5 Biggest Video Game Flops Of 2026 (So Far)

2026 has been another big win for the gaming industry, with some of the best games of the year pushing the medium forward across all platforms. Still waiting in the wings are some of the most anticipated games of 2026, including a few major sequels set to turn the gaming community on its head. But for as great as the year has been for gamers thus far, there are plenty of titles that haven't enjoyed the adulation of their successful contemporaries. These games failed to live up to lofty expectations or simply stumbled right out the gate, failing to connect with players.

For this list, we're looking at games that either failed to meet commercial expectations and/or endured widespread critical lambasting. Whether it was big-budget console-exclusives or live-service games that couldn't attract a solid playerbase, 2026 has seen its fair share of industry hiccups. It's always a disappointing thing to call out poorly received games but, at the end of the day, these titles just couldn't measure up to industry standards. These are the five biggest video game flops of 2026 so far, serving as a warning sign for the industry to heed.

At this point, we feel bad for still calling out "Highguard," but it really has been one of the most high-profile gaming disasters of 2026. An online first-person hero shooter, the game is the debut title from developer and publisher Wildlight Entertainment. The game mixed fantasy and sci-fi elements as it pitted small teams of competing players against each other in frenetic combat. However, less than two months after launching, "Highguard" became one of the most notable video games that died in 2026.

It took "Highguard" 20 hours to lose 90% of its players after its January 2026 debut, failing to keep curious players hooked beyond that first impression. Unable to maintain a sustainable playerbase, the project lost its primary financial backer in February and the studio underwent layoffs later that month. The game's servers were shut down on March 12, 2026, 45 days after its launch and, with no offline mode, the game died with it. It's a genuinely disappointing turn of events for "Highguard," and it's a sobering look at the state of live-service games today.

One of the worst video games of 2026 is "Tokyo Scramble," a survival horror game exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2. Developed by Adglobe, the game opens with a teenager named Anne who is caught in an earthquake that leaves her trapped deep underground. However, Anne isn't alone. This strange, subterranean realm is full of voracious dinosaurs ready to tear her apart. Navigating through the darkened wreckage dumped from the surface, Anne has to evade these lethal creatures as she tries to make her way back to safety.

Though Nintendo hasn't provided official sales numbers for "Tokyo Scramble," which it tends not to do for digital exclusives, its positioning of the game doesn't bode well. The game has been on sale for 33% off multiple times since its debut at the beginning of the year, a steep discount meant to attract likely curious players. As a reminder, Nintendo Switch 2 game prices usually stay on the higher side, making console-exclusive sales something of a rarity. A critical and commercial disappointment, "Tokyo Scramble" won't help convince you to buy a Nintendo Switch 2.

Another game that failed to impress critics upon its debut is "Samson," an action title released this past April by developer and publisher Liquid Swords. The game's protagonist, Samson McCray, is an enforcer in deep debt with a local crime syndicate and forced to carry out jobs for them. Every day that Samson doesn't fulfill enough of his repayment, the total carries over to the next day, where he's pursued by loan sharks looking to collect. While offering its own interesting sandbox concept, the game's poor handling, especially with its combat mechanics, hampers the whole experience.

In all fairness, only the PC version of "Samson" has been released so far, with console ports expected this September. That said, the game has also only sold around 47,000 copies through Steam since its launch two months ago. The game's median user playtime is around three hours, suggesting that players aren't likely to stick around once they see what the experience is all about. While there's always the possibility that the game's console ports can turn things positive, "Samson" is not off to a great start.

Don't Nod, the French studio behind the "Life Is Strange" series, released a third-person sci-fi action game with "Aphelion" this past April. The game's story centers on astronauts Ariane and Thomas, who crash on a planet with a harsh landscape. Both of the astronauts offer gamers a different gameplay style, with Ariane bringing in the more traditional action elements while Thomas leans into stealth-oriented mechanics. The duo is hunted across the planet by an unrelenting extraterrestrial entity, known as the Nemesis, as they struggle to survive.

While featuring reported production costs of 8.5 billion euros, "Aphelion" has sold approximately 5,400 copies through Steam. This roughly equates to around $106,800 in sales revenue through the platform, a fraction of its budget and marketing costs. Of course, there are other platforms where the game is available for purchase, including the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. But the tepid commercial response to "Aphelion" on a storefront as prominent as Steam is not a good indicator for its overall performance.

This is an inclusion that we're not particularly happy about, because we consider "Saros" to be one of the best games of the year so far. But, at the end of the day, the game has commercially underperformed despite the talent involved and acclaim received. Developed by Housemarque, the game doubles down on the sci-fi bullet hell action that the studio previously employed with its 2021 title "Returnal." The game has an enforcer investigate a lost colony on a remote planet, armed with a shield that can absorb certain kinds of energy attacks to power up his weapons.

Within its first two weeks on the market since launching this past April, "Saros" reportedly sold around 300,000 copies worldwide. This comes following Sony Interactive Entertainment acquiring Housemarque for tens of millions of euros and funding "Saros" as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. With that in mind, reports indicate that the approximate 300,000 copies sold translates to around $22 million in revenue. "Saros" could see its commercial performance improve over time, but this terrific sci-fi shooter is still off to an underperforming start.