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1* The box illustration for ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Days of Ruin / Dark Conflict]]'' really makes the very heroic moral pillar Captain Brenner / Lt. O'Brian look like a villain, due to a combination of the lighting, his beard and hair and his head being in a position in the illustration befitting of an EvilOverlooker.
2* The brown haired kid on the cover of ''VideoGame/AmazingIsland'' doesn't appear in the game at all.
3%%* Compare the cover of the [[http://www.mobygames.com/game/amiga/out-of-this-world/cover-art/gameCoverId,73816/ original Amiga version]] of ''VideoGame/AnotherWorld'' (with illustrations by the developer of the game, which does resemble the in-game graphics) to its [[http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/out-of-this-world/cover-art/gameCoverId,68422/ SNES version]]. %%Administrivia/WeblinksAreNotExamples
4* The European/Australian cover illustration for ''VideoGame/AtelierIris3GrandPhantasm'', bizarrely, [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Grand_Phantasm.jpg shows every character]] ''but'' the title one.
5* ''VideoGame/AutoDestruct'''s cover depicts the player's vehicle as a Mitsubishi 3000 GT lookalike, while in game it more resembles a futuristic concept car.
6* The Game Boy port of ''VideoGame/AvengingSpirit'' depicted a mobster with a tommy gun. While he ''is'' a character in the game, the real main character is a BedsheetGhost [[BodySurf who possesses people]], and the art style is nowhere near as realistic (in fact, it was ''even more cutesy'' than the original arcade game).
7* If you were to look at the [[http://atariage.com/2600/carts/c_BasicProgramming_Picture_front.jpg box illustration]] for "BASIC Programming" on Atari 2600, you would imagine you're in for some sweet sci-fi action, like in the then-brand new ''Star Wars'', but it's really just a BASIC IDE crammed into an Atari cartridge. For its time it was an impressive technical feat, to be sure, but it's certainly not as glamorous and exciting as the polyester-clad space programmers on the cover make it look. And lest you think you could make a game as epic as the box illustration , think again: the system couldn't handle more than eleven lines of code.
8* The [[http://www.mobygames.com/game/bigfoot_/cover-art/gameCoverId,395602/ cover]] for the Creator/{{Codemasters}} game ''Bigfoot'' shows [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti the eponymous monster]] fighting off a bunch of hillbillies while grabbing a blonde girl. This has nothing to do with the game itself, in which no humans show up.
9* ''VideoGame/BigRigsOverTheRoadRacing'' has a cover that depicts a police car in a furious head-to-head chase with a truck, and the back of the box describes "trying to stay one step ahead of the law" and suggests you'll have to face a police roadblock at some point, implying there might be some kind of mechanic where the police chase you and try to stop you. There isn't; it's a ''very'' barebones racer where even the other drivers don't bother to impede you due to bugged AI. It also describes "racking up points" (the game doesn't have a scoring system), "1000s of miles of highway" (all the maps combined aren't even a tenth that big), and suggests that there are three levels of difficulty (there aren't; in fact, the game is generally considered unloseable). Every single screenshot on the back of the box is completely fake. Even the mere fact that it seems to depict the police car ramming the truck is wrong: ''Big Rigs'' famously lacks collision detection for anything, so even if police did exist, they wouldn't be able to do that.
10* The cover to the Commodore 64 version of ''{{VideoGame/Bombuzal}}'' depicts a human character with a giant chin who looks nothing like the blobby, red-nosed CartoonCreature you play as in the actual game.
11* ''VideoGame/BravelyDefaultII'': More of a trick than an outright lie; looking at the (JAP/USA) cover you would believe you're looking at Gloria, one of the main characters in the story. You'd be wrong, but that's understandable because you never actually see the girl on the cover in the game. [[spoiler: That's because the girl on the cover is the Night's Nexus before she became corrupted by the Fount of Knowledge. Notice what she's holding in her hand?]]
12* ''[[VideoGame/{{Bubsy}} Bubsy 3D]]'' featured a positive critic quote on the front cover from ''EGM''. In reality, the quote came from a ''preview'' in ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' - their review of the actual game when it came out was a 3.25 out of 10.
13* ''VideoGame/TheBugsBunnyBirthdayBlowout'': Porky Pig pops up on the game's cover, even though he's not present at all in-game, not even as a cameo. This was presumably a holdover from the fact that Porky was planned to be in the game at one point, but was cut.
14* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' has indulged in this a few times:
15** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia'', features the main character: Shanoa, holding a long crimson rapier with a twisted hilt. This weapon however, is only used as a "Item Crush"; used for a single slash, screen-sized, and certainly not equipable as the cover implies. In fact the strongest rapier glyph is still a standard, earthly rapier.
16** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLegends'' depicted the main character Sonia with a sword at her side and in several pictures from the booklet, she never uses one in the game itself.
17** Justified in ''Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls''; protagonist of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' Soma Cruz is depicted alongside the other playable characters on the title screen despite not being a playable character himself. [[spoiler:This is almost certainly to mask the fact that Soma does appear... a [[RogueProtagonist Julius Mode Soma]], to be specific.]]
18* The cover for ''[[VideoGame/CatacombFantasyTrilogy Catacomb 3-D]]'' depicts a badass guy [[http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/catacomb-3-d/cover-art/gameCoverId,12605/ with a gun]]. The game itself is fantasy and all you use are fireball spells, not guns.
19* The ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' cover is based on Akira Toriyama's [[http://www.gamespite.net/talkingtime/showthread.php?t=11444 early promo illustration]] which depicts Crono, Frog and Marle fighting a boss. The boss is in the wrong location (in fact, a location that doesn't exist in the game), is being fought with the wrong party, Crono's outfit is slightly off, Marle's outfit is not even close to her actual in-game outfit, and she's using a flame spell when she's [[AnIcePerson an ice spell user]]. They kept it for the DS release, where there is indeed a fight with that creature in an area similar to that on the box illustration in the bonus dungeon... but doing the shown move (Frost Arc) on said monster heals it.
