These Game Titles Are The Worst, And That’s Why We Had To Rank Them

As someone who’s had the experience of getting to name a video game, I concur that coming up with a solid title that must essentially summarize a game’s themes or mention the main protagonist and setting is one of the hardest things ever, even more so than coming up with a name for a character. But you know, some game names can sound as though they were made with little effort, or even accidentally embarrassing.

Naming games should be considered a talent and an art form in itself, and some truly do it well, which then become iconic and memorable; just think of all the amazing one-word title games like Doom, Bloodborne, Control, and BioShock. The following video games should’ve received some glow-ups before their launch, but since they didn’t, we can now call them out here.

10

The Callisto Protocol

Sounds More Like A Military Operation Than A Survival Horror Game

The Callisto Protocol is a sci-fi survival horror game by the creatives behind Dead Space that was meant as a successor, yet it failed in both gameplay and title. ‘The Callisto Protocol’ doesn’t carry much intrigue, and there’s no horror or dread in its title, like Dead Space has. Even the development studio, Striking Distance, has a cooler-sounding name.

Calling it ‘Dead Moon’ might’ve been too on the nose, but maybe including some of the game’s themes in the title, either by changing ‘Protocol’ to ‘Outbreak’ or ‘Experiment’ instead, or also emphasizing the prison setting somewhere in the name. The Callisto Protocol isn’t the worst game title imaginable, but it’s still very lackluster-sounding and meh.

9

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii

Argh! You Had One Job With This Title, Matey!

The Like a Dragon Yakuza series has been kind of going off the rails lately with its naming conventions. While Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a great name, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is unnecessarily long, but at least it’s significant to the plot. However, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is too straightforward and vanilla, and especially overkill since we know Like a Dragon equals Yakuza.

Why not just go with a simpler name for the pirate theme by calling it Like a Dragon: Pirates! (as 2023’s Like a Dragon: Ishin! was similarly called), Like a Dragon: Majima’s Seas, or make it sound more fun by using the signature “A Pirate’s Life for Me” after the colon. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is just too boring for what is an incredible swashbuckling Majima adventure. Even Skull & Bones came up with a better title than this.

8

Battlefield 1

Not A Remake And Not A Prequel. It’s Just The Leftover 1 From WW1, Maybe?

Battlefield is another popular series with questionable naming conventions, particularly 2016’s Battlefield 1. It’s funny that the first game in the Battlefield series is actually called Battlefield 1942, and the ones that came after went with the traditional 2, 3, and 4. This one makes it sound like it’s a prequel to Battlefield 2 or a remake of the original, and like it’s now the first game in the series, when it’s just a standalone title focused on World War 1.

2016’s Battlefield could’ve literally just been called Battlefield: WW1, which would’ve made better sense and complemented the release of Call of Duty: WW2 the following year. While Battlefield tends to use just dates or numbers in the title, there have been ones with phrases, like Bad Company. Therefore, it might’ve been even better if Battlefield 1 had been renamed Battlefield: The Great War. Don’t get me started on Battlefield V.

7

Peak

This Game Called Peak About Climbing A Peak Is Truly Peak

Maybe it was intentional that the developers called their game ‘Peak,’ a bit of smart marketing to bank on the memeable phrase that’s widely used. Calling something peak these days usually means that it’s the best of the best quality, particularly in cinema; that CGI is “peak” or that film was “peak cinema.” So, how about a ‘peak’ game about climbing a peak? The reviews have already run wild with it.

Peak is a co-op game you can play with your friends where you help each other scale all sorts of terrain while tackling obstacles. Since Jusant and A Short Hike were taken, the developers said, hey, let’s just call it ‘Peak,’ but that’s just such a memeable title, whether intentional or not. Can you imagine Googling the words ‘Peak game?’ I had to, and you’d have a chuckle every time.

6

Silent Hill F

Hopefully No Fs In The Chat For This Silent Hill Installment

Like Resident Evil, Silent Hill is an iconic survival horror series that never had an issue when it comes to naming its entries; even the worst video games, Silent Hill: Ascension and Book of Memories, still had decent titles. But now enter 2025’s Silent Hill f (yes, a lowercase f as well). It sounds like a placeholder title that should eventually be renamed, but this is the one NeoBards and Konami are sticking with.

