Not every game is going to be the next Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher, or Grand Theft Auto 5, but Steam has allowed some abysmal games to remain in its catalogue since as early as 2014 and 2015. Sometimes the poor ratings are down to terrible graphics and stale gameplay, but most times Steam’s most hated games get a bad rep because they take boring concepts and somehow make them even more dull.
Many failed Steam games have received shocking reviews because they tried to be bigger and better and fell flat on their faces. Arguably, the lesser-known titles generally have a lower budget, but lack of finances never stunted creativity before. There have been some outstanding low-budget video games in recent years such as Papers, Please and Rocket League. Steam has some incredible video game notches under its belt, but with all the good must come some bad.
Here are the most hated Steam games, ranked by total percentage of negative reviews.
20. Urban Empire (2017) — 3.38 (34%)
Developed by the independent company Reborn Games, Urban Empire attempted to replicate the common RPG modus operandi that includes building an empire, farming resources, and wishing you’d never spent $30 on such a wash-out game. On Steam, out of 1,871 reviews, most were negative and considering that Reborn Games has never released another title since, it’s safe to say that Urban Empire might have killed their spirits somewhat.
19. Dynasty Warriors 9 (2018) — 3.35 (33%)
This free-to-play RPG from Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd. invites players to “experience the thrill of one versus thousands in an all new open world setting!” Sounds promising, right? Koei Tecmo actually have a substantial following of over 327,000 and several titles under their belt. Unfortunately, Dynasty Warriors 9 was simply never meant to sit among the greats. Just like many other RPGs, the gameplay is repetitive and even though the game itself costs nothing, somehow you still feel ripped off after playing it.
18. Genesis Online (2015) — 3.13 (31%)
Although it was made public in 2009, Genesis Online technically didn’t fully release until 2011, showing up four years late to the bandwagon party hoping to outdo Minecraft. Genesis Online is described as a “First Person Multiplayer Adventure game in an editable procedural cubic world.” If that description sounds familiar, it’s because the entire concept is fashioned from Minecraft. They thought we wouldn’t notice, but we did. Quite frankly, the characters are downright creepy and even if the game were enjoyable, it would be hard to overlook the glaringly obvious plagiarism.
17. Stronghold 3: Gold (2012) 3.09 (31%)
Firefly Studios has released a whole host of Stronghold games that mimic the popular mobile game Clash of Clans. Regardless, Stronghold 3: Gold is another $30 cash-grab that plays just the same as every other Medieval RPG. Although the game is described as “award-winning”, that bar isn’t set very high for castle-building games that borrow from one another’s mechanics and storylines to eventually all bleed into one another. Simply put, among the 2,500 mostly negative reviews, the common denominator seems to be that regardless of whether or not you like Stronghold 3: Gold, it isn’t worth the daylight robbery.
16. Sniper Art of Victory (2008) — 3.00 (30%)
This CI Games title, which was the first of many in a sniper-based series, deserves to be cut a little slack. Sniper Art of Victory was created in 2008, during a time where technology isn’t as advanced as it is now. Any outdated game is bound to get bashed on Steam, whether it has good qualities or not. Since Art of Victory, CI Games have gone on to create a Sniper Ghost Warrior series that has surpassed its predecessor. As times have changed, the software advancements have helped generate a more enjoyable, smooth experience. If Sniper Art of Victory had released 10 years later, it wouldn’t have such bad reviews as it does.
15. Autobahn Police Simulator (2015) — 2.98 (30%)
Simulators have become huge investments in the video game world, especially the completely idiotic ones. Z-Software’s Autobahn Police Simulator — which has since launched two sequels — “is the first simulation to realistically reflect the working life of a police officer on the German Autobahn.” After getting review-bombed on Steam, there’s no telling what possessed Z-Software to release two more games, but what makes Autobahn Police Simulator so bad is the fact that it takes itself way too seriously. Honestly, the game is more of a meme than a serious, educational, or fulfilling experience. At this point, Steam has no shame and clearly no reputation to uphold.
14. Umbrella Corps (2016) — 2.88 (29%)
No disrespect to Resident Evil, which is the highest-grossing horror/zombie genre franchise of all time, but what was Capcom thinking? There’s an unspoken rule of any franchise; spin-offs and tie-ins almost never work. No one wants to deviate from the main storyline, even if the concept is fresh and inventive. Unfortunately, Umbrella Corps just couldn’t contest with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which released the following year. CAPCOM tried to pull off something imaginative, but the timing was all off. As soon as Biohazard hit the shelves, everyone flocked to stores to play the seventh installment, leaving Umbrella Corps in the dust. On paper, the premise doesn’t sound bad, but the execution is awful and Umbrella Corps simply lacks flair and interest. It doesn’t engage.
