As we draw closer and closer to the end of the year, it's finally time to step back and take a look at all of the things the world of gaming gave to us in 2021.

The past year definitely gave us some gems, with the likes of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and Deathloop being just some of the many games that received high praise from critics and fans alike.

But, sadly, it wasn't all sunshine and roses in the world of gaming. Not only is it still incredibly difficult to get your hands on a next-gen console, but there were also some really disappointing titles released for them too.

Here are 5 games released in 2021 that we all had high expectations for, but unfortunately fell flat with both critics and fans. Plus, we'd also like to give an honourable mention to Warzone's new Caldera Pacific Map, after being hyped up, delayed, and then released in a broken mess on consoles, you never cease to amaze us Call of Duty!

• READ MORE: 5 Games To De-stress You and Promote Better Mental Health This Christmas

5. Aliens: Fireteam Elite

A Left 4 Dead-style game in the world of Aliens? How was this not done sooner? Aliens: Fireteam Elite had all the makings to be an incredibly fun game. Unfortunately, it was just another Aliens game that fell flat.

The official DualShockers review labelled it as a "carbon copy of all the other co-op shooters on the market". Aliens: Fireteam Elite also launched with numerous bugs and stability issues, which didn't go down well with fans.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite lacked any sort of creativity and simply rehashed the same environments and enemies, making for an incredibly repetitive experience with not enough content.

4. Destruction: AllStars

Destruction AllStars initially looked like it was going to be the next big thing in the gaming world, with quirky games like Rocket League, Fall Guys, and Among Us being massive hits, Destruction AllStars clearly attempted to capitalise on the fun games to play with your friends.

Unfortunately, it became a title you probably forgot existed. If you didn't have a squad to team up with, Destruction AllStars was nowhere near as enjoyable on your own. But, even with a group of friends, the fun soon wore out due to the lack of content. There was nothing inherently bad with Destruction AllStars, there just wasn't anything to shout about either.

3. Biomutant

Biomutant was another title that was eagerly anticipated by RPG fans, a beautiful open world that was initially described as a "post-apocalyptic kung-fu fable". What wasn't to love? Well, most things apparently.

Although it does offer some great character customization, Biomutant ultimately fell flat and became a title many fans forgot even released this year. The official DualShockers review described the world and characters as "bland", with no real dialogue and no way to connect with the world.

Unlike many of the other games on this list, Biomutant wasn't bad because of glitches and bugs, it just fell flat of what fans expected. It had so much potential but just ended up leaving players feeling unsatisfied.

2. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition

It wasn't Grand Theft Auto VI, but when Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, we accepted it as a peace offering and something to keep us busy until a new GTA instalment finally arrived.

The remaster was tasked by Grove Street Games, who are known for mobile ports of popular games such as Ark: Survival Evolved, Max Payne Mobile, Bully: Anniversary Edition, and other classic GTA titles.

Now, some fans still don't understand the difference between a REMAKE and a REMASTER. GTA Trilogy - The Definitive Edition was a remaster, which means it would receive some graphical upgrades from the original version, so nobody was expecting anything too crazy in terms of graphics.

But when the Definitive Edition finally arrived, it was the biggest mess we'd ever seen. The rain effects were so bad across all three titles that you physically couldn't play, there were constant glitches, graphical issues, and the fact that you could see the whole map from one point to the other when high enough was jarring.

When you also take into account that it was unplayable for the first weekend on PC due to the Rockstar Games Launcher being down, it was easily going to end up as one of the most disappointing games of 2021.

1. Battlefield 2042

Taking the crown for the most disappointing game of 2021 is Battlefield 2042, which shouldn't come as a surprise to many.

Unlike Call of Duty, Battlefield does not have an annual release schedule. But despite this, it still remains one of its biggest competitors. Every time a new Battlefield launch comes around, it's dubbed as the "COD killer". The initial reveal for 2042 had fans hyped, quickly becoming one of the most anticipated titles of the year.

But then everything went downhill when the beta arrived, and then it just got worse with the full launch. The game was a glitchy and bug-filled mess, with many players baffled at the poor hit detection, broken vehicles, and just general stability of the game.

EA and DICE have released multiple patches since the game's release, as a way to rectify many of the issues, but the damage has already been done, the player base has dropped drastically and we don't expect them to return anytime soon.

Battlefield 2042 could have been one of the biggest FPS titles of the year, but instead, it's landed at number one on the most disappointing games of 2021.