10 WORST Games Of 2024

Every year, while we witness some truly great games, we also encounter our fair share of disappointments. This year, it feels like the mediocre titles outnumbered the exceptional ones, with fewer standout blockbusters than usual. Nonetheless, today we’ll dive into what we believe are the worst games of 2024. Stick around, because this is going to get interesting!

Let’s start with Sony’s highly ambitious $200 million project that ended up being just another generic 5v5 shooter. Yes, we’re talking about Concord. Despite its futuristic theme, the game felt like a lackluster blend of Valorant and Overwatch, which gamers promptly rejected upon its release.

The game didn’t suffer from major technical flaws, but it lacked anything remarkable, which ultimately led to its failure. In an already crowded 5v5 shooter market, Concord failed to stand out. While the maps were decent and the shooting mechanics functional, the character designs were uninspired and lacked any compelling qualities.

Playing Concord felt like a run-of-the-mill experience. Sure, it featured high-quality cutscenes, but they did little to win over gamers. Adding to its woes, Concord was a paid title, which many felt wasn’t worth the price—especially when competitors like Overwatch and Valorant are free.

As a result, the game sold only 27,000 units, meeting the low expectations many had. After eight years of development and a staggering $200–$400 million budget, this VR project turned out to be a colossal failure. With a user rating of just 1.7 out of 10, it perfectly captured the widespread disappointment among players.

Next on the list is Lego Horizon Adventures. Despite being built on a strong IP, the game failed to meet the expectations of both Horizon Zero Dawn and VR fans. The idea of combining a beloved universe like Horizon Zero Dawn with the charm of Lego initially seemed promising, but the execution left much to be desired.

The gameplay was overly simplistic, featuring puzzles and combat so easy and repetitive that they failed to engage players. The rich, memorable story of Horizon Zero Dawn was presented in a watered-down, almost infantile manner, which deeply disappointed fans.

While the game did manage to deliver some funny moments and carried a hint of the nostalgic fun factor of classic Lego games, it wasn’t enough to redeem it. These shortcomings earned Lego Horizon Adventures a spot on GameCruiser’s list of the worst games of 2024.

 

Overall, Lego Horizon Adventures delivers a lukewarm experience. Despite the strong potential of its storyline and characters, the game feels like it’s merely going through the motions, showing little effort to truly impress. Adding to the disappointment is the game’s surprisingly short duration, which only compounds the letdown.

Long-time fans of both Lego and Horizon Zero Dawn are advised to steer clear of this title, as it fails to meet expectations on almost every front. This is why Lego Horizon Adventures easily earns its place among the most disappointing games of 2024. With a Metacritic user score of just 5.6 out of 10, the response from players speaks volumes.

Another notable failure this year was Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, an action-adventure game developed by Warner Bros. and Rocksteady. In this game, players take control of members of the Suicide Squad—Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and King Shark—on a mission to eliminate the Justice League, who are under the mind control of Brainiac. While the premise initially seemed intriguing, the game turned out to be a major disappointment upon release.

The most glaring issues were the bugs and glitches, such as character clipping and mission-breaking errors, which severely disrupted gameplay. Additionally, the gameplay mechanics were repetitive, forcing players to perform the same monotonous tasks repeatedly, leading to frustration and boredom.

The storyline was another letdown. Iconic characters like Batman were poorly portrayed, frustrating longtime fans of the series. Given that the game is set in the same universe as the acclaimed Batman: Arkham Knight, known for its serious and immersive world-building, the underwhelming and unpolished execution of Suicide Squad left many feeling betrayed.

The negative reception was reflected in its scores: a dismal 3.4 user rating and a Metacritic score of 60, leaving no doubt about gamers’ dissatisfaction. For a game carrying such a legacy, this was an immense disappointment.

Lastly, we have Silent Hill: The Short Message, a game from the iconic horror franchise that also left fans deeply underwhelmed. To be clear, this is not to be confused with the much-anticipated Silent Hill 2 remake.

In this short horror game, players control a young girl named Anita, who is trapped in an abandoned building. While the horror atmosphere was initially effective, the gameplay quickly became repetitive and predictable. Fans noted that it felt far removed from the classic Silent Hill experience, with weak puzzle-solving and lackluster exploration elements that failed to live up to the series’ legacy.

Despite generating considerable hype among the Silent Hill fanbase, the game ultimately failed to deliver, leaving players disappointed and longing for the franchise’s former glory. As a result, Silent Hill: The Short Message has earned its spot as one of the most disappointing games of 2024.

 

The suspenseful buildup expected from a Silent Hill game was poorly executed in The Short Message. Many players criticized the outdated graphics, and without a strong narrative or compelling antagonist, the game lacked the depth fans have come to associate with the franchise.

Most of the random elements and jump scares fell flat, often coming across as awkward or even laughable. The enemies failed to evoke the genuine terror that defines Silent Hill. As a result, both fans and critics deemed The Short Message a disappointment, reflected in its Metacritic score of only 53 out of 100.

Moving on, we have Skull & Bones, a naval combat-focused game developed by Ubisoft. Despite over a decade in development, the final product failed to meet expectations, making it one of the year’s most notable failures.