13. Towns (2012) — 2.63 (26%)
Even judging by its feature images, Towns doesn’t exactly excite the senses. Developer Xavi Canal/Ben Palgi essentially abandoned his own project; he took the “Early Access” money, cranked out an Alpha-version of Towns and never made improvements. It had a lot of potential and charm behind it, but the negative reviews targeted the developers more than the game itself. Towns could have been good, but instead it’s just “meh.” It really is heartbreaking when developers cash in and leave, especially because Towns does have loyal fans. They may be few and far between, but they’re there.
12. Battlefield 2042 (2021) — 2.61 (26%)
Battlefield™ 2042 released in 2021 and still costs $60. If that isn’t criminal, nothing is. Battlefield™ 2042 is a first-person shooter that marks the return to the iconic all-out warfare of the franchise, but its only achievement is completely embarrassing the Battlefield name. Many of the reviews have called Battlefield™ 2042 the epitome of depression, saying that the game was such a let-down that it turned many people off from video games for a long time and made them rethink their lives. It was promoted to be such an improvement on the past installments and turned out to be the exact opposite. Anyone that purchased Battlefield™ 2042 on release might as well have thrown their money in the trash.
11. Sacred 3 (2014) — 2.60 (26%)
Sacred 3 has been described as a “huge downgrade” from the first two games, featuring nothing more than bland and repetitive combat, annoying dialogue, bad humor, and no longevity. Honestly, Sacred 3 never had the sustainability to do well on Steam. If it felt more like a labor of love and less like a half-hearted attempt to replicate its predecessors, Sacred 3 might have performed much better than it did. It plays much more like a cheap mobile game than the third installment of a PC franchise and even $14.99 is ludicrous for the content you get. Better games can be found at a lesser cost. Rather than continue the Sacred legacy, the trilogy round-off lacks the freedom and diversity that makes Sacred so loveable.
10. Godus (Early Access) — 2.52 (25%)
Many fans supported Godus in its Kickstarter campaign and were thrilled to see Peter Molyneux reinvent the populous game. At the time of the beta release in 2013, the game was only 40 percent finished. Again, the developers lost interest in Godus and never bothered to see it through. Godus could have been insanely successful and it was certainly one of the most loved world-building games, but Molyneux’s laziness quickly made it one of the most despised. What could have been a worthy remake of Populous: The Beginning became a half-finished, frustrating, and unrewarding mobile game gathering dust.
9. RollerCoaster Tycoon World (2016) — 2.45 (25%)
Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney’s Atari have developed a whole host of RollerCoaster Tycoon games, some better than others. The best-selling theme park management series is distinctive and unique, which makes it stand out from the crowd. Almost every single review for RollerCoaster Tycoon World™ recommends readers to get Planet Coaster instead, the rival construction management game by Andrew Fletcher. It isn’t necessarily the concept that players are hating on, but rather the playability. RollerCoaster Tycoon World™is riddled with bugs, lacks refreshing content, and crashes continuously. Definitely do not recommend and you should listen to all the reviews that suggest Planet Coaster as an alternative.
8. GASP (2015) — 2.24 (22%)
On the surface, GASP looks interesting and original, but the majority of its players actually discovered the game by Googling “Worst games on Steam,” ironically, which isn’t good at all. One thing that GASP does well is generate a convincing atmosphere and an elevated sense of believability when bounce-running in low gravity. It doesn’t do anything else well. There’s a reason why GASP is free-to-play and it has nothing to do with generosity and everything to do with how shocking a game it actually is. None of the objectives are reachable, invisible walls prevent further exploration, and the only reason to install this game is to quit it and install it again. All of this may sound harsh, but if you find yourself curious enough to download and see for yourself, just remember that curiosity killed the cat.
7. Identity (2018) — 2.05 (20%)
For just $29.99, Steam will offer up one of the biggest cash-grabs ever seen. Again, the developers offered up some early access content, promised to finish the game and have it ready for consumption without errors or incompletion, then bailed on the project, never to be seen again. It’s a miracle that Steam still has Identity available to purchase because only the uninformed would ever willingly waste the money. It’s a shame, really, because Identity has such a cool, innovative concept, but its developers stole from backers and walked. Sometimes, even a complete but garbage game is miles better than an incomplete but hopeful one. In approximately 2015, Asylum Entertainment Inc. posted a Kickstarter asking for $150,000, eventually getting something close to $190,000 and five years later, they have absolutely nothing to show for it.
