Most Disappointing Game of 2025 - Article
by Mark Nielsen , posted on 25 January 2026 / 4,903 Views
In retrospect, 2025 was a certainly a year with some very solid game releases, but alas it was not one devoid of disappointment. Dreams were crushed, tears were shed, and, well, some games turned out less good than they could have been. In this article we celebrate those games... or, whatever the opposite of celebrate is.
The Shortlist:
MindsEye
FBC: Firebreak
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Drag x Drive
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
The 'Runner-Up':
FBC: Firebreak
FBC: Firebreak is certainly a game that crosses off all the boxes for a disappointment. An extremely lauded developer of single player games that has mastered a genre pivots and makes a multiplayer fiasco. Wait a minute... is that you, Babylon's Fall? It's certainly a story we've seen before, and are likely to see again. We can only hope that this Control spin-off is a one-off blunder for Remedy and that the developer gets back on track with Control Resonant next year.
The 'Winner':
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
When a game's reveal is enough to put a damper (for some) on the reveal of one of the most anticipated and talked-about game systems ever, you know something's a little off. Or, perhaps, it's more that everything's off: we not only got a tech demo instead of Nintendo following its tradition of launching innovative party games for new hardware, but it also comes with a price tag, and a major selling point is in providing you with information you can read on Nintendo's website or the system's manual. This writer is unable to say more on the subject, as I may and may not have actually paid for it.
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I feel like DragXDrive should not be on this list… that game didn’t have high expectations going in, and many left the game feeling impressed. It’s an example of a small budget release of something that is new and fresh— why do gamers so often punish devs for making such games?
Prime 4 is a very good game. To put it next to Mindseye is stupid. Yes it was voted but by idiots
It being a very good game doesn't mean it can't also be disappointing to a lot of people. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. Disappointing is not the same thing as bad. I haven't played it, but judging from the general critical and audience response, Prime 4 is a clear step down from the original trilogy in terms of quality, even if it is still a good game in its own right.
Exactly. A game you expect to be a 10/10 that is actually an 8/10 is more disappointing than a game you already expect to be bad.
If I think a game is going to be 7/10 and it turns out to be complete ass 0/10, I'm not really disappointed because I wasn't that excited for it in the first place.
It's not about the worst game. The most disappointing game would be a game that you were really looking forward to that underdelivered.
Don't think a lot of people understood that because I doubt many were super hyped for Welcome Tour in the first place, so how could they be disappointed by it?
It's the game that belong's in the category the most. It's a game that had high expectations that udnerdevelivered on those expactations for a lot of people. Nobody was expecting anything drag x drive or welcome tour. those games were widely mocked after being revealed. that's not really disappointment.
Don't put it with mindseye when that game always looked shit.
well said!
The more hype it has, the more disappointing it can be.
I tried MindsEye and I was impressed by how unplayable it is.
How could anyone with common sense put Prime 4 in the same list as Switch 2 Welcome Tour?
Metracritic Score for each game:
Game | Metascore | User Score
MindsEye | 37 | 26
FBC: Firebreak | 64 | 52
Metroid Prime 4 | 78 | 80
Drag x Drive |60 | 50
Welcome Tour | 54 | 37
For me Metroid Prime 4 holds up as a Great game, It may not be the absolute best in the series, but it's one I would confidently recommend to anyone. And the guy in the image, Mackenzie, is starting to become pretty cool in my book. He stops getting so involved after the tutorial-like sections, and his character reflects an introverted person with specialized knowledge and interests that gradually grow on you.
Yeah, Metroid Prime 4 absolutely should not be on this list. The people "disappointed" with it still rate it like 8/10, but they were just hoping it would be a 10/10. Someone else also mentioned Drag x Drive not having high expectations and I would also agree with that.
MindsEye and the Switch 2 Welcome Tour should absolutely be on this list though, and I do agree with Welcome Tour getting the award. The fact that Sony packs in Astro's Playroom with every PS5 - yet Nintendo somehow CHARGES MONEY FOR WELCOME TOUR - is bonkers.
My hot take is that I'm enjoying Prime 4 exactly as much as the old games so far, if not a little more. It's wild to me that Prime Remastered scored 13 points higher on OpenCritic just 2 years earlier. Of course the criteria are a little different for remasters but still a huge difference.
I was enjoying Prime 4 a lot in the beginning, but the longer the game went on, the more I found myself disappointed with it. Once the wow factor starts fading, you realize it's all style and no substance - or well, at least that's how it was for me. I'm surprised Prime Remastered scored only 13 points higher.
I don't really see it but I also haven't beaten the game yet so I'm not really the best to speak to the full experience. I think it also boils down to the fact that the originals aren't really 90+ games in my book, so my expectations weren't skyhigh going into it. At the very least I can't say I'm disappointed yet.
Prime 4 was great. I really enjoyed it. Only prime game that let me down was 2. Still well made but didn't click with me.
On the bright side, at least I didn't play every one of these - unlike 2024's list. lol
Hahaha nintys sw2 existence is forever cursed and the most disappointing moment in video gaming history period
Was anybody like. Disappointed by any of these games besides MP4???? Did people want to play Mindseye? Firebreak MAYBE but Mindseye?
Amusing to me as I know a few people that enjoyed Welcome Tour.
Over priced sure. But the debate on whether or not initial pricing should affect game reviews is for another space.
I thought Firebreak would be the winner as a game that seemed interesting in earlier trailers. Anyway go team. Thanks for the entertainment seeing as I had a break from the site during voting.