20* ''VideoGame/CliveBarkersUndying'': In the backcover, you can see images of Patrick fighting a Monto Shonoi in Oneiros (they don't appear there in the game) and a Howler in the manor with the Skull Storm spell (which is acquired after the part of the game with the Howlers).
21* The back of the box for the original Platform/{{P|layStation2}}S2 version of ''Videogame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex'' features screenshots of a side-scrolling level involving Coco on her scooter (the only section in the game where she rides a scooter has the camera in front of her) and Crash driving a jeep away from what appears to be his hut (the jeep is in the game but only appears in a jungle).
22* The cover of ''VideoGame/DayOfTheTentacle'' involves Purple Tentacle chasing off the protagonists with a shrink ray in his hand. In the game itself, [[spoiler:it's Future Purple Tentacle who is the one who attacks the kids in the present and he goes after them inside the mansion after the kids have been fused into one three-headed person.]]
23* The cover to ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'' has a definite "ultra gory action/survival horror" theme. It's actually a standard survival horror game that, while it ''does'' have a good amount of gore, focuses more on the detective work than the action.
24* The box illustration for ''Demon Sword'' features a BarbarianHero wielding the game's eponymous weapon. The protagonist in-game is a {{Wuxia}}-type warrior who can leap the height of the screen InASingleBound. On the back of the box, the first screenshot description is "Battle the Old Wizard of Cedar Mountain", but said shot actually displays the Demon Warrior boss from Bamboo Forest, the preceding stage.
25* The ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' cover shows Atsuro, Yuzu, and Amane wearing black outfits when their real in-game clothes are much more colorful.
26* The South Korean version of the 1983 Creator/HudsonSoft game ''Dezeni Land'' has Creator/{{Disney}} characters on its cover that never appear in the actual game.
27* The box art and manual cover of ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' depict a hooded skeleton, even though there are no hooded skeletons in the game itself. The Dark Wanderer does wear a hood (usually), but he has his flesh intact until he transforms into Diablo's true form.
28* The loading screen of the freeware EdutainmentGame ''VideoGame/DinosaurWorld'' shows an ''Allosaurus'' stalking ''Diplodocus'' on the Mossy Plain with some flying reptiles overhead. In the game, only the ''Diplodocus'' appears in this area. The Creator/{{BBC}} admitted the game was released unfinished, possibly explaining this.
29* The packaging for ''Discovery Kids: Dolphin Discovery'' for Nintendo DS has [[https://web.archive.org/web/20100712221002if_/http://consumerist.com/2009/05/gamer-tricked-into-buying-lame-ds-dolphin-title-by-erroneous-ad-publisher-dragging-its-fins.html a blurb describing, and screenshots from, a different game]]. Sure, the actual game at least involves dolphins, but everything else is wrong.
30* The classic 8-bit ''VideoGame/{{Dizzy}}'' games of ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC fame often had game covers that, while well-drawn and visually appealing, were only vaguely related to the game's own contents. The very first game in the series is perhaps the worst offender, suggesting that [[https://www.mobygames.com/game/dizzy-the-ultimate-cartoon-adventure/cover-art/gameCoverId,431480/ Dizzy has to rescue his people from villainous farmer-miner-hillbilly types]]. In reality Dizzy is the only egg person ("yolkfolk" as the game calls them) to appear in the whole game and the only human villain is the Evil Wizard Zaks -- though rescuing other yolkfolk would be major plot elements of subsequent games.
31* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'':
32** Somehow, [[http://platypuscomix.com/interactive/clownmario.jpg THIS]] became the box art for the Spanish release of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'''s Atari 2600 port. This is due to a mix-up of cartridge label designs. For some reason, they used the design meant for the Atari 2600 ''Mr. Do!'' for the Latin American version of ''Donkey Kong''.[[note]]Given that this version is a Taiwanese bootleg, it isn't that surprising that the publisher screwed up.[[/note]]
33** The box illustration of ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest Donkey Kong Land 2]]'', a pseudo-port of the SNES ''Donkey Kong Country 2'', shows the Kongs swimming in an underwater shipwreck with Glimmer the angler fish following behind them. Glimmer doesn't appear anywhere in the actual game; the stage Glimmer's Galleon, where he normally appears, has him replaced with barrels that temporarily light up the screen, presumably due to hardware limitations.
34* The box art of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' shows the Doomguy firing an assault rifle at a swarm of demons. It wasn't until ''VideoGame/Doom3'' that you could wield an assault rifle as a weapon. Supposedly, early versions of the game did have an assault rifle, but it got turned into the [[GatlingGood chaingun]] at some point.
35* In the ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' series, it is established that Marian is Billy's girlfriend, who is the Lee brother that wears blue in the games. Yet on the cover illustration used in every version of ''Double Dragon II: The Revenge'', she is shown embracing the one who wears red. Either Billy doesn't mind sharing his girlfriend with his brother Jimmy, or the artist switched their colors by mistake. Marian is also supposed to be dead in ''II'' ([[spoiler: although, [[UnexplainedRecovery she does get better]] in some versions of the game]]).
36* ''[[VideoGame/DragonBallZTheLegacyOfGoku Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II]]'' focuses exclusively on the Android Saga, as evidenced in both the [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/box/8/4/4/52844_front.jpg American]] and [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/box/8/4/5/52845_front.jpg Japanese]] box arts. For some unexplained reason, [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/box/8/4/3/52843_front.jpg the European box art]] has sleeveless Vegeta, Adult Gohan in his Orange Star High School outfit, and Kid Trunks, who all don't appear until the Buu Saga (which ''Buu's Fury'' covers).
