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Video Games With Completely Misleading Titles And What They Should Have Been Named Instead

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Split screen with the cat from Stray, Arthur Morgan, and Kratos.

Some video game titles are straight-up lies. Red Dead Redemption 2 sounds like a wild west power fantasy, not a slow descent into cowboy sadness. Animal Crossing? That’s not a chill island vacation, that’s adorable debt in real time. And don’t even get us started on Balatro. What does that even mean?

Two different protagonists posing from open-world games and a large green snake from Fallout 76.

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If games were named after what they actually feel like to play, we’d have way fewer surprises… and way more laughs. So, we took matters into our own hands. Here are video games with misleading names, and what we’d call them instead. Let's dive in!

Fortnite pop star playing a game of Fortnite.
mixcollage-24-dec-2024-11-02-am-8177.jpg
Fortnite

September 26, 2017

T for Teen - Violence

Epic Games

Epic Games

Unreal Engine 5

Online Multiplayer

Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

yes

1-4 (online)

Horizontal Only

N/A

September 26, 2017

November 10, 2020

November 12, 2020

June 12, 2018

June 5, 2025

PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mobile

Mighty

1-4 Players

YES

N/A

78

Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

Fortnite sounds like a medieval vacation, not a battle royale where you throw a boogie bomb and then floss over someone’s corpse. If you’ve ever played a round, you know this game is a blender of sweaty build battles, meme emotes, and neon-drenched cosmetics. Build Fight Dance Party feels much more accurate.

It captures the vibe of third-partying someone mid-shotgun duel while dressed as Ariana Grande. Which, honestly, is peak Fortnite.

Kratos raging in a cutscene from God of War Ragnarok.
god-of-war-game-series-franchise-console

God of War (2005), God of War II, God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War III, God of War III: Remastered, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, God of War: Origins Collection, God of War (2018), God of War: Ragnarok

This reboot isn’t just about gods and vengeance, it’s about one man’s struggle to parent his overly curious son while beheading trolls. Dad of Boy might sound like a meme, but it’s also the emotional core of the entire game. Kratos muttering “Boy” with increasing concern while Atreus tries to pick fights with ancient spirits? That’s the real experience.

Sure, there’s some epic combat and Norse mythology in there too, but really, it’s a parenting simulator where the biggest boss is emotional growth. Rename it so Atreus finally gets the title he deserves.

animal crossing new horizons

E for Everyone: Comic Mischief

Nintendo EPD

Nintendo

Havok

Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer

no

no

Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Happy Home Paradise

Animal Crossing

no

Switch

no

Tom Nook is a smiling raccoon with the soul of a loan shark. New Horizons is a sweet name, but it doesn’t prepare you for the cycle of debt, resource grinding, and interior design obsession that awaits. Capitalism But Make It Cozy cuts to the core: a game where you buy, sell, upgrade, and still somehow owe Nook thousands of Bells.

It’s warm, it’s relaxing, and it’s basically an economic sim wrapped in pastel colors and squirrel neighbors. If this is a horizon, it’s made of unpaid loans.

Arthur Morgan looking at the camera in Red Dead Redemption 2.
mixcollage-08-dec-2024-02-34-pm-9319.jpg
Red Dead Redemption 2

October 26, 2018

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

Rockstar Games

Rockstar Games

RAGE

Online Multiplayer

N/A

N/A

Red Dead Redemption

yes

PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia

Mighty

50 Hours

yes

Extra & Premium

97

You start with a horse, a gang, and the promise of freedom. You end up with a deep existential crisis and probably tuberculosis. Red Dead Redemption 2 is cinematic and dramatic, sure, but Cowboy Depression Simulator really nails the day-to-day: hunting for pelts, watching your moral compass fall apart, and crying over campfire songs.

Arthur Morgan’s journey is one of the most emotional in gaming, but it’s also about slowly trudging through mud while contemplating your sins. Saddle up for sadness.

