Top 20 Most HATED Games On Steam
#20: “The Day Before” (2023)
Top 10 Most Hated Games On Steam
Few video games are as truly disastrous as “The Day Before.” Controversy followed this apocalyptic shooter from the very beginning. Whether it was widespread trademark disputes, reports of plagiarism, allegations of being a scam, or Fntastic’s use of unpaid labor, it seemed like “The Day Before” was destined for failure. We just didn’t know how bad it would be. Upon release, fans discovered that this was not an MMO, but an extraction shooter, and a really, really bad one at that. Full of game-breaking technical issues, it received “overwhelmingly negative” reviews on Steam and was pulled from the market shortly after release. No-questions-asked refunds were issued to everyone who bought the game, and Fntastic went out of business. Talk about apocalyptic.
#19: “Mirror 2: Project X” (2022)
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Some games are hated for being technical disasters. Some are hated due to poor marketing and misrepresentation. And some are hated for being inferior sequels to widely-loved originals. That’s a…polite way of saying that “Mirror 2” did not live up to expectations. The first “Mirror” contained a lot of NSFW content, and fans were expecting more of the same when it came to “Mirror 2: Project X.” But the game removed all 18+ content, resulting in “mostly negative” reviews on Steam. We’ll let the top review speak for itself: “They took an adult game, made a sequel that’s better in every way. But then they removed all nudity?? What’s the point?”
#18: “Kinetic Void” (2014)
Gamers have been clamoring for a good space simulator. Can you imagine the possibilities of constructing your own ship and then flying through the cosmos, exploring all the planets, asteroids, and stars that fill the void? Yeah, well, “Kinetic Void” certainly wasn’t that game. It has “overwhelmingly negative” reviews on Steam, with most people complaining about the unfinished and generally broken nature of the game. Many people argue that it was abandoned by the developers, and what is there is mostly unplayable and needlessly complex. It’s a tale as old as time - a small team harbors big ambitions but doesn’t have the money or the manpower to make them a reality.
#17: “The Graveyard” (2008)
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The description of “The Graveyard” speaks for itself. “You walk around, sit on a bench and listen to a song. It’s more like an explorable painting than an actual game.” If that sounds fun to you, then have at ‘er. For many, walking around, sitting on a bench, and listening to a song does not make for a good gaming experience - even for the low price of $5. Some people have expressed their enjoyment of the game and praise the developers’ artistic ambitions. Others hate its lack of gameplay. Steam user strom has one of the top-rated reviews, writing, “Watch the video instead, that’s the whole game.” That about sums it up.
#16: “Uriel’s Chasm” (2014)
A truly bizarre game, “Uriel’s Chasm” is supposedly meant to be a commentary on religion. But we certainly wouldn’t get that from playing the game. Not only does it make little sense, but it’s also terribly-designed from a physical standpoint, resulting in many headaches and rubbed eyes. What does that text say? We don’t know, it’s impossible to read thanks to the horrid neon color. Hopefully it wasn’t important! Frankly, it’s hard to describe this game, as its cheap and amateurish design defies explanation. But man, those Steam reviews sure are funny!
#15: “RollerCoaster Tycoon World” (2016)
Back in 1999, Hasbro Interactive released “RollerCoaster Tycoon,” a simulation game in which players construct their own amusement parks. The original PC release received rave reviews and sold well, resulting in numerous sequels and spinoffs. Fast forward to November 2016, when Atari released the fourth installment, “RollerCoaster Tycoon World.” This game did a great disservice to the legacy of the series and received “mostly negative” reviews on Steam. Many criticized the game’s lackluster performance and unintuitive gameplay. Whatever the criticism, it was widely agreed that “RollerCoaster Tycoon World” was the worst entry in the franchise.
#14: “Identity” (2018)
Made by Asylum Entertainment, “Identity” promises “a new breed of massively multiplayer online role-playing game.” The trailer boasts things like “the most robust” housing system “in MMO gaming history” and a “highly interactive and evolving world.” Sounds awesome, right? The kind of game that will completely redefine the industry? Well, judging by the Steam reviews, it is absolutely not that. No, this was yet another failed Kickstarter campaign that drained hopeful gamers of their money and delivered what amounts to an unfinished and grossly unrefined tech demo. Many reviewers call it a scam, claiming that they were ripped off and stolen of their hard-earned cash.
#13: “NBA 2K24” (2023)
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The “NBA 2K” series has been going strong since 1999, but recent entries have become increasingly unreliable. Elements like aggressive microtransactions, dated gameplay, and game-breaking technical issues have marred newer installments, but “2K24” has to be the nadir. It has to be. Surely it can’t get any worse than this? The game has received “overwhelmingly negative” reviews on Steam, mostly owing to the same-old problems. Constant crashing, no proper story, glitches and bugs galore, a barren online community - it’s all there. The problems are further confounded by the fact that the PC port is a technically-inferior product to the next-gen console release. It’s a disaster on all fronts.
#12: “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II” (2022)
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The “Call of Duty” machine just keeps on chugging. A sequel to the 2019 reboot and sharing the same name with the 2009 game, the existence of “Modern Warfare II” is not only confusing, it’s controversial. The game sold incredibly well, being the best-selling video game of 2022 and the fastest “Call of Duty” game to gross $1 billion. But the players weren’t having it, judging by the “overwhelmingly negative” reviews on Steam. All the usual criticisms are here, including the blatant use of microtransactions and decade-old gameplay mechanics. This hurt even more coming off the 2019 reboot, which was very well received by critics and players alike. “Modern Warfare II” was a huge regression, symbolizing everything that is wrong with the franchise.