37* The indie game ''Energy Invasion'' has a woman in an attractive, sci-fi-inspired one-piece on its front cover, right behind the title. The game in question is an ''VideoGame/{{Arkanoid}}'' clone (albeit one in 3D since it's remade in modern times). [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10079800/ IMDb had a field day ripping this one a new hole]]..
38* ''VideoGame/EasternExorcist'' has posters, cover artwork, and promotional materials depicting the two main characters, Lu Yun-chuan and Xiahou-xue, ready to kick ass side-by-side. The game itself contains ''two'' different campaigns, where players can choose between either Lu or Xia, but contrary to the artwork at no point do they meet or interact with each other.
39* The cover of ''VideoGame/EpicMickeyPowerOfIllusion'' shows The Queen of Hearts from ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'' and Hades from ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', and while they are both shown as brief cameos in the beginning of the game, you never battle them or go through any levels based on their respective movies at all in the game. In fact, on the cover, the Queen of Hearts was replaced with the Mad Hatter in the final release, and he does appear... but not as an enemy like the cover implies.
40* A Southeast Asian bootleg of ''VideoGame/{{Expert}}'' calls the game "''Counter-Strike Ver.'' '''''Expert'''''" and straight-up pilfers the cover art of ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'', misleading players into believing they're purchasing a Platform/PlayStation port of the latter game (which ''doesn't'' have a port for the original [=PlayStation=]). The only things both games have in common are "FPS where you shoot terrorists".
41* The NES version of ''VideoGame/FantasyZone'' (the Tengen version released in the US), unlike [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore many box arts of its era and beyond]], does a good job of accurately depicting the game's CuteEmUp styling... but draws the player character Opa-Opa as a bizarre robotic housefly creature, instead of the bean-shaped SapientShip you see in-game.
42* ''VideoGame/{{Fears}}'', a mediocre Amiga-made FPS, have the players battling scary-looking, reptilian giant monsters on it's [[https://www.mobygames.com/game/12533/fears/promo/group-91498/image-728008/ cover art]], when in the actual game the monsters look... less than impressive. You fight some detached heads, LittleGreenMen-type aliens, a few tentacled creatures or otherwise humanoid-looking enemies, but monsters as scary as what the cover art suggests are located roughly a few halls ''away'' from this game.
43* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
44** Many releases of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' use concept artwork of a warrior with a horned helmet and blue armor, implying him to be the main character. The game does not have a set protagonist (the player controls a party of four [[FlatCharacter largely undefined heroes]]), and of the six playable jobs, none of them look like the guy on the cover (the Fighter/Warrior job wears bright red armor and lacks a helmet of any kind). The character on the cover, usually named the Warrior of Light, has become something of a mascot for the game and tends to represent it in crossovers. Ironically, if there's any character in the game that the Warrior resembles, it's probably Garland. By a similar count, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' also use concept art that doesn't really look anything like the ingame protagonists, though the UpdatedRerelease of ''II'' changes Firion's design to look more like the concept art as opposed to being a Fighter with nicer boots.
45** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' had the back of the box showing screenshots of nothing but FMV scenes with nary a screenshot of the game itself in sight. This led many people to believe that the game would be played in the advertised graphics. ''Final Fantasy'' and other games that pulled this stunt had gotten in trouble for deceptive marketing and all game boxes are required to show at least one screenshot of the game itself instead of a cut scene.
46** The cover of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'' is only a picture of Lightning, similar to the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII previous game's]] cover. Unlike the previous game, however, she is not the main protagonist (who is her sister Serah this time), nor does she play a huge role in the story.
47* The ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' series almost always had this problem:
48** The packaging illustration for the SNES version depicts a stare-off between Haggar and Abigail, with three different images between them of a character vaguely resembling Guy beating up other punks. The original release of the SNES version did not feature Guy.
49** The American cover for ''Final Fight 2'' features two different depictions of Damnd (traced over from different sources), Cody, Guy and other characters from the first game that don't even appear in the sequel.
50** The American cabinet for the arcade version features enemies wielding lead pipes (only the player can wield pipes in-game) and the good guys fighting multiple opponents in a wrestling ring (when only Sodom appears in such stage in the game).
51** [[http://www.mobygames.com/game/final-fight/cover-art/gameCoverId,172554/ The packaging illustration]] for the home computer ports by U.S. Gold depicts Cody (with dark hair instead of his usual blond) confronting a group of punks in a train with a few bystanders witnessing the action. In the game, the only people in the train besides the player are all enemies.
52** The covers for the Sega CD version of the game are fine, but in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyuNzKXAckA&feature=player_detailpage#t=57s intro]]: it shows [[CutscenePowerToTheMax Two.P wielding a knife, Axl wielding a choke wire, and Andore wielding (more like bending) a lead pipe]]. None of these characters pick up/carry weapons during game play, except El Gado or Hollywood. The latter that actually appears with the correct weapon in the cut-scene.
53* The cover of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' depicts the character of Valbar rather prominently, suggesting him to be an important or plot-relevant character: he's given equal prominence to Celica, the game's deuteragonist. He isn't; he gets three pieces of dialogue in the game (his introduction, his recruitment, and his death quote) and has no real significance to the plot, unless you count the fact that he leads a small squad that joins with him. There's also a looming villainous-looking figure whose appearance doesn't match anyone in the game; later material has suggested him to be Duma's human form.
