Video games are one of the biggest industries in the world, overtaking film and other entertainment sectors shortly after their introduction in the late 20th century. That being said, with a whole roster of groundbreaking art and memorable experiences, there are always going to be those at the bottom, the ones we forget or wish we never played.
There is also a whole industry within video games that produce shovelware, or scams, or even malware that pretend to be games, or have some game feature, but are really just attempts to convince the impressionable youth to spend money or install malicious software on your device.
As with any subjective list like this, there is not going to be any consensus about which games belong on this list. Are the games released back in the 1970s that nobody plays anymore included? Should we include games that are no longer available to buy?
Also, in case you didn’t know, mobile gaming is one of the largest sectors of gaming, filled with great games and terrible scams posing as legitimate games. This list, therefore, will include many of those.
All the data for this list was taken from YouGov which polled and collected the ranking data based on popularity. Here are the 15 least-favorite video games according to millennials.
Why Are We Talking About This?
There is a lot of money in video games, and much of it comes from in-app purchases in mobile games, microtransactions, and children who got ahold of the credit card. If you are going to invest or enter the videogame market in any significant way, you need to understand it from the bottom up, that means learning what sells and how shovelware like many games on this list still make money.
#15 Garena+
Garena+ is the only product of developer and publisher Garena (NYSE:SE). It is an online social media platform and game hybrid. Members of the social platform can create social groups, chat, create and customize their avatars, and play and compete in several games that Garena publishes only on Garena+. It also allows users to purchase and spend a virtual currency called Shells. If this sounds like the monster hybrid of everything wrong with gaming and social media in one product, you might be right.
#14 Valorant
Valorant is a free-to-play hero shooter similar to games like Overwatch Counter-Strike. It originally began development in 2014 but wasn’t released until 2020. It has become a popular esports game and a top game to watch on Twitch. One of the primary criticisms of the game is the male-dominated and toxic voice communication between teams. This keeps newer and inexperienced casual gamers from investing more time into the game as any fun being had is immediately ruined by toxic teammates.
#13 Defense of the Ancients
Defense of the Ancients, also known as DotA, is not actually a game, but a mod for Warcraft III. It began a trend of similar games like League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm, and Smite, among others, and quickly became a popular fixture at competitive gaming events. It is among the most popular video games in the world but has been replaced with Dota 2, which is an actual game developed by Valve and was published in 2013.
#12 Golf Clash
Gold Clash is an online-only videogame developed for mobile devices. It is simple and allows players to challenge friends and other users in competitive golf-centric games. The graphics and gameplay are cheap and it syncs with Facebook to suggest playing with your friends.
#11 Flick Home Run!
There are two versions of Flick Home Run!: a paid and a free version. Naturally, as is the case with all mobile games, the free version is heavily geared to convince you to spend real money on the game or waste your time with ads. This is a simple game in which you swipe on your mobile device to hit a baseball. That’s it.
#10 Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
The only way to play Kim Kardashian: Hollywood today is to find someone who still has it on their phone (for some reason) because it was removed from app stores in April of 2024. It is a free-to-play based on existing software that allows users to increase their fame and reputation with the help of Kim Kardashian’s character. Of course, users could spend real money on in-game currency to buy in-game items. Fun.
#9 Pierce Them All
Pierce Them All is a cheap mobile game that lets users throw a spear at enemies. It takes advantage of internet memes to create enemies for players to attack. It is similar to old Flash games with simple assets and basic gameplay and can be played in-browser on computers.
#8 Anthem
If some of the other games on this list haven’t convinced you of the creative void that exists at some media companies, and how corporate interests and greedy executives have robbed true artists of the ability and desire to actually create good art, then Anthem might do it.
Anthem checks all the boxes that ignorant finance bros think players want in a game without actually making it fun to play. It is an online multiplayer action third-person shooter with flashy graphics and impressive visuals and sounds. However, the gameplay was a grind and not much fun, the controls were clunky. It was released in 2019 and future development ended in 2021.
The game faced numerous challenges during development, but its publisher, EA, refused to delay the release of the game, releasing it in its disappointing state in order to meet financial goals. EA then complained that it did not reach its sales goals. What a surprise.
#7 Legends of Runeterra
Legends of Runeterra is a digital card game developed and released by Riot Games, the same company that developed League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra uses many of the same characters and style as the other game. It is very similar to Magic: The Gathering in gameplay and mechanics.
The game has actually won several awards, including the Best Mobile Game of 2020, and the iPad Game of the Year for 2020, among others. There are many other games that should replace this game on this list, but here it is.
#6 Brawl Stars
Brawl Stars is an online battle arena game developed by Supercell. When it was released in 2018, it received mixed reviews but was the second-highest-grossing mobile game in Europe in 2020, with huge amounts of money being generated by in-game purchases. It is the latest mass success by Supercell which has developed several well-known and wildly successful games.
#5 Rob Master 3D
If you’ve ever seen those fake ads for games online that look nothing like the games they advertise and are somewhat unsettling, then you’ve seen what it’s like to play Rob Master 3D. This is shovelware at its finest. If the bright colors and low-effort design don’t immediately give you a headache, then the embarrassingly simple gameplay and cringe-worthy character design surely will.
#4 Slay the Spire
Slay the Spire should not be anywhere near this list, especially not below Rob Master 3D. The fact this game is ranked this low brings the methodology of YouGov into serious question.
Slay the Spire is a roguelike deck-builder released in 2019. It is available on major consoles and mobile devices. It received very positive reviews and reception when it launched, being nominated for several awards, being given a board game adaptation, and spawning a handful of copies. Slay the Spire II was announced and is due to be released in 2025.
Slay the Spire was the second-best-selling game on Steam in January of 2018. Perhaps because the game is simple and short and a sequel is coming out soon it dropped so sharply in popularity, but make no mistake, of all the games on this list, this is one you should definitely try.
#3 Makeover Run
Want to see a game that takes advantage of young girls who got ahold of their parents’ smartphones? This is it.
This game uses basic, cheap assets and simplistic gameplay. It is a mobile version of a free browser game released earlier and asks players to run, collecting makeup and dodging popular girls. Of course, like all games marketed towards young children, there are in-game purchases that are pushed strongly by the player to take advantage of them.
#2 Catwalk Beauty
Look, it’s another cheap, colorful game with simple mechanics marketed to young girls featuring fashion and allowing in-app purchases. No wonder this ‘game’ is featured on this list. If you have children and have decided to let them play games on your phone, you can do better than this. Put a little effort into your parenting and get them some good, educational games, not these scams masquerading as fun.
#1 Bounce and Collect
You know those games where you drop a ping pong ball down a wooden board with pegs to see which bucket it will land in? That’s this game. How is it a game? Well, you get to tip the cup that pours the balls. No complicated mechanics, no other systems. That’s it. If you’re looking for a quick way to kill brain cells, then this might be the game for you.
Of course, there are in-app purchases, but the author of this story wasn’t brave enough to download the app to their phone or computer, so it remains a mystery what you could possibly want to pay real money for in this game.
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