Metacritic reveals the worst video games of 2023

Metacritic has revealed ten of the worst-rated video games of 2023, and almost all of them are available on Xbox... if you want to see them for yourself.

Tom West

Published 24 Dec 2023

Although we've had a year filled with great games, we've also seen many arrive with a sting of disappointment. Some, like Lord of the Rings: Gollum, you may have already heard about, while others might have come and gone without hitting your radar. If you're interested to know which games didn't quite make the cut this year, Metacritic has listed the ten worst video games of 2023 — as long as they were reviewed by at least seven "professional critics."

2023 has been a phenomenal year for the best Xbox games, with titles like Baldur's Gate 3, Starfield, Diablo 4, Alan Wake 2, Cocoon, and more arriving on the platform. But as with all good years, there were also a number of bad eggs.

10 — Gargoyles Remastered
09 — Loop8: Summer of Gods
08 — Gangs of Sherwood
07 — Hellboy: Web of Wyrd
06 — Crime Boss: Rockay City
05 — Testament: The Order of High-Human
04 — Quantum Error
03 — Greyhill Incident
02 — Flashback 2
01 — The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

It comes as no surprise that Daedalic Entertainment's The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has nestled into first place here, as it was hit with extremely low scores from critics when it launched. Here on TA, it currently holds a user rating of 1.6/5 stars and only 11 of the 1,520 TrueAchievements members to have started it have managed to stick with it long enough to unlock all 36 The Lord of the Rings: Gollum achievements.

But what was the worst game you played from this year's releases? Let us know in the comments below. And if you need to wash the taste of the bad games out of your mouth, our list of the best Xbox exclusives has your back.

Xbox Series X|S

Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.