54* The cover of the ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] game features a cel illustration from the anime series which depicts Kenshiro sparring with his brother Toki, despite the fact that this was actually based on the second series (''Hokuto no Ken 2''), which didn't even have Toki in it. Since the game was published years before the anime was even localized for the U.S. market, the people at Taxan just used a random illustrations from the series without any regard to the game's content, knowing that most Americans at the time would've not noticed this..
55** The Japanese cover of Sega's ''Hokuto no Ken'' side-scroller for the Platform/SegaMasterSystem (the one that was released overseas as ''Black Belt'') features Rei, who is not in the game at all.
56* Fake screenshots were rampant in the cover illustration of Platform/Atari2600 and other early-era video games. Since it was almost impossible to get clean-looking screen captures back then, gameplay images would have to be redrawn by an artist, often making them far sharper and more detailed than the blocky shapes actually produced by the graphical hardware of the era. Take, for instance, [[http://hg101.kontek.net/dunjonquest/gateway-screenshots.jpg these considerably retouched screenshots]] from the back cover of Creator/{{Epyx}}'s ''VideoGame/GatewayToApshai''.
57* ''VideoGame/GhostInTheShell'' has one of it's covers depicting Major Motoko Kusanagi from the anime seated inside the red Fuchikoma. In the game itself, the Fuchikoma is piloted by an unnamed Section 9 rookie - your player character - and not the Major.
58* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' for Platform/GameBoy. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(Game_Boy) The cover]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3aPjblcHC0 opening monster roll call]] look quite intimdating and seems to be introducing a beat-em-up. Then the player starts a new game and gets...[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3aPjblcHC0#t=2m16s this]]. Creator/{{Toho}}'s Japanese division was [[http://www.gamefaqs.com/gameboy/585732-godzilla/images/183372 more upfront about this]].
59* On the NES, Konami usually did good illustrations of their game covers that left things just ambiguous enough that it didn't matter. But when they designed [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iPXPd0VcdbA/UU82uMljPSI/AAAAAAAArd8/64Lgzbm8oQk/s640/15-0-Goonies-II-NES.jpg the cover]] of ''VideoGame/TheGooniesII'', everything just went to crap. Assumedly unable to afford the royalties for using [[Film/TheGoonies the movie actors']] likenesses, the artist just drew them all to look like Creator/MarkHamill.
60* The cover to ''VideoGame/TheGreatGianaSisters'' does not show Giana and her sister Maria. It shows ordinary Giana alongside "punk Giana", who was essentially the original game's version of Super Mario. The "punk Giana" later became an at-will transformation in the sequel, but still Giana all the same.
61* ''VideoGame/TheGuardianLegend'' has terrible box illustration for all three versions of the game: The [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guardian-legend-european-box_7490.jpg European]] and [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guardian-legend-japanese-box_4961.jpg Japanese]] illustration are slightly better than the North American illustration in that they least show a RobotGirl, even if said girl looks nothing like the protagonist. As for the unbelievably generic [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-tgl_box_4046.jpg North American]] box... the only thing it gets right is the phrase "[[PasswordSave Includes Password Feature]]".[[note]]This is because the North American box art is actually '''stolen''' - [[https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IMahZWDIKLI/TYtQosidAbI/AAAAAAAADEE/Xcu0SukBjWs/s1600/creature-tgl.jpg it is blatantly copied from a film poster for a horror movie called Creature]]. The artwork is more accurate in its original context.[[/note]]
62* The cover art for ''VideoGame/{{Hachoo}}'' depicts your character in a blue martial arts uniform and with dark hair, but in actuality you spend the whole game kicking ass in a white uniform with blonde hair. That said, the poster implies plenty of CameraAbuse, which ''does'' happen in-game.
63* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'':
64** The original box for ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' featured screenshots from early builds of the game, including scenes removed from the final game, such as one where scientists are interrogated.
65** The box for ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' has absolutely no screenshots from the actual shipped game. Some are from early E3 builds of the game, and some are simply creatures in areas they don't exist in the game (an Antlion guard on the beach, for example).
66* ''VideoGame/HarmfulPark'' has a cover that, if you can deduce it to be a shoot-em-up based on the cover art, congratulations on being psychic. The game's Playstation release depicts the title... written in chocolate syrup, on a pancake, on a dinnerplate. It tells nothing on what the game is about and doesn't exactly scream "arcade shooter!" at a glance...
67* ''VideoGame/HellFighter'', already an unlicensed bootleg game, comes with an equally baffling cover-art where you're depicted as a muscular, bare-chested brute in a loincloth, when in gameplay you're wearing clothes throughout. The cover also implies power-ups are collected in the form of skulls, when in gameplay it's magical crystal orbs.
68* ''LEGO Toys/HeroFactory: Breakout'' was a third person shooter based on the then-current story arc of the series, but the advertisements on the packaging of relevant LEGO sets depicted what was either a mockup or a ''very'' early prototype that looked more like some sort of MMORPG and featured enemies from previous waves of the toyline who don't appear in the game at all.
69* ''VideoGame/HumanKillingMachine'''s cover depicts a man viewed from the neck down, wearing a black sleeveless shirt and army pants and covered in weapons (knives, boomerangs, bandoleers, cartoon dynamite...), drawing a long bayonet from its sheath. He looks nothing whatsoever like the actual main character of the game, Kwon, who is shirtless, clad in white sweatpants and sparring gloves, and uses no weapons at all.
70* Creator/{{Ubisoft}}'s ''Imagine Master Chef'' (which has nothing to do with the TV show Series/MasterChef) proudly displays a very dull housewife to appeal to grandmothers and boring people alike, coming across as a tired lump of shovelware. The game itself is a very cutesy Japanese-style visual novel complete with friendship meters and gift-giving, and the cooking games are far more well-made compared to ''Cooking Mama'', as you actually cook three-course meals complete with sides, desserts and dressings.
