Rebootscan go a myriad of ways, but more often than not it has a stigma of ending up terribly. That’s not so much true this past decade, as can clearly demonstrated shown in the data below. They may not have been universally loved, but for a “worst” list, it looks like this decade got off pretty light. For example,Tomb Raiderwas rebooted in 2013 to much appraise. It is kind of the poster child for how to reboot something right.
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Our highest score on the list was a 72. Though to be fair, we ranked each game by the highest review given. The list then is ranked from the “best” of the worst, to the worst of the worst reboots. As a restriction, we’re sticking with console and handheld platforms only. Anyway, let’s get into it.
10Mirror’s Edge Catalyst (72)
Mirror’s Edgereleased on June 21, 2025 for PS3 and Xbox 360. Rather than initiate a sequel, EA and Dice apparently thought rebooting the franchise after only one title would be better.
After eight years of waiting,Catalystlaunched. It wasn’t loved by a huge crowd, but neither was the original. Both games actually rank somewhere between the 70s and 60s depending on the platform with the first game being slightly higher.
9Double Dragon Neon (71)
Prior toDouble Dragon Neon’s2012 debut, the previous entry wasDouble Dragon Advance, which was a remake of the original game for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The nine year wait was long, but we actually fall on the higher side of reviews.
Sure, it can feel stiff and is unfair at times, but the look and music are second to none. WayForward, the developer, certainly knows how to take a broken, or old formula and make it better. However, what came after that was notably disappointing. It is like this series is perpetually in a state of reboots and remakes.
8BloodRayne: Betrayal (69)
BloodRaynefound success with two games in the early 2000s, the latter of which launching in 2004. That makes the release ofBetrayalseven years in the making. Instead of another third-person action shooter, this had a smaller scope in mind.
Coincidentally, this was also made by WayForward. The game was just as bloody as ever, but now more cartoony and as a 2D platformer instead. It was an interesting way to try and take the series forward, but not quite new enough to gather support for a sequel.
7Star Fox Zero (69)
LikeDouble Dragon, theStar Foxseries is almost always in a constant state of revivals.Star Fox 64was like a retelling of the original game, andStar Fox Zerowas also another attempt at telling the same story.
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Besides the remake ofStar Fox 64for the 3DS in 2011,Star Fox Commandwas the last original release in 2006. So rather than try something different again in the next decade, they once again rebooted everything. If the gyro controls were better, or turned off, this might actually be good.
6Thief (69)
The first threeThiefgames were well regarded PC classics. The last of them,Thief: Deadly Shadows, launched in 2004. After Square Enix acquired the rights, it was only natural that they try and reboot everything. So after ten years,Thieflaunched in 2014.
Unfortunately, unlike the year’s previous reboot,Tomb Raider, which we mentioned in the intro, this felt soulless. It was like no one did their research on what made the originals so well respected.
5Need for Speed (66)
Unlike other entries on this list, theNeed for Speedseriesnever showed any signs of ever totally halting production since the first iteration in 1994.
After EA put outsome stinkers, the goal then with rebooting the name was to make the series seem like it was going in a new direction, while still paying respect to its roots. Strangely enough that meant putting in live actors in FMV sequences. That was definitely a bizarre choice, but the least of its many problems.
4Splatterhouse (62)
Splatterhouseheld clout in the late 80s and early 90s as an early example of one of the “bloodiest” games around. The last game,Splatterhouse 3, launched in 1993, and after a lengthy wait, this reboot ended up emerging in 2010, which was seventeen years in the making.
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It is the longest holdout on the list. It indeed brought back its bloody nature, but tried to cater to a more juvenile crowd, one which was seemingly all the rage in the 90s. Basically it was too little too late as an immature attempt at aGod of Warclone.
The firstDead to Rightsgame did okay in reviews, but the direct sequel and PSP spinoff, both of which launched in 2005, were not as well regarded.
That killed the franchise until Bandai Namco games decided to try their hand again with a reboot of sorts in this 2010 game. This was apparently a bad year for Bandai Namco and their attempts at reboots.
2Spy Hunter (52)
Spy Hunterstarted all the way back in 1983 for arcades, which saw various ports and sequels.SpyHunterthen was the first attempt at a reboot, which paid off for the better. The last game of that run to release was in 2006,Nowhere to Run, which was actually a tie-in to a movie.
Strangely enough the game came out starring The Rock, but the movie did not. Anyway, six years laterSpy Hunterreturned as a portable reboot on PS Vita and 3DS in 2012 of, and it barely even received a glance.
1Homefront: The Revolution (49)
With a seemingly similar thought process toMirror’s Edge, rather than make a sequel to the oneHomefrontgame, a reboot was thought to have been a better idea after a five year long gap.
But it obviously wasn’t the best idea. What really hurt it was the glitch issues, the unresponsive gameplay, and the bland overall experience. This is a good concept, albeit one explored in other media. That said we would urge the developers to have fun with it. If it does get rebooted for a third time, that is.
