We’ve all been there. A new game is announced, the trailers are glorious, the pre-order bonuses are tempting, and the buzz is deafening. You count down the days, stay up till midnight for the launch, and then… disappointment. Whether it’s a buggy mess or a game that just didn’t deliver, some releases left us wishing we could Ctrl+Z our excitement. Here’s a look at 10 overhyped games that simply didn’t meet their sky-high expectations.

1. Cyberpunk 2077 – The Glittering City of Bugs

Oh, where do we even begin with this one? Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to revolutionize open-world RPGs with an immersive cyberpunk setting, deep storytelling, and jaw-dropping visuals. And for a select few running it on ultra-spec PCs, it sort of did. But for the millions playing on last-gen consoles, it was a steaming pile of glitches. Characters T-posing mid-dialogue, cars floating into the sky, and crashes—so many crashes.

CD Projekt Red hyped this game to the point where even people who didn’t game were intrigued. But at launch, it was clear this ambitious title bit off more than it could chew. While patches have improved things over time, the damage was done. Most players will remember Cyberpunk 2077 as the gold standard of overhype gone wrong.

2. Anthem – The Game That Flopped Mid-Flight

Bioware really sold us on the dream with Anthem. Flying around as customizable Javelins in a gorgeous open world while taking down monstrous enemies as a squad sounded like a guaranteed winner. But what we got? A live-service game with repetitive missions, a thin plot, and endgame content so lackluster it made you consider whether you’d been playing the same three missions on repeat for hours.

It didn’t help that the loot system was a grind fest and basic stability issues plagued the experience early on. Despite post-launch updates, Anthem never found its groove and remains a cautionary tale about how live-service games can quickly go belly up.

3. Fallout 76 – Multiplayer Misery

Fallout is a beloved franchise, so when Bethesda revealed Fallout 76, a multiplayer spin on the series, fans were intrigued—until they actually played it. The game launched as an incomplete mess with bugs, poor graphics, and a lack of meaningful content. The absence of NPCs (a Fallout staple!) made the world feel lifeless, and don’t even get us started on the inventory bloat or base-building issues.

Bethesda eventually added NPCs through updates, but that didn’t erase the sting of the broken promises. For anyone who pre-ordered the collector’s edition with the infamous canvas bag controversy, Fallout 76 will forever leave a bad taste in their mouths.

4. No Man’s Sky – Space Hype Crash Landing

When Hello Games announced No Man’s Sky, they promised players the ultimate sci-fi sandbox with endless planets to explore, dynamic ecosystems, and even multiplayer interactions. The scale of the game was out of this galaxy—literally. But when the game landed in 2016, it became clear that the hype had overshot reality. Where were the dynamic ecosystems? The so-called multiplayer component? Planets felt repetitive, gameplay shallow, and the promised features were glaringly absent.

To their credit, Hello Games turned things around by adding expansions and updates over the years, making No Man’s Sky a beloved game now. But in terms of launching as the world’s biggest disappointment? Oh, it more than earned its place on this list.

5. Aliens: Colonial Marines – The Sporting Event of Shooting Walls

When a game is based on the Aliens franchise, fans expect intense action, terrifying encounters, and xenomorphs that keep them on the edge of their seats. Instead, Gearbox gave us Aliens: Colonial Marines, where the AI was so bad that the xenomorphs often forgot how to be actual predators. Why stalk prey when you can run straight into walls instead, right?

Blame sloppy coding (seriously, a single typo contributed to the broken AI) and a weird story that went nowhere. Add lackluster mechanics, uninspired graphics, and zero moments of true horror, and this entry essentially obliterated the goodwill of Aliens fans everywhere.

6. Watch Dogs – Where’s My Revolutionary Hacking?

Hailed as a revolutionary take on open-world games, Watch Dogs was supposed to turn players into underground hackers controlling a futuristic Chicago. What we got instead was a solid but underwhelming action game with a bland protagonist (Aiden Pearce, we’re looking at you) and mechanics that didn’t break any ground.

The graphics downgrade from the stunning reveal trailer added salt to the wound, as did the overly linear mission design in what should’ve been a sprawling, player-focused sandbox. Ubisoft redeemed itself with Watch Dogs 2 and Watch Dogs Legion, but the original left many feeling like they’d been hacked by hype.

7. Duke Nukem Forever – Forever in the Making

How do you mess up a game that had over a decade to get it right? By doing whatever Gearbox and 3D Realms did with Duke Nukem Forever. Announced in 1997 and finally released in 2011, this trainwreck missed its moment by about ten years. The humor felt dated, the gameplay uninspired, and the visuals looked like they belonged on a PS2.

Fans expected the king of one-liners to make a triumphant return, but instead, Duke felt more like a washed-up action star trying (and failing) to reclaim his glory. We waited over 12 years for this?!

8. Mass Effect: Andromeda – Faces of Glitches

After the Mass Effect trilogy set an impossibly high bar, fans were cautiously optimistic about Andromeda, which promised a brand-new galaxy and epic exploration. What they didn’t expect, though, was creepy facial animations, awkward dialogue, and bugs galore. The infamous “Dead-eyed Ryder” memes became more popular than the game itself.

While the story found its footing eventually, it lacked the emotional depth and high-stakes drama that made the original trilogy shine. Bioware dropped updates to improve the experience after launch, but the damage had already been done. For many fans, Andromeda was a lifeless spinoff in an otherwise stellar franchise.

9. Battlefield 2042 – Where’s the Battlefield?

Battlefield games are synonymous with huge maps, tactical team play, and unforgettable moments of chaos. Unfortunately, Battlefield 2042 lacked all of those things. The game launched with severe bugs, missing features (a scoreboard—why do you hate us, DICE?!), and baffling balance issues. At times, it felt like playing an early-access game rather than a blockbuster entry in a beloved series.

Touted as the future of modern warfare, 2042 instead became the poster child for rushed live-service games. While updates have improved it somewhat, many fans had already jumped ship long before.

10. Spore – Evolution Gone Wrong

Will Wright’s Spore was perhaps the most ambitious game of its time. Players were promised the ability to evolve life from the cellular stage to a galactic civilization in a sim that sounded so groundbreaking it boggled the mind. What launched, however, was a heavily simplified game that lacked depth in every stage and barely scratched the surface of its bold ideas.

The customization tools were excellent, but fans were left wanting more complex mechanics, better AI, and less cookie-cutter gameplay. It was fun for a while, but Spore didn’t come close to delivering on the promise of god-tier evolution.

Gaming is all about expectations, and when those expectations are sky-high, the result can be catastrophic if developers don’t deliver.

But hey, sometimes the fun is in the anticipation, right?