5 Worst Video Games Of 2025, According To Metacritic

2025 was a great year for games, particularly indie titles and a number of overlooked gems warranting even greater attention. But for every great and even good game, there are plenty of mediocre and absolutely abysmal titles that also launched throughout the year. While we certainly acknowledge that game development takes a lot of time and hard work, some games just disastrously botch the landing. From mobile games that couldn't live up to the platform's appeal to completely missed opportunities, some titles thoroughly let fans down.

For this article, we're looking at what other reviewers at large scored as the weakest games of 2025. The games listed below are based on the lowest critics' scores collated by Metacritic from titles released this past year. And you happen to be a fan of any of these games, don't get mad at us — this is based on review aggregates. Here are the five worst video games of 2025, according to Metacritic.

The psychological horror game "Gore Doctor" is as simple and bare-bones as its rudimentary title. Developed by Salient Games and published by Ultimate Games, players control a character kidnapped by a doctor driven mad by the loss of his wife. The player character must navigate the doctor's darkened institute, fending off unhinged patients and avoiding death traps installed around the facility. Unfolding from a first-person perspective, players use a variety of weapons to fend off enemies as they search for a way to escape.

The original version of "Gore Doctor" was released for PC without much fanfare in 2024 and the console versions published in May 2025 somehow fare worse. The whole game feels like a bargain-bin production, with overly dark settings to likely obscure how unpolished the environments and enemies are. Combat is awkwardly executed, with enemies non-responsive to any hits they endure and easily thwarted by positioning mundane objects between them and the player. If you were hoping "Gore Doctor" improved at all for its 2025 port, you're about to be disappointed all over again. 

As GameCritics.com explained, the game is "so threadbare as to be nearly incoherent," summing up the bare-bones, shoddy quality that earned it an abysmal 40 score on Metacritic.

Ostensibly an homage to "Metal Gear Solid" and its high-tech military stealth, the indie game "Spy Drops" evokes the classic era of Konami's hit franchise. Rendered in an early 3D style like '90s PlayStation games, the 2025 title has players control a super-spy who's out to stop an eco-terrorist group from erasing digital records worldwide. As the player character infiltrates the enemy base, she uncovers a conspiracy that leads her to question the veracity of her mission briefing. Levels are randomly generated in an effort to keep the experience fresh and the game offers competitive local multiplayer mode.

Even with its throwback presentation, "Spy Drops" feels cheaply made and clumsily executed in trying to revisit '90s tactical espionage games, which is why it garnered a mere rating of 39 on Metacritic. The game garnered notoriety upon its launch for clear use of poorly implemented A.I. assets, though these have since been replaced through a post-release patch. Artificial intelligence usage aside, the game just handles awkwardly and its attempt to create an intriguing story falls flat. 

If you're really hankering for '90s espionage action, just revisit the classic "Metal Gear Solid" games brought back by Konami's anniversary anthology. Gaming Age succinctly noted in its review that "Spy Drops" is "just a poorly made imitation of a PS1-era classic," without any laudable achievement in its own right.

Inspired by the folklore within "Arabian Nights," the hack-and-slash game "Blood of Mehran" explores the genre from a direction before it was dominated by soulslike titles. Set in ancient Mesopotamia, the game follows the titular Mehran, a seasoned warrior trying to give up his violent ways before inevitably being called back into action. Driven by the murder of his family, Mehran sets out on a revenge quest targeting each of the assassins responsible for the tragedy. This escalates into a bloody vendetta that has Mehran cutting through waves of enemies as he tries to avenge his loved ones.

Using the Unreal Engine 5, "Blood of Mehran" looks good when it comes to its initial visual presentation. But that first impression quickly crumbles in the face of stiff animation and clunky, uninspired combat mechanics that'll leave players frustrated and left the game with a score of 38 on Metacritic. Even the voice cast sounds like they want no part of this experience, with their laughably emotionless delivery for what is supposed to be a heated revenge story. 

Derivative and outclassed in every way by the games that it imitates, "Blood of Mehran" wastes its intriguing Mesopotamian setting. DualShockers gave a concise indictment in its review, observing that "the gameplay is dull and derivative, the presentation is sloppy, and there's no substance."

It took years for the tactical RPG classic "Fire Emblem" to finally come to the United States, but we're glad the Nintendo franchise has arrived. Nintendo expanded the title to mobile platforms starting with 2017's "Fire Emblem Heroes," continuing in this direction with 2025's "Fire Emblem Shadows." As opposed to the series' usual turn-based gameplay, "Shadows" employs real-time strategy along with social deduction as a group of players work together against an enemy army. One of the players in a given team is secretly working for the enemy, with the other players having to determine who the traitor is in their midst.

While it's refreshing to see "Fire Emblem" trying out something new compared to its usual formula, "Shadows" stumbles every step of the way in trying to do so, scoring a measly 38 on Metacritic. Being relegated to a mobile platform, the game doesn't have the depth or nuance required to investigate who a possible traitor can be. Other attempts to deviate from the franchise hallmarks are poorly executed while the use of microtransactions also tarnish the experience.

In the end, just revisit the critically acclaimed "Fire Emblem Engage" rather than giving "Fire Emblem Shadows" a try. GameSpot closed out its review of the game as "both not for 'Fire Emblem' fans and hard to recommend to anyone," a scathing observation for the otherwise beloved franchise.

Former GTA head Leslie Benzies began working on a new game after leaving the company, forming a new studio named Build a Rocket Boy. Published through IO Interactive Partners, the resulting project was "MindsEye," a science fiction action game in which former soldier Jacob Diaz develops severe memory and cognitive issues but is able to control nearby drones after receiving a neural implant. Navigating the city of Redrock, Jacob searches for the implant's creator while contending with a mercenary organization known as Red Sands. 

Upon its launch this past June, "MindsEye" was negatively received by players and critics alike for its unpolished presentation and gameplay. Missions were criticized as being repetitive and unengaging while the overworld of Redrock also saw a tepid response. The title debuted with a lousy 37 score on Metacritic and low audience rating as well. EuroGamer summed up what was wrong with the game, stating "'MindsEye' is sunk by a ridiculous story, inconsistent writing, poorly designed mission scenarios, and utterly atrocious combat."

Build a Rocket Boy co-CEO Mark Gerhard claimed negative pre-release reactions were part of a paid effort by a rival studio to discredit the game, which was dismissed by IOI. Seeing the final game, it's clear that "MindsEye" was just a flawed project at launch and deserved the reception that it got.