Granted, support is still ongoing for many of these titles, and they could improve significantly in the coming months and/or years. As of now, however, they’re still underwhelming. Without further ado, here are our picks for the 15 most disappointing games of the year.

Bounty Star

A combination of bounty hunting with mechs and farming on the side in a lawless frontier, where redemption is only really the start? Sign me up, but in the case of Bounty Star, its reach severely exceeds its grasp. Repetitive combat and objectives, surface-level base-building, iffy storytelling – it just didn’t come together as I’d hoped. Which is a shame because, for all her faults, Clementine deserved better.

Battlefield: RedSec

Between desync issues and the lack of solo play, EA’s free-to-play Battlefield royale didn’t launch in the best circumstances. The fact that it arrived alongside the core monetization for Battlefield 6 and required playing to complete Battle Pass challenges rubbed people the wrong way (as did the fact that it included naval combat, which is missing in the base game). RedSec still has room to grow and offer a fun experience, but for now, it’s got a long way to go.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion

I had my doubts about Titanic Scion when it was revealed that the Arsenals were now power armor instead of mechs, which could now ride on horses and whatnot. That was the least of the game’s problems, however, as the open world approach gave way to some truly bland-looking improvements. As nice as the customization and weapon variety could be, the amount of frustration from actual combat just undercut everything else.

Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate

How do you follow up the climactic finale to a ten-year-long Light and Darkness saga? In Bungie’s case, you start a brand new story, one focused on another intriguing subject in The Nine. Unfortunately, it also sought to anger players by ripping out whole systems, increasing the grind tenfold, recycling old content and introducing gameplay mechanics that no one wanted, like Matterspark. Destiny 2 has since experienced the lowest player numbers since the Curse of Osiris days, and as much as I like lightsabers, it doesn’t look like Renegades will completely right the ship.

TRON: Catalyst

Bithell Games’ titles can be hit or miss, but at least there’s this style, this panache that sticks out. Not TRON: Catalyst, though. The lackluster visuals make exploration dull, and the story, which attempted a time-travelling spin, often fell flat when it didn’t feel mundane. Then again, we did get TRON: Ares this year, so things can indeed be worse for the franchise.

Rennsport

Who says Teyon of RoboCop: Rogue City fame can’t make a racing game? Most people who bought Rennsport on Steam, apparently. While it had several problems throughout early access, you would think these would be addressed when it was time for 1.0, but you’d be wrong. Underwhelming physics, optimization issues, livery microtransactions and terrible multiplayer are just some of its shortcomings. All in all, a lackluster outcome.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

A canon entry in the Hyrule Warriors series – we did it. It’s just a shame then that the story as a whole feels completely perfunctory. Even if you can look past that, Age of Imprisonment doesn’t really do all that much interesting with its missions. The combat and performance are the series’s best yet, which is no small praise, but it really could have been so much more.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection

Packing every single classic Mortal Kombat title into one retro package, complete with interviews from the development team, sounds great for long-time fans (and whoever enjoyed Mythologies and Special Forces). The problem, as always, is the execution. Input, sound issues, lack of lobbies and more at launch – not to mention the price – put a real damper on the celebrations.

Yooka-Replaylee

It’s Yooka-Laylee, but with better graphics, improved controls, all moves unlocked from the outset, etc. So what’s the problem? Well, it’s still Yooka-Laylee at its core, which means the levels don’t always flow in the best ways or offer the most enjoyable challenges. Dr Quack’s quizzes are gone, which is great, but for those expecting any further overhauls beyond this should temper their expectations.

FBC: Firebreak

Why is Remedy, a developer known for its story-focused single-player titles, delving into the co-op shooter genre? Good question, but it did so anyway, and the results were mixed to say the least. While the developer included numerous improvements and even completely overhauled core systems, it wasn’t enough to proclaim Firebreak as anything less than a disappointment with an uncertain long-term future.

The Precinct

If you can get around the cheesy writing and characters, The Precinct may scratch that itch for old-school GTA with its overhead perspective. Its design choices fumble more often than not, though, whether it’s in the chases, how terrible the allied AI can be or the lackluster aiming. In other words, it may have been a neat spin on GTA, but with cops instead of gangsters, but not this one.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Remember when I said that most of the entries in this list are titles that fell short in various ways and may not be outright bad? Black Ops 7 is the exception to the latter. Its campaign is simply awful in almost every way, and while multiplayer is an improvement over last year, it has more than its share of issues. But it’s the sheer soullessness of this year’s entry that gets to me, even more so than 2023’s Modern Warfare 3.

