Notice - Inclusion Criteria Because there are a wealth of bad video games out there in the world, a set of criteria have been created to make sure we're focusing truly on games that are truly notable for their negative reception. Games are eligible for inclusion in this list if they have an article on Wikipedia, have established notability, and have demonstrated a strong negative reception described by one or more of the criteria listed below. This demonstration requires providing in-line citations for the entry to several published articles, from sources that are generally considered reliable for the coverage of video games, which describe in significant detail (not in passing) how the game meets the criterion/criteria; entries that fail to provide these citations will likely be removed without question. A minimum of three such sources is strongly recommended, and preferably at least five such sources should be provided. Note that you may reuse citations from the game's article to support inclusion here. Having low review scores; a game with an aggregate review score below 50/100, as determined by at least 10 critic reviews is generally considered eligible but not guaranteed a spot on the list. Its quality having been acknowledged in relevant retrospectives and columns by reliable sources (i.e. being literally referred to as one of the "worst games ever" (either of all-time or within a specific category or genre). Its negative reception resulting in a long-term impact on the video game industry (see the story behind E.T. and the Atari video game burial as a strong example of this). Having a notably negative response from end-users over its quality, especially in situations where negative user response impacts the reception by professional critics. In order to meet this criteria, at least three reliable citations must discuss such a response in significant detail. This negative reception should be something of discussion some months after a product's release; short-term negativity towards a bug or flaw that is patched shortly after release does not qualify for inclusion on this list. A title is ineligible for inclusion based on user response if it received an otherwise positive response from critics, as it might be more indicative of a controversy surrounding a portion of the title or its background, or one "manufactured" by its community, rather than the quality of the title as a whole. Titles with controversies unrelated to their overall quality may be eligible for inclusion on List of controversial video games instead, such as in the case of Daikatana. Games that are the subject of "review bombing" due to non-gameplay related issues, such as Sonic Mania at launch [1] are not considered appropriate for this list. Shovelware, tie-ins, and non-notable indie or mobile titles are typically excluded from this list, barring exceptional circumstances, since they generally receive little media attention and do not typically have a reasonable expectation of quality (thus they would have negative reception, but not be notable for it). Other common examples include cheap cash-in games based off of movies, television, or other similar media. Start discussion on this page for any questions or proposed exceptions. Please review the talk page archives (searchable below) for past discussions on games. Many games that have been often considered as "worst-ever" at some point have been discussed before and either added or rejected based on the arguments and sourcing presented.

This article was nominated for deletion. Please review the prior discussions if you are considering re-nomination: Deletion discussions: Keep, 4 April 2021, see discussion. Keep, 4 May 2008, see discussion. Keep, 28 August 2007, see discussion. Keep, 4 June 2006, see discussion. Keep, 10 November 2005, see discussion. No consensus, 23 September 2005, see discussion. No consensus, 9 September 2005, see discussion.

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There were a lot of other games released last year that have been talked about in the same breath as not only similarly-bad games from that year, but many games on the list. Examples include games like Redfall, Kong: Skull Island, CoD Modern Warfare III, The Walking Dead: Destinies, EA Sports FC 24, Avatar the Last Airbender: The Quest for Balance or the Switch port of Mortal Kombat 1. Should we consider adding some of those to the list? Hawkatana ( talk) 08:21, 22 May 2024 (UTC) reply

We need the games to meet not just low scores but have lasting impact and legacy as a game with negative reception or other impacts. Redfall might be there if that ties to the closure of Arkane Austin, but things like Kong and TWD were more treated as memes without any impact, and those others are just games with some negative scores but nothing lasting. Masem ( t) 12:26, 22 May 2024 (UTC) reply

I want to support this comment. This isn't a list of every game with a negative score, but something of larger consequence for the studio/industry. Shooterwalker ( talk) 15:48, 22 May 2024 (UTC) reply

Thanks, everyone. I was just about to ask about Skull Island: Rise of Kong. However, Hawkatana mentioned the Nintendo Switch port of Mortal Kombat 1. Can we include negatively received ports of games whose other ports were not very negatively received? Ss0jse ( talk) 01:48, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

A new article from Bloomberg by Jason Schreier has revealed that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League cost Warner Bros 200 Million dollars, making it one of the least financially-successful video games of all time.

