The Worst Games of 2022, According to Metacritic’s User Score
With 2022 drawing to a close, there’s no better time to look back on the gaming highs and lows to see the current state of the industry heading into the new year. Well, today, unfortunately, we’ll be focusing on the worst of the worst. By counting down the worst games of the year according to Metacritic’s user scores, we can see what aspects of games people utterly despise- so much so to take time out of their day to leave a negative review online. Quick spoiler- the bottom few have a lot of the same flaws in common. Just to note, no sports games or those that have under 100 user reviews will be counted- we’re looking at the biggest disappointments that angered as many people as possible. So, without further delay, let’s take a look at the worst of the worst 2022 offered us.
10: Salt and Sacrifice- 3.9 User Score
A sequel to the beloved 2016 Salt and Sanctuary, this 2D action RPG disappointed a lot of fans with the removal of features pivotal to the original in what fans called a ‘dumbing down’ of the series. Notable issues included the lack of an interconnected world that made the first game so great, poor platforming in a 2D platformer, and a number of frustrating aspects that made boss fights even more infuriating. The only redeeming factor reviewers pointed to was the art style- but that could only carry the game so far.
“I was truly shocked how bad this game is as I was really excited for Salt and Sanctuary sequel. Everything related to controls feels so clunky… I was truly shocked how bad this game is”
Aenorr- Metacritic User
9: CrossfireX- 3.3 User Score
With poor user and critic scores, CrossfireX seems to have missed the mark for everyone who engaged in its dull multiplayer action. Released as an Xbox exclusive in February, reviews point to an outdated experience that feels more like a PS3-era game more than anything else. A short and stunted campaign didn’t help matters- meaning your only real option would be to delve into the poor online matchmaking that provided slow, clunky combat when you were able to arrive in a game. The free-to-play battle pass mechanics also didn’t impress. It’s safe to say that the life cycle of CrossfireX won’t last too much longer into 2023 if developers Remedy can’t turn this ship around.
“Prob One of the worst games in years, Outdated mulitplayer that feels like an avarage shooter from the ps2/xbox times.”
Rhinochimera- Metacritic User
8: Gotham Knights- 3.2 User Score
While the 30fps controversy may have been a factor in Gotham Knight being slammed by users, its other aspects didn’t do too much to improve the experience. With a mixed reception to the narrative and janky controls, the pseudo-follow-up to Batman: Arkham Knight fell short of expectations in a catastrophic way. The progression system was one of the most heavily criticized aspects. Although there were four different characters to control, you would first have to grind out up to five hours’ worth of missions just to be able to unlock the most basic abilities. If you then switched characters, you would have to grind them out again. This resulted in most of the playtime being spent in dull, repetitive combat arenas for hours. Even the opportunity to explore Gotham again isn’t even a good enough reason to try this game.
“The game is boring… roaming the city and parkouring is so bad and slow…many tutorials and endless reading, missions are scattered everywhere”
Yaba- Metacritic User
7: Pokémon Scarlet- 3.1 User Score
With a score as low as 3.1, you may be expecting a game to flop and undersell due to critical and fanbase reception. However, if one series can buck this trend, it’s Pokemon. Being the fastest-selling game (not just Pokemon) in Nintendo’s history, it’s clear that the massive media franchise can achieve sales regardless of quality. This was most evident with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet this year. Pokemon Sword and Legends: Arceus may have had some technical problems, but Scarlet blew that out of the water. Frequent crashes, ridiculous pop-in, and frame rate dips at the smallest of encounters leave Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feeling severely unfinished and held back by the Switch’s aging hardware. Even innovations like an open-world progression system and tweaks to the series’ trademark catching mechanic couldn’t redeem these games from universal criticism for their unacceptable performance.
“This game is unplayable, and all it does is crash, stutter, or freeze, at 5 frames a second.”
Tomplexthis- Metacritic User
6: Saints Row- 2.5 User Score
A reboot of the original Saints Row series, 2022’s Saints Row definitely wasn’t the next big step in the franchise that developers Deep Silver thought it would be. With cringy dialogue, rough graphics, and (yet again) clunky gameplay, the latest entry in the Grand Theft Auto parody series was more of a step backward than anything else. An empty world that discourages exploration with an outdated Ubisoft-esque system forces players to play through a predictable and dull story that removes any sense of scale or stakes at every turn. Both fans and critics alike urge anyone who may have any investment in the original saga to stay away from this failed reboot.
“Litany of bugs and terrible humor (if you can call it that) aside, the game is terribly written with very poor pacing, lackluster narrative, and very flat characters.”
