Top 10 Most HATED Video Game Franchises

When a series is named after a term used for inflicting mass violence, it’s bound to draw some controversy. The original “Postal” follows a man who believes everyone around him has been infected by a toxin that makes them hyper-aggressive. It was an excuse to let players loose, but the series hasn’t done much to evolve since 1997. In fact, it has devolved, focusing on the same premise with a heavier emphasis on vulgarity. What started as dark humor has become distasteful, but the games also aren’t very fun to play. Both “Postal III” and “Postal 4” were slammed for being technical messes with dated jokes.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. “Battlefield” used to be a great alternative to “Call of Duty,” focusing more on team-based objectives, realism, and larger maps. But with the way EA has treated it, it has caused more and more players to lose their love for it. While its online community is still present, many have voiced their dissatisfaction across multiple games. Mediocre campaigns are one thing, but countless bugs, lackluster features and modes, and balancing issues are quite another. “Battlefield 2042” was a major point of contention, with players complaining about all of the above, as well as unwelcome changes to gameplay.

Although Rockstar has certainly stumbled with the franchise’s re-releases, most players seem pretty happy with “Grand Theft Auto.” When it comes to the larger world, though, it’s a buzz word for all things negative about gaming. Since the first game’s release, the franchise has been at the center of too many controversies to count. Thanks to giving players the freedom to be as unhinged as possible, it’s a constant scapegoat for real-world violent acts. This has given it a reputation that it’s never fully been able to shed. When “GTA VI” releases in 2025, we all better be prepared for the cycle to start anew.

In many cases, hate for a franchise is directly tied to the company behind it. Blizzard has seen its fair share of controversies over the years, a few of which have surrounded “Diablo.” While the first two entries remain beloved, things started growing sour with 2012’s “Diablo III.” Many criticized the need for it to always be online. But even more hated the Auction House, a feature that let players purchase in-game items with real-world money. Unfortunately, then came “Diablo Immortal.” Not only did fans hate the idea of a mobile entry, but it was released with a ton of shady microtransactions. “Diablo IV” actually started off strong, but then the studio issued updates to make everything take longer so that you’d keep grinding.

The original “Five Nights at Freddy’s” garnered a lot of attention due to its unique premise, spreading across the internet like wildfire. Unfortunately, problems arose for many players when it became a franchise. With so many constant sequels and spin-offs by this point, the series has been criticized for repetitive gameplay and for relying too much on jump scares. Releasing more and more entries without innovation, while still being popular, is a surefire way to draw some very vocal hatred. Even those that have stuck with the series have grown tired, as lore can often be confusing or plain nonsensical. Despite the hate, the franchise doesn’t show signs of slowing down and even got a movie adaptation in 2023.

While “Overwatch” is barely a franchise with only two games, the hate it’s gathered in just a short period is almost impressive. The first game was genuinely fantastic, with a variety of character types, an addictive gameplay hook, and an engaging world. While the world and characters began to feel shallow over time, that only brought mild dissatisfaction compared to what came with “Overwatch 2.” Many questioned the need for a sequel when Blizzard could just update the first. A free-to-play model sounded good, until we realized it gave the studio free reign to load it up with microtransactions. Needless changes to gameplay also rubbed many the wrong way, as did the cancellation of promised story-based missions.

Essentially the Minions but in bunny form, the “Rayman” spun-off Rabbids were just the type of loud, silly creation for hyper kids to fixate on. But with an entry released every year from 2006 to 2014, and in some cases two, they grew to annoy a lot of players very quickly. Oversaturation was a problem, especially since they were mostly basic party games. Although, it didn’t help that we didn’t get nearly as many “Rayman” games. When artwork for “Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle” leaked, players were ready to riot. That game turned out pretty great, as did its sequel. But it says a lot that the dislike for Rabbids made so many people uneasy about a Mario game of all things.

Hate is clearly a subjective thing, yet “Bubsy” is an objectively bad series. When the bobcat’s first game was released, it was seen as little more than a lackluster attempt at another platforming mascot. While many others stopped after one entry, “Bubsy” somehow got sequels of the same quality until he jumped to the PlayStation. Unfortunately, “Bubsy 3D” is now considered one of the worst games of all time due to awful level design and even worse controls. Again, this should’ve killed the franchise. But Bubsy made a return to 2D in 2017 and got another sequel in 2019, neither of which were that good. There is no controversy here; just a group of bad games we’re surprised has been allowed to continue.

“Call of Duty” may be one of the best selling video game franchises of all time. But all the money in the world can’t protect it from hate. And it’s gathered quite a lot over the years. One of the biggest reasons players feel such vitriol towards it is because Activision insists on releasing a new one every single year. This has made one of its most common criticisms a failure to innovate or keep things fresh, despite some wildly different settings. While some still enjoy it, many others have grown bored retreading the same ground, only with more microtransactions. This has led to a sharp decline in sales. And even the free-to-play battle royale entry, “Warzone,” lost a ton of players in 2023.

When it comes to yearly, full-price releases with little-to-no updates, EA’s “Madden” series is the undisputed king. While we’re sure players felt fondly about the franchise once, that time has long since passed. It seems every year, we do the same song and dance: an entry releases with a minor refresh to the roster and almost nothing else, players complain, EA does nothing, and so on and so on. However, with no alternative way to enjoy virtual American football, it seems unlikely to change despite the immense displeasure from players. One of the fastest ways to piss off gamers is to value money over artistic integrity. With “Madden,” as well as “FIFA” and “NHL,” EA shows no signs of growing.

Which of these franchises do you think deserves the hate? Is there a big one we didn’t mention? Share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe for more great gaming videos!