When you think of the worst video games ever, what springs to mind? The answer will likely depend on your age, what consoles you’ve played on and even what kind of games you enjoy. Everyone will have their own list of top ten gaming failures. Surely though there has to be some common ground? Titles which eveꦦryone agrees just simply sucked?

To find out, I’ve taken to well-respected video game and entertainmen꧙t website IGN. Since their launch in 1996, they have been dishing out reviews by the hundreds so I’m expecting them to know a thing or two about what makes a great game.

So what games do they feel were the very worst ever made? I’ve scoured the archives to find the 20 titles with the lowest ever scores out of 10. These games are a mix of cash-in catastrophes, franchise failures, and just plain terrible꧋ titles.

In order to bring some balance to the universe, I’ve also found 10 of the best games out there. Although there are many more titles which have achieved the coveted 10 out of 10 rating✤, these 10 titles represent some of the fin⛦est games ever made.

So witho𒐪ut further ado, here are the 10 worst games of all time and 10 of the very best according to IGN.

30 Worst: Game Boy Advance: NFL 🅺Blitz 2003 (1/10) 💫

💟It appears that the reviewer of is a fan of the Blitz game series usually but this woeful handheld version has failed to impress. They go as far as to describe it as “the worst published game I’ve seen yet on the Game Boy Advance.”

So what went wrong?

Everything according to IGN🍷. The play mechanics, artwork, animation, and game engine are all heavily criticized in this scathing review. It appears this one wꩵas an own goal, scoring just 1 out of 10.

29 Worst: Nintendo DS: Elf Bowling ꧂1 & 2 (1/10)

I remember . Back in the day, it was a simple browser game that went round and people play🍒ed for approximately 37 seconds before abandoning it. I wondered if this game was related and it appears that it is.

The reviewer takes the time to tell us of the game’s origins in browsers before lamenting the decision to turn it into a title which you have to 🔯spend actual money to play. They describe it as “a single-chuckle joke that's extended into a 20 dollar purchase.” Unsurprisingly it scored just 1 out of 10.

28 Best: PS4: God Of War✤ (10🥀/10)

In the , we see God of War described as “a masterful composition of exceptional interlocking parts.” This senti𒊎ment is shared by many reviewers who played this stunning game.

Every aspect of God of War checks the boxes for a great game.

Stunning graphics, immersive gameplay, excellent score. All are present and correct in the PS4 masterpiece. The Nors💞e mythology-inspired title follows an amazing story which will hook anyone who plays. Well deserving of the perfect 10 out of 10 score.

27 Worst: PC: Extreme PaintBrawl (0ꦿ.7/10)

The review for this is as savage as the AI opponents. Back before Splatoon made💫 paintballing games actually fun there was this poor effort.

The reviewer points out all the flaws in the title and there are so many.

Your AI teammates are apparently struck wit✱h “artificial stꦍupidity” while your opponents are “dead-eye shots”. Not a good combination for any game, let alone a shooter.

According to IGN the highlight of this title is its soundtrack and e💟ven that’s chaotic. No wonder it scored just 0.7 out of 10.

26 🌃 𒉰Worst: PlayStation: Freestyle Boardin’ (1/10)

This frཧom back in 1999 scored a measly 1 out of 10 from IGN’s review team. The “mediocre, thrill-free” game comes under fire on all counts. Not only was it pushed out into a market already flooded with similar titles but it j🎃ust doesn’t match up with any of them in terms of quality.

The ꦐgameplay is criticized for the feel of bein🃏g “magnetized to the snow” and the lack of tricks is also remarked upon. If this wasn’t bad enough even the graphics and sound can’t save this snowboarding title from an avalanche of criticism.

25 Best: PS3, Xbox 3ꦉ60: Grand Theft Auto IV: Special Ediಌtion (10/10)

Grand Theft Auto is a franchise which has delivered some amazing games. Known for its action and tongue-in-cheek humor, as🐭 well as its adult-oriented content, the franchise has produced some truly groundbreaking titles. Both and got a resounding 10 ﷽out of 10 from IGN and it’s easy to see why.

Comprising of more than 90 immersive story missions, each one taking days to complete, set against a stunning background and awesome soundtrack GTA IV is a game which🤪 keeps on giving. No wonder it’s described as “a revolutionary title”.

24 Worst: PlayStation: C: The Contra Adventure (1/10) ♛

The eighth installment of the Contra series was developed by Appaloosa Interactive and appears to take the franchise to a new low. After the decidedly average Contra: Legacy of War, which scored 6 out of 10, p🐈lunged all the way down to a score of just 1 out ๊of 10.

So what happened?

It appears that the game is missing the key components of “excellent gameplay and top-notch presentation” so revered in the original games. This title is said to “lack any polish” and be “unfairly difficult” leaving this Contra fan reviewer very disappointed.

23 Worst: Mobile: Baywatch Beach Volleyball (1/10) 𒆙

To be honest, as soon as I saw the word Baywatch I didn’t have high hopes f🦋or this game. Adding cellphone on means it is just as terrible as you imagine. I expected a cheap and cheerful, easy-to-play game but it appears this title is another level of awful.

The smells strong in this stinker, described as “the worst Volleyball this side of the Atari 2600.” From “bland” o💦pening screen to the court which you can’t even see all of, every aspect of this game appears to fail, hard, scoring just 1 out of 10.

22 🉐 Best: Game ꦛBoy Color: Pokémon Gold (10/10)

is one of several games from the popular franchise to reach the highest score of 10 out of 10. The Game Boy color title is described as “one of the deepest and most well-designed” 🧸games for the platform.

The Pokémon games mostly follow the same blueprint but it really is a case o🎀f if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Each title adds new Pokémon and its own little twists which have kept the franchise churning out hit after hit. When the game is said to be “long, challenging and tre𝔉mendous fun to play” it’s easy to see why this incarnation achieved that perfect score.

21 💎 Worst: PlayStation: Simpsons Wrestling (1/10)

This badly designed was released back in 2001 when both The Simpsons and wrestling were incredibly popu🍸lar. Combining the two seemed like a great idea to execs♑ who green-lit this catastrophe.

Sadly the combination was a disaster.

The simplistic controls, horrible animation and lack of decent attack moves are all cited as great reasons to pass on this “garbage”. Not even the addition of The Simpsons voice cast to the sou💟ndtrack could save this title, which scores just 1 out of 10.