Maybe the ‘f’ is important to the story and will be explained, but right now, it’s a pretty memeable and sad name that does it a disservice, like a preemptive “Fs in the chat” for this Silent Hill. The game is set in 1960s Japan, specifically the fictional town of Ebisugaoka, and follows protagonist Hinako. The theme is also “beauty within terror,” so why not Silent Hill H (for Hinako) or Silent Hill: Beauty and Madness? Sorry, The Weeknd already took ‘Beauty Behind the Madness.’

5

Divine Divinity

Larian, What Were You Thinking Here?

Larian Studios, the acclaimed CRPG developer behind the GOTY-winning Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin series, first had its start with a 2002 RPG called Divine Divinity. This is the game that started it all for the Divinity series. But come on, you’re telling me, with all the exceptional creative and writing talent at Larian, that the best they could do was chain together an adjective and a noun that virtually mean the same thing?

The name pretty much rings like a nothingburger that doesn’t have anything of value to say about what’s in store, but we’re not complaining. It ended up being an RPG that earned a Metacritic score of 81 and then expanded into Divinity: Original Sin 2 and eventually allowed Larian to helm Baldur’s Gate 3. ‘Divine Rivellon’ might’ve been a much catchier title that includes the setting, but the past is the past.

4

Drova – Forsaken Kin

Maybe The Second Part Of This Name Didn’t Need To Exist

Drova is a highly underrated pixel graphic RPG inspired by Celtic mythology, but maybe it should’ve just stuck with the singular title of Drova. ‘Forsaken’ and ‘Kin’ are two words that definitely don’t belong on the same line, because it is easy to mistakenly read them as a very awkward anatomical term. It also sounds like two words you might prank someone into saying really fast together.

Although ‘Forsaken Kin’ might be something relevant to the overall storyline, there are better adjectives and ways of framing it, so it doesn’t have the potential to be a crude or awkward phrase that will otherwise make fun of what’s really a fantastic game. Drova – The Cursed Line or even the reverse, Drova – Kin Forsaken, work much better. How did the devs not see it?

3

VVVVVV

Held Down One Too Many ‘Vs’ Before Submitting The Title

VVVVVV, aka V six times or V6, is a bizarre name for a video game, even though it makes sense due to the premise. Created by a solo developer, Terry Cavanaugh, it’s a challenging platformer game where you overcome enemies and obstacles by reversing gravity. Your protagonist is Captain Viridian, and the game world is set in an alternate dimension called Dimension VVVVVV.

So then why not title the game ‘Dimension VVVVVV,’ or something like ‘Captain V’s Gravity Dash’ or even ‘Gravity V,’ so it’s not just writing out the letter ‘V’ six times. It’s such a tedious and ridiculous title with too many Vs. I get it, you love ‘Vs,’ but it’s annoying to type them out and potentially miss a V.

2

Drake Of The 99 Dragons

Hello Drake, Of The 99 Dragons

Drake of the 99 Dragons is a game from a once-prominent publisher, Majesco Entertainment, which was also behind BloodRayne, Cooking Mama, and the canceled Scorsese Taxi Driver game. And maybe having a game called Drake of the 99 Dragons is a reason why your company eventually slowed down in the video game launch department. I mean, it gives, “Hi, it’s Jake from State Farm.”

If you don’t already know from the title, your protagonist is Drake, and he’s from a clan called the 99 Dragons, whose deaths he has to avenge. The game itself tries to be that John Woo-style gunplay and bullet time while having a main character akin to The Crow’s Eric Draven. The art style is also inspired by Batman: The Animated Series’ Bruce Timm. But just calling it ‘The 99 Dragons’ would’ve sufficed.

1

Survive The Fall

The Most Hilariously Literal And Uninspired Game Title Of Them All

I mean, video game titles can’t get any lamer or more uninspired than this. Survive the Fall is an isometric and tactical RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world after a meteor strike with a similar vibe to the Wasteland series and basebuilding mechanics, but that title is simply laughable. You’re telling me you couldn’t get more creative than ‘Survive the Fall,’ putting the main goal of surviving the wasteland as the literal title?

The design of the key art itself reads like a very bad mobile game, even though it’s made for PC. Its Metacritic score is 70, which is surprisingly higher than you might think, so having this title is definitely not doing the game any favors and could turn players away, as it’s one of the most generic for an already generic-looking game. I get Wasteland is iconic and already taken, but couldn’t it be something with a little more effort?