Best Bad Games Of All Time, Ranked

With so many great games going unplayed, it’s fair to wonder why anyone would try a game known for being bad. While some games truly are awful, offering nothing enjoyable, like Duke Nukem Forever, others are just bizarre and strangely fascinating – you have to experience them to understand.

These games aren’t entirely without merit – the gameplay, story, or music might actually be enjoyable. However, they’re best known for being hilariously bad, but in a fun way. This ranking will consider both how good (or bad) they are and their influence on gaming as a whole.

Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing

The Great American Dream

The GameSpot review of Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing perfectly captures the game’s issues. Simply put, it doesn’t work well. There are very few tracks and trucks, and you won’t even race against any opponents.

The game isn’t just lacking in content; you can drive absolutely anywhere – through buildings, mountains, and even into the ground. While clearly a flaw, there’s a strangely captivating appeal to launching a huge truck into the air. Remarkably, Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing was released in this broken state in 2003, and it’s even more surprising that it was re-released on Steam in 2025.

Wanted: Dead

Beyond Bizarre

Wanted: Dead is an action game heavily inspired by Ninja Gaiden. Players take on the role of Lt. Stone and engage in lengthy gunfights throughout the game. However, despite having access to many weapons, guns aren’t very effective. The katana is the most powerful option, and while its combo attacks are visually impressive, they don’t feel particularly rewarding to execute.

The game’s save points are almost non-existent – you can even defeat a mini-boss, die, and be sent all the way back to the start, which is really frustrating. However, the acting is so bad it’s almost good. While the characters are poorly performed, especially by Stone, there’s a strange, endearing charm to how awkward they are.

Cho Aniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko

What Am I Even Looking At?

Developer: Masaya
Publisher: Nippon Computer Systems
Platform: PS1
Release Date: 12/29/95 (Japan)

The PlayStation 1 game Cho Aniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko – which translates to Super Big Brother: The Ultimate, Most Powerful Man in the Milky Way – is incredibly strange. It’s a side-scrolling shoot ’em up, but instead of piloting a spaceship, you play as a muscular man shooting other muscular men who are also dressed in outlandish outfits.

The game uses digital images of real people for its characters, which creates a slightly unsettling but unique look. While it’s not the most polished shoot ’em up – the controls and power-ups aren’t great – the strange and unpredictable level design is captivating and will keep players hooked.

Shadow The Hedgehog

This Hedgehog Has A Gun

Shadow the Hedgehog is a unique and often unpredictable game in the Sonic series. It puts you in the role of Shadow, who’s on a mission for revenge. The game lets you choose to play as a hero or a villain, but many players find the villainous path more enjoyable because it allows for more chaotic and destructive gameplay.

Just like the box suggests, Shadow uses a gun in the game and battles not only robots and aliens, but also human soldiers. This new feature alone is a good reason to give the game a try. While it’s not as refined as some other 3D Sonic games, it’s still a decent 3D platformer with varied levels and workable controls.

Onechanbara Z2: Chaos

Zombie Slaying Samurai

The Onechanbara series is well-known in Japan as a campy, low-budget action game. It features heroines dressed in bikinis and school uniforms who fight zombies with swords, reminiscent of 1960s B-movies. While most games in the series haven’t been released outside of Japan, Onechanbara Z2: Chaos is available internationally and is a good place to start for those interested.

The game looks and runs well, with impressive graphics and a smooth frame rate. However, it can get repetitive and features mature content that won’t appeal to everyone. That being said, the Onechanbara series is self-aware and doesn’t shy away from its over-the-top style. If you’re looking for a game where you can defeat hordes of zombies and enjoy a lot of action, Onechanbara Z2: Chaos delivers.

Night Trap

The Most Gruesome Game Of All Time

Back in the early 90s, the game Night Trap was unfairly labeled as shockingly violent by politicians who didn’t understand it. It’s actually a simple, interactive movie-style game where you play a security guard. Your job is to monitor a house party and activate traps to stop intruders from harming anyone, all by switching between different camera views.

The real-life video sections are pretty silly and don’t have much action, plus the game itself is quite short. While the gameplay can sometimes feel frustrating and clunky, the theme song, “Night Trap” by Kris Komar, is really memorable, and the over-the-top dialogue has a certain appeal.

Pepsiman

Gotta Get That Cola

Okay, so I recently discovered this PS1 game called Pepsiman, and it’s kinda weird! It never officially came out over here, which is strange because the whole game is basically an ad for Pepsi! They even have these goofy live-action cutscenes with people speaking English. You play as Pepsiman, this superhero whose job is to run through the city grabbing Pepsi cans and avoiding all sorts of obstacles. It’s a really bizarre, but surprisingly fun, experience!

The incredibly catchy “Pepsiman!” theme song will likely stick with you long after you finish playing. While the gameplay isn’t innovative and the dialogue is famously strange, Pepsiman is a short and simple game that’s easy to complete, making it a surprisingly enjoyable way to pass the time.

50 Cent: Blood On The Sand

Where’s My Skull

In the action game 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand, the rapper 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew travel to the Middle East for a concert. Instead of money, he’s paid with a crystal skull, which is quickly stolen, sparking a full-blown war with local terrorists. Believe it or not, that’s the actual storyline – it’s not a joke sketch from the early 2000s!

This game isn’t quite as polished as titles like Gears of War or Uncharted, but the gameplay is solid enough to enjoy the story, especially if you play with a friend in co-op mode. A real highlight is the soundtrack – 50 Cent generously included many of his biggest hits!

Deadly Premonition

The King Of Kings

Deadly Premonition is famous for being hilariously bad, but in a strangely enjoyable way. Its appeal lies almost entirely in its quirky characters and incredibly odd story. Don’t expect a genuinely frightening or difficult survival horror experience, and the open world feels more frustrating than fun to navigate, largely due to the clunky driving.

Ultimately, none of the game’s flaws really matter because of its main character, Francis York Morgan. He’s incredibly charming and full of life – from his simple enjoyment of food to his passion for movies, players will be captivated by the story as it unfolds through his eyes. While it can be a challenging game, Deadly Premonition is worth playing just to experience how truly special and memorable Morgan is as a protagonist, and that’s not an exaggeration.

2026-01-23 06:07