71* The [[https://images.app.goo.gl/yhHtRHbLwdmK2z9v5 cover]] for the American Video Entertainment-published edition of the [[UnlicensedGame unlicensed NES port]] of ''VideoGame/ImpossibleMission II'' shows the PlayerCharacter wielding a gun and protecting a DamselInDistress, neither of which are part of the game.
72* The [[https://segaretro.org/images/d/db/IJatLC_MD_US_Box.jpg cover]] for the Sega Genesis version of ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' shows the title character riding a horse and [[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou pointing a gun at the camera]]. In the background behind him, are a plane, a tank, and two other vehicles. However, aside from Dr. Jones himself, absolutely ''none'' of those things ''ever'' appear in the game. Not even the gun in his hand, or the horse he rode in on.
73* ''VideoGame/InPursuitOfGreed'' is a sci-fi themed game where the player can choose between different bounty hunter characters. The hunter on it's cover art, a human male with a gigantic blaster, isn't in the game at all - the only playable human male is a {{cyborg}}.
74* The ''VideoGame/JumpStart'' series:
75** The original cover for ''[=JumpStart=] Spanish'' showed Mr. Hopsalot, who was indeed the game's main character, on the cover. However, somewhere around 2001 or 2002, [=JumpStart=] arbitrarily decided that Frankie the dog should be the main character and mascot of the entire [=JumpStart=] series. As a result, in 2003, the ''[=JumpStart=] Spanish'' cover was changed to one that prominently featured Frankie and didn't feature Hopsalot at all...''even though Frankie didn't appear in [=JumpStart=] Spanish''.
76** Another example (again involving Frankie) can be found in the case of ''[=JumpStart=] Advanced 2nd Grade''. All the covers of the game prominently feature Frankie in a cool spy outfit. Aforementioned cool spy outfit appears nowhere in the game, and while Frankie ''does'' appear, C.J. Frog and Edison Firefly are the true main characters. Frankie just hangs around headquarters while C.J. and Edison go on the adventures.
77* The North American release of ''[[VideoGame/KaoTheKangaroo Kao The Kangaroo: Round 2]]'' uses the box art of Kao in an army helmet firing rockets out of a bazooka, which never happens in the game.
78* ''VideoGame/KendoRage''. [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/box/8/1/4/50814_front.jpg The cover]] looks similar to ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'', but the game is cute, lighthearted, and anime-style. This game was actually the first of a trilogy of games known as "Makeruna! Makendou"[[note]][[GenreShift Both of the sequels are in completely different genres, with the second game being a fighting game and the third being an RPG]].[[/note]] The whole story and the characters' names had been rewritten for the American game market.
79* The arcade game ''VideoGame/KickMan'' has a clown as the protagonist yet the cabinet art for the game depicts [[https://www.arcade-museum.com/images/112/1122655738.jpg what looks like a track & field runner]] instead.
80* The box illustration of ''Kid Kool'' depicts Kool as an Elvis look-alike, completely different from his in-game appearance, where he resembles VideoGame/{{G|anbareGoemon}}oemon.
81* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
82** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' features WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse in the Organization cloak, which leads people to believe he's a prominent figure in the actual game. Instead, he's featured for one cutscene near the game's end, and doesn't even encounter Roxas. The reason behind his inclusion is likely the fact that, ever since ''Kingdom Hearts II'', Mickey's been featured prominently on the cover of every game, ''Days'' is just the only game where his role is minor.
83** The cover of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' shows a large amount of the cast of characters... and a Darkling, a special type of Heartless. Never does a Darkling ever appear in-game, not even as an enemy type.
84* The original PC Jr box illustration for ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' depicts the protagonist as a KnightInShiningArmor, which Sir Graham is anything but.
85* The cover of ''VideoGame/JamesPond 2: [=RoboCod=]'' shows our hero armed with some sort of gun. At no point in the game can the player obtain a projectile weapon.
86* The cover of the PC version of ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' featured screenshots of a different port (either SNES or Amiga).
87* ''VideoGame/JusticeLeagueHeroesTheFlash'' has a small example. Underneath Franchise/TheFlash, it shows several heroes that can be summoned into battle alongside of you. Four of them are correct, but instead of the actual fifth hero, ComicBook/BlackCanary, it shows Franchise/{{Batman}}, who only appears in a couple of cutscenes as TheCameo. Also overlaps with WolverinePublicity.
88* The box art for ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'' features Ellie's face on a black background. While she serves as '''a ''' main character in the game, the retail cover doesn't show [[spoiler:Abby who is the game's VillainProtagonist and its second playable character]].
89* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsIntoReverie'' has The Grandmaster in the cover of the game. Considering she's the leader of [[AncientConspiracy Ouroboros]], many thought she would have a major role to play in the final chapter of the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure Crossbell]][=/=][[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel Erebonia]] arc. Turns out, she only appears in one side episode of the game which, [[SequelHook while significant]] in the grand scheme of things, isn't enough to warrant her being on the cover of the game itself.
90* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
91** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': [[http://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/l/177119-the-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess-wii-back-cover.jpg One of the screenshots]] on the back of the box is from an early version of the game that had a magic meter, when the final game is the first 3D console game in the series to lack one.
92** Early Platform/WiiU copies of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' contain a misprint on the back. The box says that it's Wii Remote and Wii Classic Controller compatible, but the game is only compatible with the Wii U Pro Controller and Wii U gamepad.
93* ''Legends of...'' are compilations of various point & click adventure games, and not only do the games have little to do with the title, their covers show scenes not in any of the games. In ''Legends of the Hunted'', the cover scene is a snowy forest with a deer next to a woman in a long, white cape [[PrettyInMink trimmed with white fur]].
