The 20 Worst Video Games, According to Critics

By Michele Debczak |
CasarsaGuru/iStock via Getty Images
CasarsaGuru/iStock via Getty Images / CasarsaGuru/iStock via Getty Images

Playing video games isn't always a pleasant experience. Bad graphics, writing, and gameplay are a few factors that can quickly turn what should be a fun activity into a frustrating headache. According to critics, there are a handful of games that aren't even worth picking up your controller for.

This list of the 20 worst video games comes from Metacritic, a site that aggregates reviews from around the internet to give media an average score. Metacritic is only 20 years old, so the ranking is missing many notorious titles from before 2001, like E.T. the game. But if you've been active in the gaming world at any point in the last two decades, you probably recognize some of the titles below.

Coming in at No. 1 is Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade. Released for Nintendo's Wii U in 2012, the game was maligned for its low-budget graphics and lame challenges. Metacritic gives it an average score of 11 out of 100. It's followed by the 2013 game Ride to Hell: Retribution, which didn't live up to its action-packed premise. Other titles on the list include 2007's glorified Toyota commercial Yaris and the weirdly raunchy 2009 game Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust.

Video game companies have released some questionable products over the years, including games based on Alf, *NSYNC, and Grey's Anatomy. After reading the list of the worst video games according to critics, you can check out more bizarre titles here.

  1. Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade
  2. Ride to Hell: Retribution
  3. Yaris
  4. Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
  5. Vroom in the Night Sky
  6. Double Dragon 2: Wander of the Dragons
  7. SPOGS Racing
  8. Alone in the Dark: Illumination
  9. Deal or No Deal
  10. Infestation: Survivor Stories (The War Z)
  11. Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma Volume One
  12. Drake of the 99 Dragons
  13. Fast and Furious: Showdown
  14. Rambo: The Video Game
  15. Charlie's Angels
  16. Homie Rollerz
  17. FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction
  18. Fighter Within
  19. Pulse Racer
  20. Legends of Wrestling II
Home / LISTS