What happens when reviewers love a game, and players don't? These fantastic titles were rejected by the public at launch.
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15. Starfield
Starfield arrived with perfect scores and Bethesda's pedigree, setting it up to be a generation-defining hit. But players found its vast planets empty, its characters flat, and its reliance on procedural generation a poor substitute for the studio's usual handcrafted charm. It created one of the widest gulfs in recent memory between critic praise and player disappointment. | © Bethesda Game Studios
14. Titanfall 2
Titanfall 2 is that rare masterpiece everyone agrees on, with a brilliantly paced campaign and perfect movement. But its release date was a disaster, squeezed right between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Critics adored it, yet most players never even gave it a chance in that crowded season. | © Respawn Entertainment
13. Spec Ops: The Line
Spec Ops: The Line was praised by critics for its bold, subversive take on military shooters, turning standard combat into a moral trap. But players expecting a fun, heroic action game found its intentionally average gunplay repetitive and its accusatory tone unfair. It became a game more respected in discussion than actually enjoyed, a lesson in narrative ambition that clashed with player expectations. | © 2K Games
12. Overwatch 2
You'd think a sequel to a game as beloved as Overwatch would be a surefire hit, but players rejected this one almost immediately. Critics gave it strong scores, yet the community erupted over scrapped PvE content, a greedy new battle pass, and endless monetization. It turned a game about fun teamplay into a frustrating lesson in corporate missteps. | © Blizzard Entertainment
11. Prey
Prey received glowing reviews from critics who loved its deep immersive-sim design and creative problem-solving. But a lot of players bounced off its unforgiving early hours and scarce resources, expecting a more action-focused shooter. The biggest hurdle might have been its name, setting up expectations for a totally different game and leaving this brilliant system-driven experience misunderstood. | © Arkane Studios
10. Death Stranding
Death Stranding received rapturous critic reviews for its bold focus on isolation, terrain, and quiet connection over action. But for many players, that same vision just felt like a boring walking simulator with a convoluted story. The divide was so sharp that calling it pretentious or visionary became a matter of personal taste, not critical consensus. | © Kojima Productions
9. Psychonauts
Psychonauts was a critic's dream in 2005, celebrated for its inventive levels based on mental trauma and its clever, trusting humor. For players, though, its clunky platforming controls, inconsistent difficulty, and aggressively weird style made for a frustrating experience. It was a brilliant idea, buried by awkward execution and zero marketing, left to become a beloved cult classic years later. | © Double Fine Productions
8. Mirror’s Edge
The original Mirror's Edge was a bold, minimalist first-person platformer that critics praised for its unique vision. But its stark aesthetic and punishingly precise parkour gameplay proved too niche for a wider audience at the time. Many players bounced off its unforgiving learning curve, leaving it to be rediscovered as a cult classic years later. | © Electronic Arts
7. Octopath Traveler II
Octopath Traveler II got even better reviews than the first game, and players who bought it adored it. Yet its launch week sales were shockingly low, getting outsold by a Kirby remake on the same day. The sequel's HD-2D style just wasn't as novel five years later, and it got lost in a much busier release season. | © Square Enix
6. Deathloop
Deathloop landed with a heap of perfect scores and Game of the Year buzz, setting expectations sky-high. But players found its AI and invasion mechanics frustrating, and the story didn't click for everyone. It became a classic case of critics adoring something the public found deeply divisive, all that hype working against it. | © Arkane Studios
5. Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment is constantly named one of the best RPGs ever made, with a story and writing that still holds up. The problem was that its weird, philosophical world proved too niche to sell at the time. It launched quietly next to giants like Ultima IX and barely moved 73,000 copies, becoming the definition of a critical darling that nobody played. | © Overhaul Games
4. Tearaway Unfolded
Tearaway Unfolded is that rare sequel that critics loved just as much as the original, yet almost nobody bought it. Releasing on the PS4 just a week before Metal Gear Solid V and days ahead of Super Mario Maker was a death sentence. Its charming papercraft world got completely buried in a legendary 2015 holiday season, dooming any chance for the series to continue. | © Tarsier Studios
3. Rule Of Rose
Rule of Rose never really got a fair shake from the public. A moral panic erupted over its dark themes involving children, with outlandish claims that overshadowed the actual game. It was pulled from shelves and savaged as exploitative, which doomed its sales and buried a psychological horror story that later found a dedicated cult audience. | © Punchline
2. Dark Souls II
Dark Souls II somehow has the highest Metacritic score in the series, yet fans often consider it the weakest entry. Critics praised it, but a vocal part of the community never warmed to its different pacing, enemy ambushes, and more linear world design. The split created a weird legacy where review scores and fan opinion feel totally at odds. | © FromSoftware
1. The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Skyward Sword holds an impressive 93 on Metacritic, yet it became the internet's favorite Zelda to meme as a bit shit. Critics loved it, but players slammed the game for Fi's constant interruptions, finicky motion controls, and padding that felt obvious. Its HD re-release on Switch finally won people over by fixing those infamous control issues, proving the fantastic game was always there. | © Nintendo
What happens when reviewers love a game, and players don't? These fantastic titles were rejected by the public at launch.