Synduality: Echo of Ada

Amid all the hype for ARC Raiders and even Escape from Tarkov, it’s worth looking back on Bandai Namco’s failed attempt at an extraction shooter – Synduality: Echo of Ada. Support is still ongoing, for what it’s worth, but with forced PvP (that too with a lackluster player base), a laughable grind for blueprints and more, it’s no wonder that player counts continue to decline on Steam.

NASCAR 25

Remember when new NASCAR titles were a big deal, alongside the likes of Need for Speed and F1? NASCAR 25, unfortunately, doesn’t return to those days of thunder. Between Career Mode looking lackluster and multiplayer’s flailing, it’s easy to ignore the mostly fun handling. Not the worst package for the brand, but certainly nowhere close to capturing its brilliance either.

Killing Floor 3

Good news – after the Rearmament update, all Specialists can now equip any perk they desire. Bad news – Killing Floor 3 is still very lackluster. Server issues, iffy movement, no mod support, no text chat, no server browser – the list goes on, and that’s before even getting to how the futuristic premise falls flat. Tripwire continues to update and improve it, but for now, it’s little more than dead weight on the Killing Floor name.

The best way I’d describe the situation is that when you’re at the wheel of a car, this is an excellent racing simulator that looks and feels brilliant. It’s when you go off the tracks that things get a little dicey. I’m happy to say that the experience I was expecting from the game’s Dev Diaries in the run-up to its release is there for those of you looking to dive into it.

"The franchise’s Unreal Engine debut certainly lives up to that promise, with each track looking phenomenal while the audio design does a good job of bringing the crowds and roaring engines to life."

But if your interest in racing is nothing more than fleeting, there’s little on offer to keep you invested in a campaign that feels too grindy, while a lack of fun alternatives keeps this one from joining this year’s greats. Allow me to explain.

You begin your journey as a rookie driver looking to make your mark in the ARCA Menards Series, racking up wins to earn Reputation and cash with which you repair and upgrade your car in your garage while also taking part in a few events to further improve your standing. On paper, it all sounds quite interesting, placing you in the shoes of a rising star in a superb recreation of the excitement surrounding NASCAR in the real world.

The franchise’s Unreal Engine 5 debut certainly lives up to that promise, with each track looking phenomenal while the audio design does a good job of bringing the crowds and roaring engines to life. And once you fire up your engine and get rolling, you immediately get the feeling that iRacing is on to something special.

Your car handles like a dream, and only gets better as you win a few races and get access to better parts for it. I was blown away by the very first few upgrades and the difference they made to my ride’s handline and acceleration. How you treat your car is as important as actually winning races, as you soon find that pushing it to its limits almost constantly could cost you a winning position, thanks to natural wear and tear setting in. iRacing has also made several tweaks to Force Feedback for those of you who’d like to play this one using a wheel.

"Once you fire up your engine and get rolling, you immediately get the feeling that iRacing is on to something special"

The opponent AI is quite tame for the most part, although it is erratic enough to keep things interesting. Your fellow racers often try to gain the upper hand as they move along the track, creating the scope for collisions more often than you might expect. However, being prudent with your spacing mitigates the chances of that happening to a large extent, and your team radio is quite good at calling out potential gaps that you can exploit to get ahead.

I would have liked the option to customize my car’s look for Career Mode, but the Team menu does give you a very wide range of choices outside of it. But no matter how your car looks, the way it blazes along tracks does deserve some praise, considering the excellent framerates on a base PS5. While there is a bit of stutter when playing online, I didn’t find it immersion-breaking in the slightest. NASCAR 25 chugs along quite smoothly, although a bit of motion blurring on race replays might have helped them depict the raw speed and power of each car better.

The game does a good job at making you feel each bit of damage you inflict on your vehicle, both visually and via feedback from your controller. I soon learned it was a better strategy to be kind to my vehicle and only coax as much as I needed out of it in any given situation. That’s because I was landed with quite a hefty bill of repairs after my first race, my hard-won earnings almost depleted as I forked over the cash to replace parts that my mechanics couldn’t fully fix.