The gameplay and missions were monotonous, showing little creativity in the progression system. Fans expecting an immersive open-world pirate experience, akin to Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, were left disappointed. Basic features like swimming and sword fighting—staples of pirate adventures—were inexplicably absent, frustrating players who had eagerly awaited the game for over ten years.

Combat and exploration mechanics felt restrictive, severely limiting immersion. Even the inclusion of a ship stamina system—a first for the genre—proved to be more annoying than innovative. Players voiced their frustration online, calling the game incomplete and unpolished, especially given its numerous delays.

Technical issues, lack of innovation, and a general sense of incompleteness led to overwhelmingly negative reception. Skull & Bones holds a Metacritic score of 59 out of 100, with an even lower user rating of 3.3 out of 10.

Another disappointment this year was the reboot of the classic ’90s horror game Alone in the Dark. The game attempted to revive nostalgia by following Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood as they searched for a missing relative in a haunted setting.

While the atmosphere was intense, the game received mixed to negative reviews. The outdated gameplay mechanics failed to meet modern standards, resulting in repetitive and clunky combat and exploration. Players criticized the simplistic shooting mechanics and uninspired puzzles, which lacked engagement.

Technical flaws, including bugs and glitches, further disrupted the experience. Additionally, the game fell short in delivering impactful scares—an essential element of any horror title—and lacked emotional depth in its characters and eerie environments.

IGN gave the game a score of 6 out of 10, and its Metacritic rating hovers around 63, reflecting its lukewarm reception.

Finally, Die by the Blade, a samurai-inspired fighting game, also struggled to leave a mark. The game focused on a minimalist style and precise timing, reflexes, and strategy, catering to hardcore fighting fans. However, upon release, it was met with predominantly negative reviews.

The biggest issue was the lack of depth in its gameplay mechanics. While the concept of defeating opponents with a single strike is intriguing, the execution felt shallow and failed to sustain long-term player engagement. Matches quickly became repetitive, and the limited variety in characters and movesets further compounded the problem.

Fans of the fighting genre expressed disappointment with the game’s unbalanced mechanics and poor optimization. These issues, combined with a lackluster presentation, led Die by the Blade to a disappointing reception, earning it a Metacritic score of 55 out of 100.

 

The single-hit death system in Die by the Blade was an intriguing concept. However, the limited move sets and combat options made the gameplay feel repetitive and shallow. Bugs and glitches, including clipping through objects, animation lag, and hit detection issues, further disrupted the combat experience, making it inconsistent and frustrating.

Players also criticized the lack of content, with limited game modes and character options reducing the game’s replay value. On Metacritic, Die by the Blade received a score of 54, with reviews consistently highlighting these shortcomings.

Dustborn is a narrative-driven action-adventure game set in a dystopian future America. Players take on the role of Pax, the leader of a group tasked with delivering a mysterious package. The game features a unique mechanic where words are used as weapons and employs a comic book art style that adds a quirky, vibrant touch.

Despite its promising concept, Dustborn failed to meet expectations due to shallow gameplay and repetitive combat, which quickly became tedious. The storytelling lacked depth, and the impact of player choices felt insignificant, leaving players underwhelmed.

Performance issues, such as frequent frame drops and bugs, further detracted from the experience. While the art style and concept were impressive, the overall weak gameplay and narrative earned Dustborn a Metacritic score of 67 and a lukewarm reception from players.

Grey One, a dark fantasy action-adventure game, places players in the role of an exiled priest on a mission to cleanse a plague-ridden world. The game features melee combat, environmental puzzles, and a gothic atmosphere designed to immerse players in a grim medieval setting.

Unfortunately, several gameplay mechanics detracted from the experience. The stamina system felt overly restrictive, limiting combat and exploration while making the gameplay feel slow and tedious. Additionally, the traditional checkpoint system, with limited save points, frustrated players by forcing them to restart progress after failing in challenging areas.

Technical flaws, including bugs and glitches, gave the game an unpolished feel. Repetitive environments further diminished the appeal of exploration. With a user score of 6.8 out of 10 and a Metacritic rating of 65, Grey One fell short of player expectations and failed to leave a lasting impression.

Unknown Eye: Awakening, inspired by Indian culture, was highly anticipated after its intriguing trailer. The story follows Haruna, a girl with unique powers, as she uncovers the secrets of a hidden society in a tale of self-discovery.

Unfortunately, the story felt disconnected, and while the gameplay initially seemed promising with its combination of hand-to-hand combat and magical abilities, it quickly became repetitive and uninspired. The mechanics and puzzles lacked variety, and the graphics resembled those of the PS3 era, with controlled and limited environments that failed to impress.

The game’s biggest disappointment was its misrepresentation of Indian culture. NPCs and environments appeared stereotypical, highlighting a lack of research and authenticity. Priced at ₹2,999, the game felt overpriced for such an unpolished and lackluster experience.

While Unknown Eye: Awakening had a unique concept, it ultimately failed to deliver due to poor execution and a lack of cultural sensitivity, leaving players deeply disappointed.