Top 10 Most Hated DLCs of All Time

“The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” (2006)
Game companies are constantly inputting unnecessary cosmetic DLC to make a few more bucks off their players. And the Horse Armor from Bethesda’s “Oblivion” is one of the earliest cases. For $2.50, players could dress their horse up in impressive armor. Not that they could impress anyone online since the game is single-player only. While it does increase your horse’s health, it doesn’t offer extra protection from damage. It doesn’t help that it costs 500 gold in-game for every subsequent horse. It’s obviously not a lot of money, but it’s still too much for what you’re getting. And Bethesda even had to put out a statement explaining its decision.

“The Saboteur” (2009)
This one makes us feel dirty all over. “The Saboteur” follows a resistance fighter during WWII in an open-world but German-occupied France. “The Midnight Show” came packaged with new copies but was later available for $3. It included extra hiding spots and a minigame, though it’s definitely remembered more for making all the girls at the Parisian strip club, the Belle de Nuit, topless. Something about paying extra for video game nudity feels creepy. Using nudity as incentive to sell the game obviously brought along controversy. And charging other players for something that was free in new copies is always pretty crummy. Especially when what the player gets has virtually no impact.

“Metro: Last Light” (2013)
The second entry in the post-apocalyptic FPS “Metro” series was met with decent reviews thanks to its stunning world and graphics. But good games aren’t immune from bad DLC. Pre-ordering “Last Light” earned access to Ranger Mode. This higher difficulty meant less ammo and resources, no HUD, and no crosshairs. A difficulty setting is a pretty underwhelming pre-order bonus, but what’s worse is how it was marketed as the way the game is meant to be played. Publisher Deep Silver would later clarify that retailers required exclusive pre-order content and it felt this was the best option since the hardcore fans would be pre-ordering anyway. But everyone else had to pay $5 for a glorified hard mode.

“Dead or Alive 6” (2019)
Video game microtransactions have become one of the industry’s biggest problems for good reason. And “Dead or Alive 6” is the most recent display of this hated trend. Koei Tecmo’s fighter introduced Premium Tickets to the PlayStation 4 version, which cost about $1 each and can be used to purchase any cosmetic DLC without buying Season Passes. Unfortunately, “DOA 6” charged one ticket to purchase 1 of 16 hair colors. For each character. But it also charged a ticket to change it back to a color you already owned. Following immense backlash, Koei Tecmo issued a patch making it so a character’s 16 hair colors were unlocked at once and refunded all Premium Tickets. It’s still real-world money for hair colors, though.

“Battlefield” Series (2002-2018)
It’s incredibly satisfying to go through a game, enhancing your characters, skills, and weapons to take on any foe. But when a game offers those who spend more money the option to bypass all the hard work you put in, it’s genuinely aggravating. Such is the case with the “Battlefield” series. Beginning with 2010’s “Battlefield: Bad Company 2,” EA have been giving impatient players the option to pay extra for various weapons, gadgets, and unlocks for different classes without having to grind. These can range dramatically in price depending on content. While “Battlefield” isn’t the only series to do this, it is the most egregious.

“Mass Effect 3” (2012)
BioWare’s “Mass Effect” series has certainly fallen hard from its pedestal. And the beginning of the end was marked by shady DLC practices. “From Ashes” was available to everyone who bought the “Mass Effect 3” Collector’s Edition. For everyone else, it was $10. The mission-based DLC added the Prothean Javik as a crewmember. Since he’s the only surviving member of an ancient race built into the game’s lore, players weren’t too thrilled about him being behind a paywall. Many thought if it was finished, the Day 1 DLC could’ve been included in the base game. And considering “Mass Effect 2” got the similarly-sized “The Price of Revenge” for free around launch, it wasn’t a great look for BioWare.

“Destiny” (2014)
In many ways, “The Taken King” added much-needed fixes. But it was how the DLC was implemented that was such a big problem. At $40, it cost twice as much as the previous two packs. And for players who didn’t want to give more money to Bungie and Activision, they found content they had already paid for was missing. With no warning, non-buyers were locked out of Nightfall Missions and Daily & Weekly Heroic Strikes. Some smaller content was also only available in the overpriced $80 Collector’s Edition, which came with the base game and two DLC packs many players had already bought. Amidst the backlash, Bungie offered that content…for another $20. Not exactly what people had in mind.

“Asura’s Wrath” (2012)
Players of Capcom’s action-heavy “Asura’s Wrath” were surprised to reach the ending of the game and discover it didn’t actually exist. Yet. In a bold but incredibly insulting move, Capcom and developer CyberConnect2 had their game end on a cliffhanger. The final four episodes were released as the “True Ending” DLC two months after the game’s launch. And if you wanted it, you had to pay $6.99. The game may have received praise for its anime-inspired graphics and presentation. But forcing players to spend more if they want to finish your game is one of the greediest examples of DLC out there. And it’s now one of the elements “Asura’s Wrath” is most remembered for.

“Fallout 76” (2018)
Although it isn't a traditional DLC, Fallout 1st is more than deserving of its spot. “Fallout 76” was swiftly met with fair criticisms upon release. While some fans still enjoyed playing, they asked Bethesda to implement certain needed features. Bethesda’s response was to listen to these fans and charge them $12.99 a month or $100 a year via subscription service. But it couldn’t even get these features right. Private servers for you and up to 7 friends weren’t invite-only, meaning any person on your friend list could join without asking. And the scrapbox, meant to offer unlimited storage for crafting components, actually deleted players’ items due to a bug. With a poor base game and ridiculous asking price, Fallout 1st never seemed worth it.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Legend of the Mammoth, “Far Cry Primal” (2016)
Thanks, Because Boring Mammoth Missions Is Exactly What We Want From “Far Cry”

Missing Characters, “Street Fighter X Tekken” (2012) (street fighter cross TEKK-in)
On-Disc DLC Is Never a Good Idea

25 Lives Pack, “Sonic Lost World” (2013)
Quite Possibly the Lamest Pre-Order Bonus in Existence

The Color Pack, “Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition” (2011)
Different Colored Sprites? Really?

“The Sims” Series (2000-2020)
If there’s any game series that showcases everything wrong with DLC, it’s “The Sims.” The original game’s expansions added new mechanics and features. But with every game since “The Sims 2,” the franchise has added more and more Stuff Packs. Each one offers new outfits and furniture set around different themes that do nothing for the gameplay experience. The most recent entry was rightfully criticized for launching with less content than “The Sims 3,” but offered 17 different Stuff Packs at $10 a pop. Even its 9 Game Packs, which do offer new gameplay, only prove that this franchise has turned into nothing more than a DLC-making factory.