Xyrogyra- Metacritic User
5: Gran Turismo 7- 2.1 User Score
The biggest critic-user score disparity on this list, Gran Turismo 7 actually has an impressively high Metascore of 87 compared to the awful 2.1 that users have given it. So, what’s the reason for this range of scores? Well, the game itself actually plays really well and is yet another triumph in the racing genre. With more cars, increased visual fidelity (thanks to the hardware of the Playstation 5), and tight controls, the seventh entry in Sony’s flagship racing series follows the trends of its predecessors in many ways. What caused such a downward skew in the reviews, however, was the fact that people could barely even play the game upon release. The servers required everyone to always be online when playing- even if they want to engage purely in single-player content. The biggest issue with this was that the servers were frequently taken down for maintenance. Simply put, people couldn’t play the game they spend £70 on. While that has now improved, the review bombing has left a stain on the series’ usually great track record.
“Game requires always online for single player, and servers are constantly down for maintenance”
Daftone- Metacritic User
4: Chocobo GP- 2.1 User Score
Strangely enough, the next entry in the list is another racing game- although, one that is quite a bit different from the last. A niche kart racer with chibi-style versions of famous Final Fantasy characters and mascots doesn’t seem like an awful idea- but the execution is what really put this one in the ground. The base game of Chocobo GP is free to play- which allowed Square Enix to completely overwhelm players with egregious microtransactions as soon as you boot up the game. With the best characters and karts locked behind a paid battle pass, it’s clear that a game that could have been great was wasted by Square to simply make some quick money by exploiting fans of the beloved Final Fantasy series. All in all, Chocobo GP plays and feels like a cheap mobile game- which is something that it doesn’t seem ashamed at all to wear on its sleeve.
“Most of the game is locked behind wasting time or just straight paying for another game without actually getting on.”
Zer0Necrosis- Metacritic User
3: Overwatch 2- 1.5 User Score
The first Blizzard game on the list (but definitely not the last), Overwatch 2 seemed confusing in its very concept. A sequel to the highly praised free-to-play Overwatch, fans were promised new maps, characters, and a fully-fledged single-player campaign at launch. What they got was a couple of new maps, a few more characters, and some existing hero tweaks that actually make some feel worse to play. On top of that, the complete lack of any single player whatsoever and the reset of character unlocks for players who had put hundreds of hours into the original. With a disparity like this, Blizzard didn’t just underdeliver with Overwatch 2, but they also misled fans into thinking they were going to receive something that they knew they wouldn’t be able to deliver in time. On top of this, they even removed more than they added. Even a mocking name like Overwatch 1.5 may be too much for this granular upgrade.
“This is an unfortunate mess for the game. Servers are down huge queue times, and lots of microtransactions. What used to be a fun game and series has now dropped everything that made the game fun”
MineBorder- Metacritic User
2: Babylon’s Fall- 1.4 User Score
When the word ‘fail’ is commonly placed into the name of your videogame, you know something went terribly wrong. That’s exactly the case with Babylon’s ‘Fail’, which was released early this year. This live service disaster was originally intended by Square Enix to be a title to be constantly updated over years with new content in the vein of Destiny 2 or MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV. In reality, the servers were shut down merely six months after release. Due to choppy gameplay and a dull world that wasn’t worth exploring, Babylon’s Fall tanked hard. Even the microtransactions in a £70 game weren’t enough to make enough money for Square Enix to justify carrying on with this project. However, regardless of how bad this experience was, there was nothing that could compare to the worst game of 2022- one that will change how people talk about the industry for years to come.
“A premium-priced game that’s actually more expensive than many other great premium games out there, whilst incorporating predatory microtransactions akin to something you would find in a f2p mobile game. All of which overshadows the mediocre gameplay”
HazzyDevil- Metacritic User
1: Diablo Immortal- 0.3 User Score
Diablo Immortal is not only the lowest-rated user score game of the year but is actually the worst-rated of all time at the writing of this article. The second Blizzard game on the list doesn’t set a good precedent for the company going into 2023- especially considering recent reports of heavy crunch and questionable decisions for the highly anticipated Diablo IV next year. With Diablo Immortal, it already feels like Activision Blizzard has flown too close to the sun.
In many ways, Immortal actually feels like the culmination of every one of the worst games this year: repetitive gameplay, shoddy performance, and, of course, the exploitative microtransactions that prey on those who can become addicted to products like this. Diablo Immortal is a rare case in that it isn’t just a bad game- it’s one that actively harms the industry. Blizzard’s latest disaster is something that represents everything wrong with modern video games. We can hope that 2023 can spell the end for these exploitive products, but given the track record in recent years, I’m not holding out too much hope.
“This is an online gambling casino disguised as a game. It's basically a Diablo 3 reskin with predatory microtransactions and worse game mechanics. Can't believe how low Blizzard has fallen these days, it's embarrassing. Blizzard is exposing kids to straight gambling with this. Do not support this company”
Crighten- Metacritic User