You see, your garage staff has a limited number of Working Points for you to allocate towards fixing up your chassis, engine, suspension, and body. Their condition directly affects the Performance Rating of your vehicle, which can determine where you place in the next race you take on. I found myself buying replacements more often than I would have liked until I learned to ease off the throttle until I really needed to use it.

"I found myself buying replacements more often than I would have liked until I learned to ease off the throttle until I really needed to use it"

In races, crashes, or bad turns can similarly affect your car’s performance. It’s all very realistic, and the social media posts from your fellow racers at the end of a race, in case you crash into them, were a fantastic touch that added to the immersion. For those of you who like a bit of challenge from your racing, there’s a dearth of options that you can tweak in order to make this a very engaging experience indeed!

It’s all very authentic as it feels like you’re part of an actual crew looking to win as many races as you can or at least place well enough in them to keep your sponsors happy. It’s really good that iRacing managed to capture the look and feel of a NASCAR race with aplomb. I just wish that it had paid the same attention to what happens off the tracks.

In the interest of saving myself some time, I turned things down to the Normal setting and went to town on the game’s Career Mode to see how far I could go. It’s a tad disappointing that the Reputation Points you need to get you to the next big event are doled out quite sparingly, making the game’s Career Mode feel unnecessarily longer than it should have been.

"The races themselves played out quite smoothly with little to no lag or stutter, which is quite a good thing if you’re planning on duking it out with your buddies"

And that isn’t a problem tied to the races themselves. In fact, the races are quite generous in how they allocate Reputation Points to good drivers who avoid crashes and drive as cleanly as they can. Indulging in Practice and Qualifying Laps nets you a few more and also provides an opportunity to earn a bit of extra cash from sponsors that come along as you keep racking up wins.

My main gripe with the Reputation system was that it feels entirely too dependent on races. Opportunities for some PR appearances do come along to your garage, but they were quite often a choice between earning more rep or Working Points, making me choose between my own personal standing or my crew. I found myself choosing my crew every time just to ensure I had more resources to allocate towards repairing my car between races.

The game’s Season and Online modes are another gripe I had with it. They offer little to no variety in terms of the core gameplay loop, which was quite annoying despite how good it is. I will say that joining an online lobby is quite seamless, and you’re sure to find enough people to race against as the game picks up some momentum. The races themselves played out quite smoothly with little to no lag or stutter, which is quite a good thing if you’re planning on duking it out with your buddies.

"If you’re a racing enthusiast, a fan of NASCAR, or somebody who’s looking for a racing simulator that does the job and does it well, go for it."

It’s easy to see that NASCAR 25 is iRacing’s way of testing out the waters, seeing what works and what doesn’t in its pilot project. The studio has done well to focus on getting the most important part of the experience right: the racing. That’s sure to be a feather in its cap. But as for the rest of the experience, NASCAR 25 does very little to stand out and carve a name for itself like the driver at the center of its Career Mode.

It’s evident in the pre-race and post-race cutscenes, and in the repetitive camera angles in replays of your races. It shows in little details like the voice on your team radio that doesn’t change even once as you go from race to race, or even across modes. It’s prominent in the commentary that constantly repeats itself, and in the same faces standing around your car as you prepare to race. At least the tracks are varied enough

So, should you buy NASCAR 25? If you’re a racing enthusiast, a fan of NASCAR, or somebody who’s looking for a racing simulator that does the job and does it well, go for it.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

That said, there are some excellent racing games coming this year, and the list we’ve provided here – which, for the record, is ordered via least to most anticipated – arguably displays more promise than 2024. Note though, racers we’d expect to see new entries for – namely F1 25, MotoGP 25, and possibly RIDE 6 – have been left out to give space for some lesser-known titles to shine.

Endurance Motor Series

Experience the slow-burning drama of endurance racing in Endurance Motor Series, upcoming from studio KT Racing who’re deviating from their usual fayre of WRC and MXGP games (glossing over Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown) to put you behind the wheel of the world’s most hardwearing motorcars. However, honing your stamina for long-distance racing is only half the experience. In a unique twist, in Endurance Motor Series you can virtually hot desk between the car and the pit wall, modifying race strategy via abundant data sources including a neat weather radar.