The Lowest-Rated Video Games of This Year, Per Aggregate Scores

Everywhere you look, fans are eagerly sharing their lists of the top games of 2025. Yet, where are the flops, the underperformers? Let's take a moment to examine the lowest-rated games of the year, based on the critical consensus on Metacritic. Is every one of these games as bad as the reviews suggest? We shall see.

10. Welcome Tour for Switch 2

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

Initial reactions to this showcase title were shaped by its $9.99 price tag, with many voicing frustration it wasn't a free pack-in like competing console launches. Reviewer sentiment spanned a wide spectrum, from scathing critiques to slightly kinder appraisals that highlighted the delightful software itself. Regardless of the controversy, the title proved to be a strong digital seller during its launch month.

9. Rennsport

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

Presented as "not just a racing game," this vroom-vroom title from Competition Company and Teyon was met with overwhelmingly poor reviews. Critics noted that the game fell short in key areas, notably in a year filled with high-quality racing experiences. Ultimately, this underwhelming entry was better off left in the garage.

8. The Purrfect Bubsy Collection

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

To begin with: the irritating punctuation is a minor annoyance. This compilation of SNES and PS1 platforming games revives a sarcastic feline known for non-stop jokes. Reviewers noted that these games were not good originally and have not improved with age. The improbably high user score remains a baffling contrast to the critical reception.

7. Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact

Aggregate Score: 53, Audience Score: 3.5

This manga-based fighting game encountered widespread disappointment from both professionals and players. Complaints centered on a limited character selection and a minimal offering of content. Fan reaction was especially harsh, with some stating a desire that the title's failure would serve as a lesson for similar releases.

6. Neptunia Motorcycle Game

Metascore: 51, User Score: 5.3

Based on the niche Hyperdimension Neptunia series, this motorcycle action game tasks players with rounding up slime-like creatures. Reviewers felt that its attempt to channel a rolling-collection experience was unsuccessful, coming across as more of a low-effort product than a substantial addition to the franchise. Its 3-hour duration combined with a full retail cost raised eyebrows.

5. Captain Blood

Metascore: 50, Audience Score: 5.3

This title is a piece of lost media from the mid-2000s, launched after years and years in legal limbo. The team behind it made the decision to preserve the game as an period-accurate product of its time, accepting that modern gamers might not appreciate its old-school mechanics. As such, many reviews concluded that the tale of its journey was far richer than the game itself.

4. Salvation

Metascore: 44, Audience Score: 2.4

This anime-art third-person shooter drawing from games like *Returnal* disappointed with critics. Frequent criticisms were uninspired foes, samey environments, and a snoozy narrative. A much-criticized system involving the protagonist's clothing was seen as adding nothing and took away from the game's overall experience.

3. Ambulance Life: A Paramedic Simulator

Aggregate Score: 44, Audience Score: 4.9

Recall the strategic surgery games of the past, then take out the satisfying gameplay. That, according to reviews, is pretty much *Ambulance Life*. Critics found the core gameplay loop to be a slog, and the narrative's handling of its subject matter was criticized as being insensitive. The overall experience was deemed largely unsatisfying.

2. Tamagotchi Plaza

Aggregate Score: 43, Audience Score: 5.8

This shift away from the classic digital companion formula turns the franchise into a shopping simulation title. The result, per critics, was a dull series of simple minigames that quickly grew tiresome. Some reviews went so far as to call it one of the most disappointing titles available on its platform, noting a profound lack of satisfying gameplay.

1. MindsEye

Metascore: 37, User Score: 2.5

Arriving as a high-profile open-world action game from a studio led by industry veterans, *MindsEye* was a spectacular disappointment. Reviews heavily criticized its poor shooting mechanics, uninspired storytelling, and a host of game-breaking glitches. Many found it to be a significant step back compared to much older games in the same genre. Amidst the sea of negativity, a tiny number of fans found fun in the experience, offering a distinct vote of confidence.