Also, there were barely any positive reviews of the game as far as I could see. Hawkatana ( talk) 17:31, 6 June 2024 (UTC) reply

It's on the commercial failure list for that $200m write off by WB, but it's hard to justify it being negative. It just didn't catch on. But I wouldn't rule it out yet if other developments like layoffs at rocksteady were to happen Masem ( t) 17:38, 6 June 2024 (UTC) reply

DNF did not get particularly bad reviews, mostly mixed to negative. However, those are awful when put up alongside the game's 15-year development and hype, as well as comparing it to previous entries. Armageddon7432 ( talk) 19:25, 13 June 2024 (UTC) reply

There have been discussions that it should not be included and discussions that it should be included. In any case, it was listed at one point in time. From the archives, there was a discussion in mid-March of 2020 about deleting it and about two dozen other entries. While that discussion didn't go much of anywhere, one of the participants brought it up at the end of March 2020. That led to 52 entries being BOLDly deleted. At the time, no one objected to the removal of Forever, which was part of both discussions: Notability is more from its nightmarish development and disappointment than the mediocre quality of the game and Remove. Mediocre reception, no one that says it's the worst. As mentioned, the game had a long development cycle, which is why it has a standalone article about it called Development of Duke Nukem Forever. I don't see how it can meet the current inclusion criteria at this time. -- Super Goku V ( talk) 23:01, 14 June 2024 (UTC) reply

Do these games deserve a place on the list? 2600:6C56:6C00:39B9:7D9D:8933:B21B:1194 ( talk) 16:11, 22 June 2024 (UTC) reply

Eh, not really. Wrath of Cortex has its fans, and Enter the Dragonfly ended up cut a few years ago. They’re not popular by any means, but I don’t see them being added to the list. BlazingLarvesta0636 ( talk) 00:23, 24 July 2024 (UTC) reply

Is it a good idea to add Hunt Down the Freeman to this article? Ss0jse ( talk) 01:33, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

Ignore this question: /info/en/?search=Talk:List_of_video_games_notable_for_negative_reception#c-Masem-20240726120100-Ss0jse-20240726095800 Ss0jse ( talk) 13:57, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

In other words, as explained by Masem, neither Hunt Down the Freeman nor Mighty No. 9 nor Mega Man X7 belong on this list. Ss0jse ( talk) 14:03, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

Is it a good idea to add Mighty No. 9 to this list? Ss0jse ( talk) 09:56, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

Ignore this question: /info/en/?search=Talk:List_of_video_games_notable_for_negative_reception#c-Masem-20240726120100-Ss0jse-20240726095800 Ss0jse ( talk) 13:58, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

In other words, as explained by Masem, neither Hunt Down the Freeman nor Mighty No. 9 nor Mega Man X7 belong on this list. Ss0jse ( talk) 14:02, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

Is it a good idea to add Mega Man X7 to this list? Ss0jse ( talk) 09:58, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

Simply being a low scoring game is not sufficient, there has to be some type of legacy associated with that. I see none of that for any of the ones you've added here. Masem ( t) 12:01, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

Okay. Good to know. Ss0jse ( talk) 13:58, 26 July 2024 (UTC) reply

Hawkatana mentioned the Nintendo Switch port of Mortal Kombat 1 above. Can we include negatively received ports of games whose other ports were not very negatively received? Ss0jse ( talk) 23:07, 30 July 2024 (UTC) reply

They would have to be something like the Atari 2600 Pac-Man port, notorious for being bad and having some type of lasting impact. Nothing appears to be that way for the MK1 port. Masem ( t) 01:11, 31 July 2024 (UTC) reply

Combining that answer with your answer for Hunt Down the Freeman, Sonic Colors Ultimate should be excluded, right? Ss0jse ( talk) 17:00, 31 July 2024 (UTC) reply

I would say so per the third point of the inclusion criteria. -- Super Goku V ( talk) 05:48, 1 August 2024 (UTC) reply

@ Zenphia1: I've had to remove your inclusion of Ride to Hell: Retribution and Skull Island: Rise of Kong. While both are overwhelming negative reviewed games, we are trying to keep this to games where that negative reception has had a significant impact, such as a studio closure. Skull Island, given that it was a movie tie in, makes it a bit more of a hard case to support since movie tie in games are generally considered to be bad to start. Ride to Hell is definitely a low ranked game but I don't think its had a type of enduring position as one of the worst games ever. —  Masem ( t) 04:07, 1 August 2024 (UTC) reply