The most disappointing games in 2025 (part 1)

4 months ago, by Thibaut

While 2025 has been a prolific year for high-quality titles so far, some games have nevertheless been disappointing. Indeed, ambitious productions have failed to meet players' expectations. There are several reasons for this, which we will try to explore. Of course, disappointment does not necessarily mean that the game in question is bad. It has generally failed to meet the expectations of users who had high hopes for this new release.

How can we not start with MindsEye, Build A Rocket Boy's first AAA title? The company, led by former Rockstar Games producer Leslie Benzies, clearly rushed the release of its baby. The result is an empty shell that is ultimately just a very classic TPS. All this with numerous limitations, bugs, and other technical issues. Taken together, these flaws make the game a real disaster, as evidenced by its Metacritic score of 2.5/10, according to players.

While the launch of a new console is always an event, it can sometimes be accompanied by relatively disappointing first titles. If Mario Kart World is a model to follow, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is the opposite. This tite unites several mini-games that lets users to discover the features of the Switch 2. In addition to being nothing more than a paid technical demo, the title requires players to purchase all of the console's accessories in order to access all of its content. Not to mention the fact that not all activities are equally interesting. While the intention to introduce the machine in a fun way was commendable, the execution is more than questionable.

Furthermore, 2025 was also the year in which Remedy Entertainment experienced its first real critical failure in 30 years of existence. With FBC: Firebreak, the Swedish company clearly burned its wings by creating an ultra-repetitive and, above all, extremely generic cooperative FPS. The lack of content at launch is also far too glaring. Civilization VII, while not a bad game, plays it safe and relies heavily on DLC. This makes it an incomplete and relatively frustrating title for fans of the series. The developers could also have done a better job of guiding newcomers, who can quickly get lost in a cluttered interface.

Among the disappointments of the year, we can also mention GeoGuessr Steam Edition. While it brilliantly reprises the much-loved concept of the original game, it completely loses its way with outrageous pricing, hiding its content behind an optional subscription that actually becomes mandatory in order to enjoy a good experience. Finally, games such as Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Master Crafted Edition are riddled with minor issues that spoil what could have been a very convincing release. The remaster suffers from jerkiness and textures that are unpleasant to look at. Not to mention a relatively high price of $40 for a game originally released in 2011. This just goes to show that fine-tuning a game can be essential before its launch.

In short, those are the 10 disappointing games released during the first part of 2025. Other titles could join this sad category in the weeks and months to come. So, a second part may be necessary to discover the other productions that disappointed upon their release this year.