6. Kinetic Void (2014) — 2.02 (18%)
One-shot developers Badland Studio made Kinetic Void in 2014 and haven’t made anything since, which is very telling. When the Early Access version of Kinetic Void was released, there were numerous fixes to be made, which the developers had promised to deliver on. Spoilers alert: they never did. Even when the community reached out to help, the developers ignored the requests to finish the game once and for all. Considering that the shipyard/shipbuilder is the only enjoyable part of Kinetic Void, that tells you all you need to know. One game that does this same concept a whole lot better is Avorion, a newer, more inclusive Kinetic Void.
5. Spacebase DF-9 (2014) — 1.85 (19%)
Double Fine Productions allowed DF-9 to continue with countless bugs and glitches, but thankfully, the Steam community stepped in to save the day. An unknown team have made unofficial mods and patches to Spacebase DF-9, the link to which is here, if you fancy giving the improved version a chance to shine. Someone in the Steam forums mentioned that Double Fine had declared the game non-profitable and given total control to a lone developer, handing over the code to be edited and modified. This was seven year ago, so maybe one of Steam’s worst games doesn’t deserve that title anymore. Maybe it does. For several people that want to see it succeed, Spacebase DF-9 is worth the time, money and resources. For others, it just isn’t.
4. Uriel’s Chasm (2014) — 1.75 (17%)
On Steam, Uriel’s Chasm is described as a “religious de-programming tool”. What that means, exactly, remains a mystery. Uriel’s Chasm looks like more of a convoluted prank than a serious, worthwhile video game. One constant in the sea of negative reviews is that many people got this game for free and still feel like they paid too much for it. When the game starts, the player is greeted with a two-minute or so video of low-resolution teenagers ranting about how horrible the game is. That might have been some foreshadowing right there. Uriel’s Chasm makes a fool of itself by setting itself up to be awful and then following through with it. There’s often cut scenes or long scrolls of text that are trying to explain the storyline, but Uriel’s Chasm can’t even be considered a game, let alone a good one. It lends itself more to an unfortunate experience, like the emptiness of coming down from an intense high.
3. Flatout 3: Chaos & Destruction (2011) — 1.59 (16%)
All the middle-aged males out there are immediately attracted to this fast-paced GTA knock-off, but there’s one huge flaw with demolition games and its weakness lies in its predictability and lack of finesse. Sadly, Flatout 3: Chaos & Destruction is a full release, so there’s no excuses for this supposedly polished game that Team 6 Studios should have perfected before allowing the general public to pay for it. The mechanics are clunky and the physics are some of the worst in any racing game, which besmirches the good name of the previous games, which have since grown a community of their own. Team 6’s Flatout 3 is the type of game that people buy just to validate the staggering number of negative reviews; they play it for all the wrong reasons.
2. eFootball 2022 (2022) — 1.45 (15%)
When a Steam game promises to reinvent a genre, it almost always doesn’t. “From “PES” to “eFootball™” A new era of digital football has begun!” FIFA isn’t perfect, but eFootball™ destroyed PES. People waited for two years under the promise that eFootball™ was going to be groundbreaking and it most certainly wasn’t. What was claimed to be a “full” game still lacks content left and right and hasn’t delivered on its so-called improvements. Once again, eFootball™ is the kind of game that you play for free and still demand a refund for. eFootball™ ruined the PES franchise. Thankfully, it doesn’t have the PES brand in the title, so at least PES can disassociate from this train-wreck of a soccer game. Soon, the Steam community might go on strike and protest that eFootball™ either be removed from the directory or improved for real. KONAMI skipped on the long-awaited PES2021 and made eFootball™ instead, so it’s safe to say that they made a huge mistake.
1. War of the Three Kingdoms (2021) — 1.08 (11%)
War of the Three Kingdoms translates in the description as “Three Kingdoms Kill,” just to spare the confusion. War of the Three Kingdoms is the most hated game on Steam by a long shot, with overwhelmingly negative reviews. They may as well quit while they’re ahead with this one. Luckily, the game is free on Steam, but even that knowledge doesn’t bring much comfort. In one review, a Steam user articulately put, “the company has no integrity, no introspection, and no concern for player review.” On Steam, the developers are known as “杭州游卡网络技术有限公司,” which translates to “Hangzhou Youka Network Technology Co., Ltd.” There has never been so much malice towards a Steam game as this one; the developers are going bankrupt and reaping money from players without making improvements and Steam has outcast the game as one of the worst out there — if not the worst there is. That seems like a fair give and take.