In the landscape of gaming, 2025 has ushered in a wave of remarkable releases, yet not all have managed to deliver on the technical front. According to insights from DSOGaming, several high-profile titles have garnered attention, not for their engaging gameplay or stunning visuals, but rather for their disappointing performance and lack of proper optimization. The publication has curated a list that underscores the most poorly optimized games of the year.
At the forefront of this list is Rise of the Ronin. The PC version of this title struggles to maintain satisfactory performance even at ultra settings, with its graphics failing to align with the demanding system requirements. Many players feel that this game should perform significantly better than it currently does.
Another notable disappointment is Keeper from Double Fine. Despite being built on the advanced Unreal Engine 5, even the powerful GeForce RTX 5090 grapples to achieve 60 FPS in native 4K at maximum settings, rendering it one of the most demanding and frustrating experiences of the year.
Games That Failed to Deliver in Performance
The list of underperformers continues with The Outer Worlds 2, which falters significantly when ray tracing is enabled, becoming nearly unplayable on most modern PCs. This title requires a CPU with exceptionally high IPC, as it only efficiently utilizes four threads. Consequently, it struggles to scale with multi-threaded processors that possess lower IPC values.
Borderlands 4 also launched with subpar optimization, and its performance issues persist even after subsequent updates. It shares this unfortunate fate with Monster Hunter Wilds, which required multiple patches before achieving acceptable frame rates and stability.
Another title that has drawn criticism for its optimization is Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. This game is plagued by severe stuttering, arguably among the worst seen in recent releases, leaving players yearning for a smoother experience.
However, the ultimate “winner” of the worst optimization award goes to Oblivion Remastered. Despite its nostalgic allure, the game is marred by poor performance and appears to have been left in a broken state, seemingly abandoned without the necessary fixes.
These examples serve as a poignant reminder that even in 2025, technical polish remains an elusive goal. Ambitious projects can often fall short of expectations when optimization is overlooked, highlighting that sheer power does not guarantee a seamless gaming experience.
