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GTA 6 Rival Samson Becomes Third Worst Reviewed Game of 2026
Samson, an open-world crime game from ex-Just Cause developers, launched to disastrous reviews and now sits as the third-lowest scored game on Metacritic in 2026.
Key update
Samson, a GTA-like open-world crime game developed by Liquid Swords — a studio founded by Avalanche Studios veteran Christopher Sundberg — has launched to devastating reviews, becoming the third-lowest scored game on Metacritic in 2026.
Why it matters
The game released on April 8, 2026, promising a 'City With a Pulse' and an ambitious open-world experience. Players take on the role of Samson, a character who owes money to gangs and must work through the city building capital to pay off an ever-growing debt.
What to watch
On Metacritic, Samson sits at a dismal score of 48. Only Code Violet (29) and Tokyo Scramble (40) have performed worse this year. The game's Metacritic score is a full 15 points lower than the recently released Mindseye.
Context
Critics were merciless. Metro GameCentral gave the game a brutal 2/10, calling it 'A failed attempt to make a lower-budget GTA clone, that squanders a promising set-up with repetitive, poorly orchestrated gameplay.' Game Rant scored it 3/10, describing it as 'a passionless, joyless, derivative chore.'
Bottom line
Steam reviews paint a similarly bleak picture, with only 53% positive ratings. While some players praise the low price point, others are far less forgiving. 'Samson had the potential of being a pretty good noir action-adventure, but it's currently a broken, repetitive grind,' wrote one reviewer with nearly 12 hours of playtime.
Update 6
The game's developer has acknowledged the problems. 'Early impressions are mixed and many of you are experiencing game-breaking bugs and performance issues,' Liquid Swords founder Christopher Sundberg stated. He promised swift action to address the community's concerns.
Update 7
A first patch arrived on April 10, just two days after launch, addressing critical issues including support for up to eight CPU threads and various mission and progression fixes. NPC fall damage corrections and translation improvements were also included.
Update 8
The failed launch of Samson highlights the enormous challenge facing any developer attempting to compete in the open-world crime genre while GTA 6 approaches its November 19, 2026 release date. With Rockstar's behemoth on the horizon, the appetite for alternatives is strong — but the bar for quality remains sky-high.
Update 9
Interestingly, Samson's struggles stand in stark contrast to the excitement surrounding GTA 6 itself. While Rockstar's sequel is expected to be the largest game launch in history, smaller studios continue to find that matching even a fraction of that ambition is an almost impossible task.
Update 10
For fans eagerly awaiting GTA 6, Samson's failure serves as a reminder that there truly is no substitute for Rockstar's open-world expertise. The game is available on PC via Steam, though players should temper their expectations significantly.