8.6/10

First things first: the irritating colon usage is a notable annoyance. This collection of 1990s-era Bubsy titles showcases a rude feline known for non-stop jokes. Critics observed that these games were mediocre originally and haven't gotten better with age. The improbably high user score stands as a baffling oddity to the Metascore.

7. Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact

Metascore: 53, User Score: 3.5

This anime-inspired brawler was met with harsh criticism from both reviewers and fans. It was lambasted for a small fighter lineup and a severe lack of features. User reviews was particularly negative, with some expressing a desire that the title's poor performance would serve as a lesson for similar releases.

6. Neptunia Motorcycle Game

Metascore: 51, User Score: 5.3

Hailing from the niche Hyperdimension Neptunia series, this vehicle combat game tasks players with rounding up Dogoos. Reviewers felt that its effort to mimic a unique experience ultimately fell flat, coming across as more of a cash grab than a substantial series entry. Its short length combined with a $40 price tag seemed like a bold choice.

5. Captain Blood

Aggregate Score: 50, User Score: 5.3

This title is a curious artifact from the mid-2000s, finally released after nearly two decades in development hell. The team behind it made the decision to preserve the game as an period-accurate artifact of its time, fully aware that today's audiences might dislike its retro feel. As such, many reviews concluded that the interesting history of its resurrection was more compelling than the end product.

4. Scar-Lead

Aggregate Score: 44, Audience Score: 2.4

This anime-styled action game modeled after games like *Returnal* fell flat with critics. Frequent criticisms included uninspired foes, repetitive levels, and a snoozy narrative. A controversial mechanic involving the protagonist's clothing was seen as adding nothing and took away from the game's potential charm.

3. Ambulance Life: A Paramedic Simulator

Aggregate Score: 44, Audience Score: 4.9

Imagine the engaging medical sims of the past, then strip away the compelling story. That, according to reviews, is essentially *Ambulance Life*. Reviewers found the core gameplay loop to be monotonous, and the story's portrayal of serious themes was criticized as being insensitive. The overall experience was deemed a missed opportunity.

2. Tamagotchi Plaza

Aggregate Score: 43, Audience Score: 5.8

This shift away from the classic virtual pet formula turns the franchise into a town-management title. The result, per critics, was a unsatisfying collection of repetitive tasks that very soon grew tiresome. Some reviews went so far as to declare it one of the worst titles available on its platform, noting a dearth of satisfying gameplay.

1. MindsEye

Metascore: 37, Audience Score: 2.5

Positioned as a blockbuster crime saga from a ex-Rockstar veteran's industry veterans, *MindsEye* was a catastrophic commercial failure. Reviews universally panned its lousy combat, boring plot, and a multitude of game-breaking glitches. Many found it to be a significant step back compared to previous-generation games in the similar style. Despite the overwhelming criticism, a tiny number of optimistic players found value in the experience, serving as a lonely counterpoint.