Such games are identified through overall low review scores including low aggregate scores on sites such as Metacritic, frequent appearances on 'worst games of all time' lists from various publications, or otherwise carry this reputation in analysis by video game journalists or through popular social media personalities, such as James Rolfe of the webseries Angry Video Game Nerd.

Certain video games have gained an enduring negative reception, otherwise considered as 'bad games', often related to issues such as having low-quality or outdated graphics, many glitches, or poor controls.