A group of elder Sims stand around talking, playing chess, sleeping, and thinking.
mixcollage-08-dec-2024-01-29-pm-6687.jpg
The Sims 4
The Gamer rate

4.0/5

September 2, 2014

T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence

Maxis

Electronic Arts

Proprietary Engine

Xbox, PlayStation, and computer versions of Sims 4 are all separate games incompatible with each other

no

The Sims

yes

PS4, Xbox One, PC

Fair

N/A

No

22 GB (November 2023)

70

The Sims 4 is such a clean title for a game where your biggest thrill might be deleting a pool ladder or watching your Sim cook grilled cheese and burst into flames. It’s life, but weirder - full of meticulously managing careers, relationships, bladder needs, and ghosts.

Life Micromanagement tells you what you’re really in for: endless control over tiny people who absolutely refuse to use the bathroom before peeing themselves mid-party.

An astronaut looking off into the distance, with a large planet close in the background in No Man's Sky.
mixcollage-07-dec-2024-08-42-am-1209.jpg

T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Animated Blood

Hello Games

Hello Games

Proprietary

Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op

PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC

Verified

PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC

Fair

30.5 Hours

150 hours

Yes

20.36 GB (September 2024)

N/A

Sony PlayStation VR, Sony PlayStation VR2, Valve Index, HP Reverb G2, HTC Vive Pro 2, HTC VIVE Cosmos, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro

83

PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

When it launched, this game had few features, little hope. But after years of updates, it’s blossomed into one of the best space exploration titles out there. So let’s update the name too! Yes, Man’s Sky celebrates the comeback. You can mine, build, explore, and ride space whales now!

The sky’s no longer empty. It’s filled with colorful biomes, alien creatures, and the sweet satisfaction of a redemption arc done right. This is the comeback story for which you rename games for.

The characters from Fall Guys reach for the crown on a colorful stage.
fall-guys-cover-2-3

E for Everyone: Mild Cartoon Violence

Mediatonic

Epic Games

Unity

Online Multiplayer

PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC

Strong

N/A

81

PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

Calling it Fall Guys is technically accurate… but vague. Are they falling emotionally? Spiritually? No, they are physically falling. Constantly. These little bean-shaped contestants can’t stay upright to save their lives.

Jelly Beans Fall Over Repeatedly is more honest. You’re here to wobble through obstacle courses, get betrayed by physics, and yeeted into the void. It’s frustrating and hilarious. It’s pure mayhem in the most adorable form possible.

Stray image showing the cat finally free from the city
stray game
Stray
The Gamer rate

5.0/5

E10+ for Everyone 10+: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence

BlueTwelve Studio

Annapurna Interactive

Unreal Engine 4

PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

Mighty

5 Hours

N/A

83

Yes, you're a cat. But not just any cat. You’re a cat with a backpack, puzzle-solving skills, and a robot bestie. Stray sounds a bit too vague for the feline-powered platformer that’s basically a dystopian Metroidvania with purring.

Meowtroidvania sums up the entire pitch in one pun: explore a cyberpunk city, dodge drones, and occasionally nap in sunbeams. If it meows like a cat and jumps like Samus…

Six in a yellow coat in front of a large door In Little Nightmares.
mixcollage-11-dec-2024-08-49-pm-2876.jpg
Little Nightmares

Little Nightmares is accurate: you’re tiny and the world is terrifying. Still, it doesn’t capture the sheer stress of sneaking past grotesque giants who want to eat you. Massive Anxiety, Tiny Raincoat is a much more honest descriptor.

The game is beautifully unsettling, and every shadow, creak, and stomach gurgle feels like a jumpscare. If you like horror that’s slow, eerie, and drenched in symbolism, this game, and its yellow coat, is for you.

A photo of three Balatro joker cards set against a pixel-star background.
mixcollage-04-dec-2024-01-11-am-2970.jpg
Balatro

February 20, 2024

E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Gambling Themes

LocalThunk

Playstack

LÖVE

PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

Mighty

8 Hours

Balatro is a cryptic name, like a magician’s alias. But if you’ve played it, you know what it really is: a roguelike poker game that devours your free time and your circadian rhythm. You’ll be promising yourself “just one more run” as the sun rises, and you’re three Jokers deep into a combo that could either fizzle or break the game.

One More Run And I Swear I’ll Sleep is the truest name it could have. Just one more rename… I swear I’ll stop.

The Scientists in Half-Life, Roxas from Kingdom Hearts 2, and Kratos in God of War.

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