The Anti-Game Awards: These were the 10 worst games of 2024 according to Metacritic

2024 was a very good year for video games, with outstanding releases such as Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth or Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, all of which are outstanding titles. On the other side of the coin, however, we have games of the caliber of Funko Fusion or Taxi Life that simply do not reach the minimum standard of fun to be considered solid alternatives to other higher-profile titles. In this text, we take a look at the 10 worst video games of 2024 according to their average score on Metacritic:

The ten worst video games of 2024 according to Metacritic

These are the 10 worst video games of 2024 according to Metacritic. We leave them in order from best to worst score:

As you can see, this “anti-GOTY 2024″ has been widely distributed, as many of these video games are multiplatform, so it cannot be considered that any of them had a higher volume of mediocre releases. Below, we will review them one by one and briefly explain why they received their respective marks:

Sker Ritual

Sker Ritual is the sequel to Maid of Sker. In this PvE cooperative title, up to four players can work together to fight the hordes of the evil Quiet Ones. This is a rounds survival video game that is very reminiscent of the zombie mode of the Call of Duty franchise. As such, this is its main strength and also its Achilles’ heel. If you like this type of game, it is an option to consider, but if it is not your thing, you will get bored right away.

Die by the Blade

Die by the Blade is a 1 vs. 1 fighting title with realistic Hellish Quart-style bladed weapons. A single hit at a critical point can kill us, which makes the fights full of tension. Unfortunately, this title is more style than substance, and it gets repetitive very quickly. The lack of variety in weapons, characters, and game modes doesn’t help.

Funko Fusion

Funko Fusion is an official video game based on the popular vinyl figures of many famous licenses... and that’s about all you can say about it. This action-adventure title resembles the official LEGO games in concept, but not in execution. An excessive simplicity in terms of mechanics and an overly repetitive development are its main negative points.

Silent Hill: The Short Message

Silent Hill: The Short Message was an interactive horror experience released for free and exclusively on PlayStation 5 earlier this year. However, despite its good intentions - as evidenced by its free-to-play status - its main problem was the whole controversy with Konami and the cancellation of Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro’s highly acclaimed Silent Hills P.T. and the debacle of the interactive Silent Hill Ascension series. Ultimately, The Short Message was perceived as a poor attempt to keep one of the most important horror franchises in video games relevant.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown was meant to be a nostalgic return to the greatness of the first two Test Drive Unlimited titles, two remarkable titles that seamlessly combined the racing, driving, and open-world genres of the PS3-360 era. Unfortunately, Solar Crown was not a worthy continuation of the Test Drive franchise’s legacy due to numerous technical issues and outdated graphics that rendered this online experience a virtual stillbirth.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants

It hurts, and it hurts a lot, to see a Ninja Turtles game on a list like this, but here we are. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is one of the worst titles in the popular franchise. This beat ‘em up is a home console port of the 2017 arcade game based on the 2012 3D animated series. Though it includes some bosses and extra levels, it’s ultimately a short video game with little replayability and doesn’t work as an official product due to its late arrival.

Pneumata

Pneumata was developed by a single person, and while that is commendable, in this case his efforts were not enough to deliver a satisfying experience. While the setting is one of the strongest points of this horror game, virtually every other aspect fails, including the gameplay and development, which is typical and unsurprising at this point.

Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator

Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator is exactly what its name says: a taxi driving simulator. This peculiar title, in which we will have to drive around Barcelona from top to bottom, taking our clients to their destinations, has received ratings ranging from a pass to a pass due to the limited nature of its proposal: it is a title that is not particularly exciting due to its simulator nature, and therefore pales in comparison to the great arcade exponent of the genre: Crazy Taxi.

Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports

Using such a popular license as ‘Looney Tunes’, with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and company, did not save Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports from going up in flames. Broadly speaking, what we have here is a sports compilation that is a mess on all four sides: only nine controllable characters and four different sports make it a very limited video game that ultimately does not do honor to this intellectual property.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash

And we come to number one. Or in this case, the worst-reviewed game of 2024 according to Metacritic. This is Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash, an arena fighter based on the popular anime that turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year. There are many reasons for this, such as an incomprehensible lack of local multiplayer for a fighting game, or a very limited roster of characters that make us get bored right away. The high expectations for this Jujutsu Kaisen video game have led to it being punished more harshly than usual.