94* An unlicensed NES game called ''VideoGame/LittleRedHood'' shows the title character kicking a guy in the butt, but in the game, her kick is only good for knocking stuff out of trees and not used as an enemy attack.
95* ''VideoGame/{{Majyuo}}'' has a truly rad cover which looks like Creator/HRGiger meets ''Franchise/{{Devilman}}'' or ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' with the protagonist being a shadowy blue and black figure with red eyes doing a AssKickingPose. While in the actual game, the protagonist looks like [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSofyZNbWYyQRP-Dkydu29chhkBgN3L68bNyA&usqp=CAU this]] and while he does get a demonic form at the end, it looks nothing like the figure on the cover. Likewise the BigBad doesn’t really resemble the EvilOverlooker seen on the cover nor does he clutch any DamselInDistress between his teeth at any point in the game.
96* The back cover blurb for the Sega CD version of ''VideoGame/MansionOfHiddenSouls'' plays the game up as being a fright-filled and terrifying experience. The premise is explicitly supernatural and there is some eeriness to the atmosphere, but it's not an especially scary game, nor was it really meant to be one.
97* [[https://segaretro.org/images/7/7e/MassDestruction_Saturn_JP_Box_Front.jpg The]] Japanese version cover of ''Mass Destruction'', a game where you drive a tank, blow things up and leave smoking craters and debris behind, shows a tree which implies peacefulness[[note]]though, if you think about it, what's going to grow up after everything's destroyed?[[/note]]. The backside is accurate, and the original American version stays true, though.
98* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanized_Attack arcade flyer]] of ''VideoGame/MechanizedAttack'' shows what was supposed to be the two player heroes, but within the game itself, the cutscenes showing your characters doesn't even ''remotely'' resemble the two on the cover (a young, skinny blonde man somewhat resembling late-80s Michael J. Fox and a TerminatorImpersonator). Player 1 is a soldier with a head of silver-white hair, much older (and more muscular) than his equivalent on the cover, while Player 2, despite being TheAhnold, has blond hair unlike the Terminator-esque character the cover shows. The [[http://www.retrogamingart.com/2017/03/mechanized-attack-for-nes-print-ad-1990.html alternate cover]] for home releases is ''slightly'' better, but at no point do you battle hostile {{Angry Guard Dog}}s like the one about to chomp your character's left arm.
99* The ''VideoGame/MeetTheRobinsons'' tie-in game features Lewis -- the main protagonist of [[WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons the movie]] -- in the background alongside some of the other Robinson family members and Lizzie, a member of the BigBadEnsemble. He only appears briefly in one cutscene, as the game is a {{prequel}} that takes place before Wilbur (the {{deuteragonist}} of the movie and PlayerCharacter of the game) officially meets him.
100* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
101** The American cover for ''Videogame/MegaMan1'' shows Mega Man as an adult with a handgun. In reality, he's designed as a young boy and uses an ArmCannon. The color of his suit is also off, being light-blue and yellow instead of the actual dark blue and light blue scheme. This is because the artist never actually saw the game. This character even appeared in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' as [[https://megaman.fandom.com/wiki/Bad_Box_Art_Mega_Man Bad Box illustration Mega Man]].
102** Other countries seemed to have a major habit of this, overlapping with AmericanKirbyIsHardcore. The American cover for ''2'' depicts Mega Man as an adult man with a handgun and a clear visor on his helmet, along with a dumpy Quick Man dressed in purple. The European cover has him with an arm cannon and his ! helmet insignia, but that's about all they got right, with him wearing silver armor and having [[UnfortunateCharacterDesign an infamously phallic extension]] on his arm cannon. By ''3'', they were illustrating Mega Man with a more cartoony look that made him actually look like he does in the games, but there were still a lot of oddities--on the American cover of ''3'', for instance, Top Man is green and Spark Man is silver, when they're both orange in the game.
103** ''VideoGame/MegaManDOS'' uses a modified version of ''VideoGame/MegaMan3''[='s=] American box art which shows {{R|obotDog}}ush behind Mega Man, despite Rush not appearing in the game.
104** The ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}} Legacy Collection 2'' has its box art split into four halves that depict each game featured in the CompilationRerelease. The ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'' and ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'' quarters show Bass and Duo, two characters with a great deal of prominence in those games. The ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' quarter features the nine Robot Masters from the game, giving [[WolverinePublicity a disproportionate amount of visual prominence given to Splash Woman]] but still getting the message across. But the ''VideoGame/MegaMan10'' portion shows the Mega Man Killers Enker, Punk, and Ballade--all {{Ensemble Dark Horse}}s to be sure, but they don't play any role in the game's plot, and in fact were DLC in the original release (and are UnlockableContent here).
105** The [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Mmx7box.jpg American cover]] for ''VideoGame/MegaManX7'' places X front and center, with his face and upper torso taking up about 70% of the box. ''X7'' is fairly notable (and notorious) for being a game where X is [[DemotedToExtra almost completely irrelevant to the plot, and isn't even playable until at least halfway into the main campaign]] (probably much later, if you don't bother to rescue Reploids). The actual main character, Axl, is that guy tucked into the right side of the cover with his face in shadow. The [[https://i.imgur.com/0a8ZqeJ.jpg Japanese cover]] averts this, with Axl being front and center and X off to the side.
106* The box of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' shows nothing but pictures of Solid Snake, and the tagline brags about "Snake stopping terrorists". The cover's only true for all of about ten minutes of game play, then Raiden comes out in all his [[Music/{{Hanson}} Taylor Hanson-ish]] femininity and takes center stage for the remainder of the game. Fans were ''not'' amused, [[TrollingCreator and that might have been the point.]]
