10 Games That DIDN'T Need Remasters

“The Last of Us Part I” (2022)

Look, we get it. The Last of Us is a masterpiece. But did it really need another remake just nine years after release? The original PS3 version still holds up, and the PS4 remaster from 2014 was already a significant upgrade. Yet, in 2022, Naughty Dog released The Last of Us Part I, touting enhanced visuals and modernized gameplay. Sure, it looked better, but at full price, it felt more like a high-budget touch-up than a necessary remake. The improvements were subtle, and most players wouldn’t notice unless they squinted at a side-by-side comparison. With a TV adaptation already bringing new attention to the series, this felt like a cash grab rather than a must-have upgrade.

“Ratchet & Clank” (2016)

If you’re going to remake a game, at least try to keep its soul intact. Ratchet & Clank (2016) was visually stunning, but it wasn’t really a remaster… it was more of a re-imagining tied to the Ratchet & Clank movie. It cherry-picked moments from the 2002 classic, but in doing so, it lost a lot of its charm and humor. The writing felt toned down, the villain’s motivations changed, and some fan-favorite moments were cut entirely. Gameplay was still solid, but long-time fans couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. The original was still completely playable on the PS3 and Vita, making this redo feel unnecessary, especially since it was tied to a pretty forgettable film.

“Batman: Return to Arkham” (2016)

This time, if you’re going to remaster one of the greatest superhero games of all time, at least make it look better, right? Well, Return to Arkham somehow did the opposite. The collection brought Arkham Asylum and Arkham City to PS4 and Xbox One, but instead of refining the visuals, it made some things… actually worse. The lighting was more harsh, the colors more washed out, and character models just looked a bit off… like Batman had just finished an all-nighter after one too many Gotham rooftop chases. The original games were still stunning on the PS3 and Xbox 360, so this remaster kinda felt unnecessary. Worst of all, it wasn’t even a full collection… Arkham Origins was nowhere to be found.

“Until Dawn Remake” (2024)

Until Dawn was already a visually impressive horror game, but in 2024, Sony decided to remake it using Unreal Engine 5. The remake features enhanced visuals, new camera angles, and updated environments. While the graphical improvements are evident, many argue they aren’t significant enough to justify a full remake. Some fans prefer the original’s fixed camera for its cinematic horror feel, while others feel the 30 FPS cap on PS5 is disappointing. With the original still widely available and playable, this remake feels unnecessary. Maybe Supermassive Games should focus on refining The Dark Pictures Anthology instead of revisiting a game that’s already perfectly playable.

“XIII Remake” (2020)

This one wasn’t just unnecessary… It was downright disastrous. The original XIII was a beloved cult classic, praised for its stylish cel-shaded visuals and engaging espionage gameplay. The remake, however, stripped away everything that made the original unique. Gone was the iconic comic book aesthetic, replaced by a bland, generic shooter look. The gameplay felt unpolished, the AI was broken, and fans were understandably furious. The backlash was so bad that the developers had to issue a second remake in 2022 just to fix the mess they made. Imagine remastering a game so badly that you have to remake the remake… yeah, it was that bad.

“Days Gone Remaster” (2025)

Sony, we need to talk. Not every game needs a remaster, especially when the original is barely old enough to start kindergarten. Days Gone came out in 2019 and already looks great on the PS5, running at 60 FPS with improved visuals. Yet, not even a decade later, Sony announced the remaster that’s set to drop this year in April, even after rejecting Days Gone 2! Instead of giving us the sequel fans actually wanted, we’ll be getting a slightly shinier version of a game that’s still pretty fresh. Maybe Sony should focus on bringing back actual classics instead of repackaging recent hits. Like, where’s our Resistance collection?

“Star Fox 64 3D” (2011)

Star Fox 64 is a legendary game, but let’s be real… did it need a remaster…? The original still plays beautifully, and the N64 graphics have their own retro charm. The 3DS remake improved textures and added gyro controls, but it didn’t really do much else. It was a nice option for new players, but for veterans, it felt more like a minor upgrade rather than a must-have overhaul. Plus, without true multiplayer support and no significant gameplay additions, it just didn’t justify its existence. The Star Fox series desperately needs a new entry, not another re-release of 64.

“Warcraft III: Reforged” (2020)

Blizzard hyped this one up as the definitive way to play Warcraft III. What we actually got was a downgrade... Promised cinematic cutscenes? Gone. Classic features like clans and custom campaigns? Missing. Even the online experience was worse than the original. Fans who expected a faithful remaster were left with a buggy, stripped-down version of a beloved classic. And to make things worse, Blizzard replaced the original version with Reforged, meaning that even those who wanted to stick with the classic were out of luck. If Reforged proved anything to us, it’s that some remasters can actually ruin a game’s legacy rather than enhance it.

“Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition” (2021)

Okay, seriously… How do you mess up Grand Theft Auto? Well, Rockstar and Grove Street Games found a way. Instead of giving us a faithful upgrade of the original 3D trilogy that included GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas, we were treated to a buggy, visually inconsistent mess. Character models looked bizarre, rain effects were blinding, and classic cheat codes were removed. Worst of all, Rockstar delisted the original versions, forcing fans to deal with this botched remaster. It was so bad that Rockstar had to apologize and release patches to fix the damage.

“Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered” (2024)

Sony… please… stop. When Horizon Zero Dawn launched in 2017, it was already a visual masterpiece, pushing the PS4 to its limits. Yet, in 2024, not even a decade after its release, Sony released Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, enhancing textures, lighting, and character models while re-recording motion capture for improved facial animations. While these upgrades are impressive, many argue they weren’t necessary. The original already runs at 60 FPS on PS5 and still holds up graphically. The worst part is that its release led to price hikes and the delisting of the original, leaving fans with fewer options. With plenty of other PlayStation classics deserving attention, this remaster feels less like a necessity and more like a business move to justify reselling an already great game. If Sony keeps remastering modern games instead of focusing on new ones, we’re going to start seeing PS5 remasters of PS5 games.


Are there any other remasters or remakes that really didn’t need to happen? Let us know in the comments!