It’s a part of life, but every game fan will eventually learn that not every game that looks like it is going to be a 10/10 experience is actually going to live up to expectations. When it does happen, it can be a great, feeling as if opinions are being validated, and it can be an even better feeling when the outcome is a surprise.
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Role-playing games as we know them wouldn’t be the same today if these ambitious creations hadn’t dared to go where no one else would.
Then there are the games that are complete letdowns, and this tends to happen a lot with open-world games. While not every game on the list is a complete disaster, they at least let some fans down. They will be ranked based on quality and how the hype failed to deliver.
The list will not include games that eventually turned things around, like Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man’s Sky.
GameRant Quiz
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)
10
Starfield
Not Quite The Next Skyrim
As a standalone video game, Starfield was a pretty good open-world RPG. The shooting was solid enough, the space exploration was vast, and there were a lot of customization options.
The problem was that Bethesda hyped this game up like it was going to be the new break in their open-world mold to surpass their Fallout and The Elder Scrolls games. Nothing was actually bad about Starfield. The overall package was just a bit bland, and it played things a bit too safe and seriously.
9
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Gotta Wait ‘Em All
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet were the start of a new line of Pokemon games, but their launch was rough due to technical issues. The textures were blurry, and the frame rate was poor, making this one of the most bizarre launches in the franchise’s history.
The games were nothing mind-blowing either, as Game Freak didn’t change up the formula too much and, in fact, backtracked on some elements introduced in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. There is a better version on the Switch 2 now for both games, which does make them look and run better, at least.
8
Forspoken
Cool Magic, Empty World
Forspoken had a lot of promise as a new IP from Square Enix. The game was an isekai featuring Frey, a young woman from New York City who is trapped in a fantasy world and gains magic powers. Her character and the story were drawbacks, along with the open world, which was big but devoid of things to do.
On the positive side, the game has some of the best magic powers in any recent action RPG, so it’s a major shame to see Forspoken not live up to expectations as an open-world experience overall. It’s still worth a look, but it definitely didn’t live up to expectations.
7
Anthem
Fly High
Anthem
- Released
-
February 22, 2019
Anthem had a lot of hype around it, as it was the next big game from BioWare, a studio that had already suffered a bit of a loss from its last game, Mass Effect: Andromeda. A lot was riding on Anthem, and it was received even worse than Mass Effect: Andromeda.
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It ran perfectly well for the most part, it looked great, the flying mechanics were accessible, and the shooting was proficient. It just lacked a big, seamless open-world to explore, BioWare’s trademark RPG elements and storytelling, and content overall, especially in the end-game. Now, it’s gone forever, as the servers shut down in 2026.
6
Biomutant
Animal Action
Biomutant made a lot of upcoming lists before launch because it was different than most open-world games. Players could customize their animal character however they wanted and explore the game as if it were a platformer with RPG elements and a big world.
There were a few reasons why it wasn’t an immediate hit, and most of the issues came down to polish. It was buggy at launch, from glitches to a lack of charisma to the combat not being very fluid. While still fun, it wasn’t the perfect hybrid everyone wanted it to be.
5
Crackdown 3
Deteriorating Super Soldiers
Crackdown 3 was in development turmoil for years, as it was first announced in 2014. After that, it went quiet, re-emerged sporadically to showcase more content, and then disappeared again.
When it finally launched in 2019, it was clear it was not ready to come out. There was nothing about it that made it feel next-gen compared to the two previous Xbox 360 games, and while more of the same super soldier mayhem wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just wasn’t worth the wait.
4
Dynasty Warriors 9
Chinese Mythology On A Grander Scale
Most of the Dynasty Warriors games that came before Dynasty Warriors 9 had strict mission-based action. That’s what made this ninth installment so appealing, as players could now choose a family to side with and then conquer an open-world. To the game’s credit, the world was big, and it could feel invigorating to capture bases and slay thousands of enemies.
That said, even as a game in this series, Dynasty Warriors 9 was sloppy. It had a very low degree of polish, from the visuals to the game-breaking bugs regarding quests and more, making it a letdown for long-time Dynasty Warriors fans.
3
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
Arkham Has Fallen
Rocksteady Studios proved that a developer could make a good Batman game, and they managed to make three with the Arkham trilogy. That’s why fans were excited to see what their next game would be, which shifted rumors for years until eventually Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launched in 2024, long after Batman: Arkham VR in 2016.
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It just couldn’t live up to the hype. It was a live-service shooter and not a single-player focused game like the Arkham games. Between bugs, generic gameplay, and a lack of interesting content, fans fell off hard.
2
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Caught Unguarded
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint came hot off the heels of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, which was praised for its shooting, stealth elements, co-op, and open-world. Those features were applied to a sequel that gave players more agency in their character, but it lacked the core structure of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands.
It wasn’t just a small dip in quality either; it was quite noticeable, to the point that Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint felt like a beta for a more complete game. Bugs, poor visuals, performance issues, and a lack of support made this sequel sink hard.
1
Redfall
Left 4 Vampires
After Dishonored, Arkane Studios became a hallmark studio that continued to make impressive work between Dishonored 2, Prey, and Deathloop. Redfall looked like their next big game, which was a bit like Left 4 Dead but with vampires and character classes that mattered.
What players got instead was a basic multiplayer game that lacked the style showcased in trailers and the magic from past Arkane Studios games. It is one of the lowest-rated AAA games of this generation, and no matter what updates were added, the blood was drained from this project, never to return.
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