 The game's reception from critics was extremely negative. David Leonard of PopMatters decried the game's graphics and "playability," While not approving of the game's message, he argued that it was only the latest in a long line of racist video games that included the likes of Grand Theft Auto III, NFL Street, and Freedom Fighters. In January 2003, Stuff named Ethnic Cleansing the 40th most controversial video game of all time. The staff opined that only "very stupid children" would be susceptible to its message and that it would make players feel like "small-minded assholes." Complex and UGO ranked it as the single most racist video game in history; UGO staff writer K. Thor Jensen called it "profoundly stupid."
