As the laws of science dictate, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and with 2023 being full of great games, plenty of mediocre and middling games were also released this year.
It's worth noting that, of course, no one wants to make a bad game. There are plenty of games with ambitious goals that are never achieved--titles that genuinely attempt to deliver a fresh adventure but lack the technical expertise or budget to bring those dreams to life.
And as lacklustre as those games might be, they'll have their fans. There will be true believers who can overlook technical flaws and shoddy quality to find a hidden gem, but they're going to have to do some deep digging. Over on GameSpot's sister site Metacritic, we've plumbed the depths of critical consensus to find the worst of the worst in 2023. These are the worst-reviewed games of the year.
If you'd prefer to read about the best of 2023 instead, you can check out GameSpot's top games of 2023, our Game of the Year winner, Baldur's Gate 3, and roundups of the best games on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Switch according to Metacritic.
Greyhill Incident
The Greyhill Incident attempts to be Signs: The Video Game, but unfortunately, it doesn't stick the landing with its alien invasion angle. With generally unfavorable reviews from every outlet that put in the time to play it, Greyhill Incident was criticized for its poorly executed ideas, nonsensical story, and bland environments. The overall idea for this game was solid, but the final result was sadly lacking the polish or technical expertise to escape the bottom of Metacritic.
Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Daedelic's Gollum game shares the dubious distinction of the worst Metacritic-rated game of 2023 with Greyhill Incident. Our reviewer, Sam Pape, deserves a medal for spending almost 14 hours on this Middle-earth adventure and somehow surviving to tell the tale. Even if you can overlook its overall unpolished design, rampant game-breaking bugs, and graphics that make it look like a PS3-era game, Gollum still doesn't have much going for it. Uninspired stealth sections, repetitive missions, and no-win situations only add to its woes.
Metacritic: 38 | Read our Lord of the Rings: Gollum review
Testament: The Order of High Human
The elevator pitch for Testament: The Order of the High Human is that it's an ambitious first-person action-adventure game that combines RPG and metroidvania elements with a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. Sounds good, right? Well, you might want to brace yourself, as critics noted that the game is set in a lifeless world full of uninteresting enemies that you'll spam your way through. Frustrating gameplay and an emphasis on style over substance could be overlooked, but with numerous technical issues hampering the experience even further, it might be safer to wait a decade for the next Elder Scrolls game.
Quantum Error
In another universe, observing Quantum Error could have resulted in a surprisingly good game. But in this dimension? Quantum Error is an ambitious sci-fi horror game that sadly misses the mark according to reviews. Sharp visuals couldn't save the game once rampant glitches, bizarrely thick enemies, and mundane gameplay entered the scene.
Loop8: Summer of Gods
Traditional role-playing games should be an easy sell. You've got the appeal of turning a group of characters into god-slaying warriors as you level them up, plenty of lore to dive into, and creative license to throw some interesting monster designs at your audience. Loop8: Summer of Gods almost nails that formula, but it comes up tragically short with its mix of cliched characters, grindy combat, and a central "loop" gameplay mechanic that ultimately becomes the most frustrating component of the experience. According to reviews, it's visually appealing and mechanically tedious.
Crime Boss: Rockay City
In an age where nostalgia is still a powerful tool, Crime Boss: Rockay City should have been an easy win. Take recognizable actors from yesteryear, have some fun with classic memes, and watch the mayhem unfold in bank heist scenarios. Unfortunately, persistent bugs constantly derailed the action, the missions typically devolved into meat grinder shootouts, and the story was easily forgettable. If you could overlook those issues, there was a B-movie charm to the game.
Unholy
Unholy has some of the most decadent level design of the year, but unfortunately, that's pretty much all the game has going for it. Unwieldy combat and tired stealth mechanics made Unholy a chore to play.
Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains
The Xuan-Yaun Sword series is slowly breaking out of China, but if you're looking to leap into the franchise with Mists Beyond the Mountains, prepare for a poor first impression. Billed as a globe-trotting adventure, Mists Beyond the Mountains plays like a PS1-era game according to reviews. Compared to other retro delights like Sea of Stars that inject a sense of modernity into a retro-RPG adventure, this game feels antiquated and dated in comparison. A haphazard translation doesn't help either, and when you're dealing with poorly explained gameplay systems on top of random difficulty spikes, Mists Beyond the Mountains looks safe to skip until a more polished entry in the series goes global.
Colossal Cave
The original Colossal Cave is a beloved example of imaginative design, a novel centered around spelunking that has stood the test of time. But in 2023? This new remake of the late 1970s text-adventure game sadly misses the mark. As critics noted, compromises and annoyances put a stop to any momentum as you explore its maze-like structure and challenging puzzles. It showed promise, but in the modern era, you're better off exploring other subterranean lairs that aren't as hostile to your patience.
