Code Violet is the worst reviewed PS5 exclusive ever

2026 isn't even two weeks old, and while we wait for the first contenders for game of the year to start rolling in, it looks like we already have a contender for worst game of the year. Code Violet launched last week to rave reviews, and its dismal score earned it the unwanted distinction of being the worst-rated PS5 exclusive to date.

Code Violet currently has a score of 40 on Metacritic, and I don't have to tell you that it's not very good. How bad is it? Well, it's bad enough that after five years of exclusives, Code Violet being the latest of many, TeamKill Media's early 2026 offering is currently the lowest-scoring PS5 exclusive in the platform's history.

Code Violet is the lowest scoring PS5 exclusive ever

Luckily, it's not the worst game available on the latest PlayStation, and it has four titles to thank for that. Flashback 2, eFootball, The Lord of the Rings – Gollum and last year's biggest flop and lowest rated PS5 game, exclusive or otherwise, MindsEye. As much as people claim Code Violet is, it speaks to how much everyone hated MindsEye that the new TeamKill game has a full 12 points more than what Build A Rocket Boy offered.

These are the five lowest-rated games on a list that boasts over 1,000 PS5 titles (who says they still don't have any games?), so it really takes some effort to be this close to the bottom. Code Violet could one day shake off the unwanted honor of being the worst PS5 exclusive if it ever came out on another platform, but while they're early on the new game, that seems unlikely.

Why is Code Violet A PS5 exclusive?

Some wonder how and why Code Violet secured PS5 exclusive status. As far as we can tell, there is no deal with Sony preventing Code Violet from being released on other platforms. While it would make sense to skip the Nintendo Switch 2 due to the console being relatively new and the Xbox due to its smaller install base, TeamKill choosing not to put Code Violet on Steam is a strange decision.

There's a theory that Code Violet's PS5 exclusivity is tied to refunds, or more precisely, how difficult it is to get refunds on PlayStation. Steam has a strict but pretty fair refund policy, where if you've owned the game for less than two weeks and played for less than two hours, you can get your money back, no questions asked.

The PlayStation Store isn't that liberal with refunds. In fact, it has a no refund policy, with only extreme cases being considered. Most notable are Cyberpunk 2077 and MindsEye, which were rare examples of PlayStation reluctantly backing down and refunding those who bought the games. Some believe that TeamKill only went with the PS5 so that even if people don't like Code Violet, which seems to be the case with many, they won't be able to get their money back.