Some video game titles are straight-up lies.Red Dead Redemption 2sounds 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 onBalatro. What does that even mean?
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 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.
God of War
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.
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.
Fextralife Wiki
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