107** The first VideoGame/MetalGear1 cover has a guy that looks like [[Film/TheTerminator Kyle Reese]] instead of a guy that looks like [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Snake]] [[Film/EscapeFromLA Plissken]]. Not really misleading, but definitely inaccurate.
108* The covers of ''VideoGame/MetalHead'' claims it's a game available for 1 or 2 players, but in actuality it's a single player game, through and through. Creator/{{Sega}} later admits they goofed up the translation, and it's a mistake on their part.
109* ''Mobile Light Force'' and ''Mobile Light Force 2'' (better known as {{Macekre}}d versions of ''Gunbird'' and the first ''VideoGame/CastleShikigami'' game, two unrelated series) have identical AngelsPose covers that have nothing to do with either of the games in question.
110* ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'':
111** The cover of ''VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland'' shows Guybrush leading an expedition through the jungle with a group that appears to include Elaine Marley. In game Guybrush does go through a jungle, but he's alone and he's searching for Elaine.
112** The cover of ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'' shows [=LeChuck=] and Guybrush on a pirate ship, with [=LeChuck=] torturing Guybrush with a voodoo doll. In the game [=LeChuck=] does torture Guybrush with a voodoo doll, but it's not on a pirate ship, it's [[spoiler:in some oddly modern looking tunnels]].
113** On the cover of ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', Guybrush is confronting [=LeChuck=] on a crow's nest with the gold statue Elaine, wielding a big diamond ring like a weapon. That never happens in the game. In the game Guybrush and [=LeChuck=] never fight in a crow's nest, and the big diamond ring is never seen by [=LeChuck=]. Nor is Elaine, while she's in gold statue form. The cover also wrongly depicts her as standing at attention. In the actual game, she turns into gold while getting ready to punch Guybrush, for giving her a cursed ring, and stays in that pose until he changes her back.
114* Home versions of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' proudly proclaimed on the back that you can move up ''and'' down between stages "for the ultimate bi-level battlefield!" Except you can't actually go down; no attack by any character in any version of the game, not even the arcade, can cause you to return to a stage you just uppercutted your way out of. If you ascend from the Bank to the Rooftop or from the Subway to the Street, you're stuck up there for the rest of the fight, even if it's not yet the last round.
115* ''VideoGame/NexusClash'' was originally created on a shoestring as a FanSequel to continue a series that most fans feared was permanently dead. Because it was what was on hand, the original developer populated the ''Clash'' game and wiki with stock illustration that suggested a generic low-fantasy setting with little in common with the Nexus lore. When the current development team was formed, one of the first things that they did was to hire an artist to create better illustrations that reflect what the game is actually about.
116* The Dutch box art of ''VideoGame/OhShit'' has a [[https://images.generation-msx.nl/cover/42bb3d2d.jpg scary demonic face on it]], which would be fine... if it wasn't just a straightforward ''VideoGame/PacMan'' clone whose gimmick is that it swears at you when you lose a life. The [[https://images.generation-msx.nl/cover/c6fed923.jpg cover art in other regions]] made the fact it was a ''Pac-Man'' clone more apparent.[[note]]The Dutch box art was actually [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/57/TheHowlingIII.jpg stolen]] from the cover of the horror novel Film/TheHowling III: Echoes.[[/note]]
117* US Gold [[http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/lesson1.htm advertised]] the Platform/ZXSpectrum version of ''VideoGame/OutRun'' and the Platform/AtariST version of ''[[VideoGame/NineteenFortyTwo 1943]]'' with screenshots that could well have come from early builds but look much better than what was actually released.
118* The cover art of ''Pac-Kong'', a European knockoff of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' for the Atari 2600 with a giant octopus in place of the big ape, displays a Franchise/{{Gundam}}-esque HumongousMecha that has absolutely nothing to do with the game.
119* [[https://i.redd.it/g6sp0o5e0ed01.jpg The Japanese box art]] for ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' makes the game look more like a ''Franchise/SilentHill''-esq psychological horror game than the ''Film/JamesBond'' inspired action game it is.
120* The blurb on the back of ''VideoGame/Persona1''[='s=] box says "In the near future, mankind has conquered dimensional travel, but the opened door swings both ways. Demons have invaded...". Although it's actually a game about [[spoiler:depression]], the blurb does make some sense. It either implies that its about a team of devoted scientists or a demon invasion in the style of the main series; you see the scientists who made dimensional travel possible for all of a few minutes, and shortly after you see them, the demon invasion angle is dropped too. But it does feature travel between two dimensions and demons entering the normal dimension, despite the fact that [[spoiler:the other dimension was created by the scientists]].
121* ''VideoGame/{{Phalanx}}'': From the cover, one expects some sort of SpaceWestern. In reality, ''Phalanx'' is just another sci-fi ShootEmUp game, only known today for its unusual North American Platform/{{SNES}} cover art.[[note]]All other versions of the game have their art depict the actual spaceship, [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/box/4/5/7/15457_front.jpg although obviously they would have to edit the artwork if they wanted to keep it the same]]. [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/box/4/5/3/15453_front.jpg The Game Boy Advance port kept the same box art in all regions and changed the ship's design to look less phallic]].[[/note]] This was a deliberate decision made by the marketers who ''knew'' that the game would need something to stand out against the large amount of space shooters being released at the time, with Mr. Banjo Man being their method of doing so.
122* The North American box art for the Sega Genesis titles of the ''VideoGame/PhantasyStar'' series have a tendency to misrepresent the games as generic MedievalEuropeanFantasy games, rather than ScienceFantasy RPG[=s=], but ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarII'' is [[https://i.ibb.co/3ScW66x/s-l1600.jpg particularly egregious]], depicting the protagonist as a square-jawed {{Hunk}} with a rifle rather than a handsome young swordsman, and his companion Nei as a mature woman [[HornedHumanoid with horns]] instead of a cute young [[SpaceElves Space Elf]].