#11: “Overwatch 2” (2022)
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Oh “Overwatch,” what happened? The original game was a huge success, receiving universal praise, launching the Overwatch League, and grossing over $1 billion in its first year alone. And then came the sequel. With “overwhelmingly negative” reviews, the problems were numerous. The aggressive monetization received backlash, as did the inclusion of a controversial battle pass system. Further backlash came in May 2023, when Blizzard announced that they were scrapping the promised and advertised player versus environment elements. Finally, a good chunk of the negative reviews come from China, where they are unable to play on local servers owing to a business disagreement between Blizzard and NetEase. Within just 48 hours, “Overwatch 2” became the worst-rated game in Steam’s history.
#10: “Dynasty Warriors 9” (2018)
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Fans and critics frequently butt heads when it comes to judging each new “Dynasty Warriors” game. Critics take issue with the repetitive combat of the series while fans seem to really enjoy it. However, this was the game that both parties could agree was simply the worst. “Dynasty Warriors 9” attempted to integrate an open-world design, but seemingly forgot to make the game - you know - fun. The world felt empty, and the game was littered with bugs and glitches. Even the bad voice acting couldn’t redeem the game, coming off as less campy and more “trying too hard to be bad.”
#9: “Spacebase DF-9” (2014)
Of all developers, we’d never expect Double Fine Productions to make it on a list like this. “Spacebase DF-9” was a simulator game that tasked players with maintaining an environment to keep inhabitants happy and protected from alien invaders. So, how did a simple game such as this become one of the most hated games on Steam? In addition to stupid A.I. and severe lack of polish, Double Fine had taken the game out of Early Access because of poor sales. After its official launch, Double Fine would cease support for the game and release the source code for players. Basically, they gave us a broken, buggy game and called it quits.
#8: “GASP” (2015)
Hey, look! It’s a free game! Your goal is to meet other players before you run out of oxygen or get hit by too many asteroids. If you manage to successfully hold forward for the entire ten-minute journey, then yay! You won, and the game just ends. Despite having a simple goal, it still manages to be a terrible game in its awkwardly placed invisible walls and appalling physics. It may be a free game, but we want a refund for our time wasted on this game.
#7: “Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight” (2010)
Honestly, it’s not surprising to see an EA game on this list… “Tiberian Twilight” has long been considered the death of the “Command & Conquer” series. It’s a fitting reputation considering “Tiberian Twilight’s” mediocre quality. The worst part about it is that the game demands you to maintain an online connection, even for modes that don’t contain any online features. Should your connection be lost at any point, any progress made is lost. This was the game’s DRM policy, and it frustrated many players.
#6: “Infestation: Survivor Stories” [AKA “The War Z”] (2012)
“Infestation: Survivor Stories”, formerly known as “The War Z”, is practically a complete rip-off of its more successful influence, the Arma II mod that became “DayZ.” The game was an absolute mess from frequent glitches, loads of bugs, and terrible graphics. To this day, the developers are no longer supporting the game, and the forums have been shut down. You can’t even purchase the game! But, if you really want your fix, you can try “Infestation: The New Z”, which features all of the same bugs as its predecessor and includes a battle royale mode.
#5: “Day One: Garry’s Incident” (2013)
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They say that any kind of publicity is good publicity. However, this isn’t always the case, and what happened with “Day One: Garry’s Incident” is a prime example. When the late John Bain (aka “TotalBiscuit”) reviewed the game, he criticized the many flaws of the game, showing various bugs and design choices that made no sense. Developer Wild Games Studio made copyright claims on his video, which led to further criticism. Needless to say, things got worse for the devs with player backlash, and eventually, the game was pulled from the store. Good riddance.
#4: “Game Tycoon 1.5” (2014)
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Got a spare dollar laying around? Well, you might want to spend it on something better than “Game Tycoon 1.5”. As you work on building your own video game company, you’ll encounter a large variety of bugs and glitches such as audio loops, unresponsive controls, and frequent crashing. It’s just one massive headache of a game from the poorly explained tutorial section to the slow animations. Two years later, it somehow managed to spawn a sequel, and yet the reviews were just as scathing as its predecessor.
#3: “Airport Simulator 2014” (2013)
Simulators are starting to become a dime a dozen on Steam. However, only a small handful are worth your time, and “Airport Simulator 2014” is not one of those. Users have noted a wide variety of issues that plague the title. Where do we even begin? Graphics look outdated, the gameplay is dull, frequent crashes, and the game is covered in more bugs than a dead pigeon. In short, it’s a total scam. Even for a game that costs ten dollars, it’s not even worth clicking on.
#2: “Flatout 3: Chaos & Destruction” (2011)
We’re always happy to welcome destructive racing games since we don’t get enough of those anymore. Although, this is not what we were looking for. “Flatout 3: Chaos & Destruction” has some of the worst controls in a racing game, and its poor optimization causes the game to lag with almost every input, even at the main menu. What’s worse is the wonky and unrealistic physics engine. Crashing into cars feels like watching cardboard boxes smack against each other. With the first two “Flatout” games holding some level of quality, how did the third manage to be such a monumental waste of money?
#1: “The Slaughtering Grounds” (2014)
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Ladies and gentlemen, what you are looking at is, er...was the most notorious game to ever hit Steam’s store! “The Slaughtering Grounds” was the first game released by the infamous James and Robert Romine, aka “Digital Homicide”. This boring zombie-shooter featured extremely poor graphics, irritating music loops, and a hefty amount of asset-flipping. (Oh, and if you type in “blood splatter” on Google Images, you can easily find which images were used in the game.) The reason you can’t get the game anymore is because Digital Homicide tried to sue one hundred Steam users for “personal injury”. Valve proceeded to remove all of their games from the store. Did we miss your least favorite Steam game? Let us know in the comments!
