3 Xbox Games Released in 2025 You Should Not Play

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Xbox Game Pass is having a fantastic year in 2025, but Xbox Game Studios hasn’t had as much success so far. While games like *Ninja Gaiden 4*, *Keeper*, and *The Outer Worlds 2* are still planned for release this year, earlier titles haven’t been particularly well-received. Because of this, there are a few games you might want to skip altogether.

Several new games have come out recently that aren’t worth your time. South of Midnight, from Compulsion Games, was released in the spring. Avowed, developed by the RPG experts at Obsidian Entertainment, came out in February. And last month, Xbox released Gears of War: Reloaded, which you can safely skip, especially if you’re an Xbox or PC gamer.

South of Midnight

When *South of Midnight* came out this year, some people predicted it could be a Game of the Year winner, but that seems unlikely. Currently, it has a score of 77 on Metacritic, ranking it as the 160th highest-rated game of the year. The low player numbers at launch reflect the fact that, despite its attractive art style, the game itself is just average. While *South of Midnight* isn’t terrible, there are 159 other games released this year that are more deserving of your time.

Avowed

If you’re thinking about playing *Avowed*, be prepared to spend at least 20 hours just to finish the main story, and closer to 50 hours if you explore everything. While it’s a good RPG, it doesn’t really stand out from the crowd – there are many others more deserving of your time, even within Obsidian Entertainment’s own catalog. If you had nothing else to play earlier this year, *Avowed* might have been worth it. But with a potentially much better RPG from Obsidian, *The Outer Worlds 2*, on the horizon, and plenty of other promising games available now, it’s hard to recommend *Avowed* at this point.

While we wait, there are several other exciting RPGs to consider, including *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, *Kingdom Come Deliverance 2*, *Monster Hunter Wilds*, and a remastered version of *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion*. They’re all definitely worth a look.

Gears of War: Reloaded

The original *Gears of War* is a classic, widely considered one of the best shooter and multiplayer games ever made. However, *Gears of War: Reloaded* doesn’t live up to its predecessor. It has a “Mixed” rating on Steam for good reason – players are experiencing crashes, instability, and problems finding matches. The PC version is also missing split-screen co-op. Essentially, this is a flawed remake of a fantastic game, and it’s best to avoid it until the developers address these issues – it feels like an attempt to capitalize on nostalgia rather than a quality update.

Ultimately, taste is subjective, and games like *South of Midnight* and *Avowed* will undoubtedly be favorites for some players. Many others are still enjoying classics like *Gears of War*, and that’s great! But with so many excellent games coming out each year, it’s becoming harder for games that are just okay, or have problems, to stand out. We’re always interested in hearing your thoughts, so feel free to share them in the comments or on our forums!

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2025-09-14 13:40