Ravenbound
Ravenbound isn't a bad roguelite, but it's not an interesting one either. It does admittedly have uncomplicated combat and a serviceable card-based progression system, but it's not long before the game's momentum grinds to a screeching halt when you find yourself burdened with poorly explained systems, loot that's not worth the grind, and bugs that sap all the joy out of the room. There's a decent game hidden amongst the flaws, but you'll have to look really hard to find it.
The Settlers: New Allies
The Settlers series of games are usually a surefire way to enjoy the charm of city-building without being bogged down by the more bureaucratic elements of that genre. 13 years after the last entry in the series and with development being led by Dusseldorf-based studio Ubisoft Blue Byte, a new Settlers game should have been a recipe for success. Unfortunately, the Anno 1800 studio couldn't quite nail the delicate combination of strategy and city management. It's a literal waiting game in The Settlers: New Allies because of that poor pacing, but at least it has plenty of visual charm to admire.
Nadir: A Grimdark Deck Builder
Nadir: A Grimdark Deck Builder has a fantastically metal art direction that makes it stand out, but beyond that, it doesn't quite manage to build on its unique card-based gameplay in interesting ways. The boss fights are demoralizing and control issues only add to its unfairly steep difficulty spikes. It's a game that also does a terrible job of equipping you with the necessary information to make progress, creating an uneven dive into deck-building that feels --in its current form--incomplete.
Everybody 1-2 Switch
A first-party game on the Nintendo Switch is usually a guarantee of fun times ahead, and then there's the exception to that rule, Everybody 1-2 Switch. A collection of minigames designed to make you the life of the party, Everybody 1-2 Switch might get you on a social gathering blacklist instead. Its catalog of games is surprisingly meager and for every interesting idea that it throws at you, there are several boring games to endure as you risk ending several close friendships.
Redfall
One of the big first-party Xbox exclusives of 2023, Redfall is a letdown when compared to the other critically acclaimed games from Arkane Studios. An unpolished and underwhelming vampire-hunting game upon release, Redfall simply lacked the magic of other Arkane games like Dishonored or Deathloop. The gameplay felt half-baked, its performance was disappointing, and its story was a yawnfest. Things are slowly changing for Redfall as new updates introduce several welcome features to the game, but it remains to be seen if it will ever live up to expectations.
Metacritic: 56 | Read our Redfall review
Farming Simulator 23 (Nintendo Switch)
Farming Simulator games are usually some of the best-kept secrets in gaming: a license to print money that has earned the franchise a devoted fan following and a reputation for authentic agricultural action. Translating that series to the Nintendo Switch should have been an easy victory--just imagine the farmers who'd love to chill with the game between harvesting sessions--but this edition suffered from a wide range of issues. Smaller than previous entries, riddled with bugs, and full of uninspired hands-off gameplay, critics weren't impressed with this example of portable agriculture.
Blood Bowl 3
Blood Bowl 3 sadly doesn't live up to the legacy of its predecessor, as reviews noted that despite its impressive visuals, it lacked the polish and finesse that you'd expect from this threequel. There's still some gruesome fun to be had with this ultraviolet parody of sports if you're new to the series, but for Blood Bowl 2 veterans, this new adaptation of the Games Workshop tabletop game struggles to reach that bar.
Cricket 24
A new cricket game should have been an easy six in the year that the Cricket World Cup was being held. Instead, developer Big Ant Studios bowled wide with this game, delivering an over of mediocre ideas. It doesn't live on the edge of the bat, it seldom knocks a ball to the boundaries, and the AI teammates you'll play alongside have become notorious for their butter-fingered skills on the field.
Death or Treat
A 2D roguelike game with attractive visuals and possibly tempting hack-and-slash gameplay? Sounds like a good time--or at least a passable one--but Death or Treat's charm offensive quickly loses steam after the first hour, according to reviews. Repetitive environments, boring enemy types, and buffs that don't add any real tangible benefits to each run make for a game that struggles to be consistently entertaining.
Clive 'n Wrench
It's hard to not appreciate Clive 'n Wrench's earnest attempt to bring back the glory days of '90s platformers, but passion can only take you so far. A game 12 years in the making and led by a single individual, reviewers noted that this love letter to PS1-era 3D platformers ultimately feels unfinished and bogged down by a myriad of issues. It's a pity, because with some extra resources and time, this could have been a classic reminder of the past that fans of the genre would have loved.
Gargoyles Remastered
Gargoyles Remastered was a surprise announcement this year, but a welcome one for retro fans. A classic Genesis game based on a beloved Disney animated series, updated for modern systems, and given sharper visuals--what's not to love? It's not a bad idea on paper, but as reviewers and fans of the series quickly discovered, that game hasn't aged well. Developer Empty Clip Studios deserves praise for its work bringing Goliath and his fellow guardians into the 21st century, but there's only so much work that can be done before dated level design and imprecise controls sour the effort.
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