20 Biggest Video Game Bombs Of 2025

The Precinct has a simple but intriguing premise. The police sim lets players patrol a gritty city as a rookie cop, combining procedurally-generated crimes, vehicle chases, and arrests.

Although it's a cool concept, the delivery is bungled. It's fun for a while, but the core loop becomes tiresome, since more time is spent waiting for crimes to occur than stopping them. Worse still, many of the activities aren't engaging, like checking licenses or telling off locals for minor infractions. Yes, it's more realistic than other crime-oriented titles, but it doesn't stop the objectives from being profoundly mundane.

Even when missions get mildly exciting, they're undermined by the first-draft dialogue, minimal characterisation, and cliche-riddled plot.

Mechanically, the combat and driving aren't up to scratch either. Shooting is imprecise and the gameplay is locked at 30fps, making the most thrilling tasks feel sluggish.

Ultimately, The Precinct ends up caught between two identities. It's too dull to satisfy fans of action-heavy cop thrillers, but too mind-numbing to deliver a meaningful simulation. Taking into account the player numbers went from nearly 10,000 to the low hundreds, there's no doubt The Precinct is deep in the red.