Some games just wouldn’t make it in today’s world. Welcome to WatchMojo, where we’re counting down 10 controversial video games that would get canceled if released today. From outdated stereotypes to shock-value content, these games pushed boundaries that simply wouldn’t fly in 2025.
Which of these games do you think would cause the biggest outrage today? Let us know in the comments!
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are looking at the concepts that wouldn't fly by today's standards.
00:14These are 10 games that would get cancelled today.
00:17Whether they push the boundaries of what is appropriate, or they're just the product of a different time,
00:21these games would not have made it to release without protests outside the developer's building.
00:26Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.
00:30It's Nami-Bor.
00:37Remember, no Russian.
00:40We start this list with the much-beloved Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2,
00:44and it comes in here for one reason and one reason only.
00:47The mission, no Russian.
00:49It would have been even worse had the mission not been remade, with relatively minor backlash in 2020.
00:53Had the game been created at this moment in 2024 as an original concept and not a remake,
00:58we can guarantee it would not have gone down well with the general public, and arguably, for good reasons.
01:04Having a mission to require the player to open fire in a crowded airport is rough for a lot of reasons that I have neither the time or the bravery to go into,
01:12so this Aussie is going to opt for not touching this topic, and moving on to the next entry.
01:26Bullied.
01:26This infamous title, developed by the little-known developer Rockstar, you've probably never heard of them, barely made it through its 2006 release,
01:40so imagining this concept being tackled for the first time in 2024 makes us shudder.
01:45As a core concept, the game paddles into real murky waters.
01:50Ignoring all of the things you can get up to that we aren't even willing to talk about,
01:53being able to live out a delinquent fantasy is already a rough sell,
01:57especially given that the majority of anti-video game protesters try to link video game behaviours to real-world behaviours.
02:03Imagine this game in 2024, with cyber harassment being an option.
02:07It would struggle to make it onto store shelves.
02:09Let's go out and torment someone really helpless and unfortunate.
02:13That homeless guy.
02:14Gotcha.
02:15This arcade game from the 70s sat awkwardly in the corner of many arcades for one weird reason,
02:21but we'll get to that in a second.
02:22The fairly tame game saw one player chasing down another in a Pong-esque art style.
02:28As the pursuer gets closer to the victim, the music increases, causing panic and laughs with friends.
02:33The issue with this game comes from the artwork and the arcade cabinet itself,
02:38which implies it's a man chasing down a woman.
02:40The cabinet is famous as it replaces a joystick with two large breast-like controls.
02:47The controls were eventually replaced with regular joysticks, even back in the 70s.
02:51Imagine having an arcade cabinet like this in the corner of an arcade today.
02:55That would last two days before it was thrown out.
02:58Hogs of War.
02:59This worms-like couch co-op game was beloved by a generation,
03:09and although the game is still good fun, the racial commentary is incredibly offensive.
03:14The Japanese team is yellow and called Sushi Swine,
03:18the French team is called Garlic Grunts, and the Germans, Sauerkrauts.
03:22The voice-overs and impressions done by the voice actors are wildly prejudiced.
03:27It's like a 1940s Bugs Bunny cartoon coming to life in a video game,
03:31and by today's standards, it probably would have had a good run on CNN headlines.
03:35If he dies, I get his wash-offs, no?
03:40Freedom.
03:41Freedom was designed similarly to MECC's earlier educational game, The Oregon Trail,
03:46but instead of a highly successful educational game that became a long-living hit for gaming fans,
03:51they created a far too open-ended experience aiming to teach students about escaping slavery via the Underground Railroad.
03:59Developed with the help of an African-American consultant to ensure historical accuracy,
04:03the game was meant to support classroom instruction.
04:06However, in practice, and much like The Oregon Trail,
04:09most students played the game independently, which led to parents demanding its removal
04:13due to concerns over the game's perceived insensitivities towards the experience of slaves.
04:18Although MECC attempted to collaborate with concerned groups to address these issues,
04:23they ultimately decided to withdraw the game, and that was in the 90s.
04:28Imagine it today.
04:30Rogue Warrior.
04:31Stop that mother****er, you f***ing amateurs.
04:34Ah yes, Rogue Warrior, the awful game that stars Mickey Rourke as a hardened US soldier
04:44who infiltrates North Korea to swear as much as possible,
04:47and talk about how small Kim Jong-un's penis is.
04:50Considering the Seth Rogen film The Interview almost started World War 3,
04:53I wouldn't have high hopes for this game in today's political climate.
04:56The gameplay would get it cancelled among video game enthusiasts,
04:59the swearing would get it cancelled among worried mothers,
05:02and the North Korea content would get it cancelled among nervous politicians.
05:06Overall, it would get cancelled.
05:08What a s***hole. How the f*** did I end up in Germany?
05:11Manhunt 2.
05:12Get your head straight and follow me.
05:14Head straight, follow you.
05:16That's it, Danny.
05:17Listen to me, and I'll get us out of here.
05:20Violence in video games doesn't get you in so much trouble in 2024,
05:25simply because the market is so oversaturated that a violent video game release happens every other day.
05:30But for a mainstream game which features gratuitous violence for the sake of gratuitous violence,
05:35without much substance to give it context, you can still get a good slap on the wrist.