123* Creator/PhoenixGames have some "games" that are really just {{Mockbuster}}s of Disney movies with a few simple minigames thrown in to justify selling them as games rather than movies. Said games' box art go as far as to display Disney characters (in the form of poorly-done 3D models), while the characters in the actual movies look completely different.
124* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
125** The cover of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time]]'' depicts Arbok, Drapion, and Weavile looming over the heroes from behind in a very villainous looking fashion. In the game, however, they're just one of the exploration teams that randomly shows up in the guild from time to time and the only thing they do is give you some friendly advice. This is in contrast to the boxarts of the first games, which depicted other Pokemon in a similar fashion, only they ''did'' end up being antagonists at some point.
126** The cover of ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' depicts the legendary [[OlympusMons Kyogre and Groudon]] prominently. Not only can these Pokémon not legitimately be acquired in the game without trading from the [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire mainline entries]], but they also don't appear in the story whatsoever.
127** The cover of ''VideoGame/DetectivePikachu'' shows the titular Pikachu wearing a Franchise/SherlockHolmes-styled hat and cloak. In the actual game he wears only the hat most of the time, and the cloak appears only in an optional cutscene towards the end.
128** The bootlegs ''Pokémon Diamond'' (no, not [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl that one]]) and ''Pokémon Jade'' not only weren’t actual ''Pokémon'' games but were fan translations of games from [[{{VideoGame/Telefang}} another series]], and the box art featured creatures that never even appeared in the games.
129* The box illustration for ''VideoGame/PowerQuest'' shows five humans all standing side by side. These are supposed to be the game's five playable models, MAX, AXE, LON, SPEED and GONG. They look nothing like that in the game.
130* ''VideoGame/PowerRangersSuperLegends'' depicts [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers the Red Mighty Morphin' Ranger]], [[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive the Blue Overdrive Ranger]], and the [[Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm Crimson Thunder and Yellow Wind Rangers]] on the front cover and has the back cover depict the Red Mighty Morphin' Ranger, the Navy Thunder Ranger, and the Black Overdrive Ranger. While all of the depicted Rangers are playable characters in the game, not all of them are available in both versions. The Red Mighty Morphin' Ranger and the Black Overdrive Ranger are the only Power Rangers who are playable in both the console version and the Nintendo DS version, with the Navy Thunder Ranger, the Blue Overdrive Ranger, and the Crimson Thunder Ranger's playability being exclusive to the console version and the Yellow Wind Ranger only being a playable character in the DS version.
131* ''Videogame/PrinceOfPersiaWarriorWithin'' has the Prince DualWielding two {{Cool Sword}}s. In the game itself, the secondary weapon can only be a much smaller knife, and in fact the two swords featured in the cover (Eagle and Lion Sword) are both broken as the story progresses (the first after the prologue, the second halfway through the game). Albeit DummiedOut data and beta screenshots show
132* An unused enemy from ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'', back when it was Rayman's OriginsEpisode, was a bug-like being simply called "Soldier". A blue Soldier can be seen on the cover of the game. Likewise, an early version of the golem boss is shown on the cover. They were both likely left in because you can't see them fully.
133* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
134** The [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/Resident_Evil_1_cover.png iconic box art]] for ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'' features a veiny Chris brandishing some kind of shotgun or machine gun with a mad look on his face. No such weapon appears in the game, Chris doesn’t become musclebound till much later and he doesn’t go nuts with fear at any point in the story.
135** The [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQmChGt8cWHq32X8MPgjpb0ZpbDbpAk6aSruw&usqp=CAU PAL]] and [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQSdbY-3YUpbjeB8SGoK8jabxSfJvvh4A_5MA&usqp=CAU PlayStation]] cover of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' while both awesome, suggests the game has an extremely dark, scary and grim tone with Chainsaw Man standing among the blood red woods. Anyone who’s played ''[=RE4=]'' will tell you it’s really the {{lighte|rAndSofter}}st and most {{camp}}y of the mainline RE titles with an abundance of tongue-in-cheek humour.
136** The gold edition cover of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcReHvvs9aXhCeOMG8URAn7LxXE8_KFID0dW2Q&usqp=CAU features]] Jill alongside Chris like she’s the other protagonist, in actuality she’s only partnered up with Chris for the “Lost in Nightmares” side story and Sheva is the actual deuteragonist of the main game.
137** The [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSgMufhzeolno6PEws1JJ7bsyx7Ixv-53Imxw&usqp=CAU box art]] of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake'' getting away from the “Zombie around the Corner” cover of the original has Leon and Claire posing over Raccoon City suggesting you’ll be exploring and fighting through the streets. In the actual game you spend barely a minute in the city itself and everything else is localised to a single location: the Police Station and its underground.
138** The box art for ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'' [[https://www.residentevil.com/village/assets/images/common/share.png features]] long time character Chris Redfield as he looks downward, with his face shrouded in shadow. Not only that, half the face of a snarling wolf with a glowing eye is placed over half of Chris' face. It's quite ominous. Many are aware of the new enemies called [[WolfMan lycans]] in the game. Couple that with how his alignment was put into question due to promotional material prior to release and it makes one wonder... [[spoiler:Chris never becomes a lycan himself. PoorCommunicationKills come into play on Chris' part, but he is still very much a hero all throughout the game. As an aversion, the wolf image on the box art is likely a reference to his personal military unit, the Hound Wolf Squad.]]
139* ''[[VideoGame/RushingBeat Rival Turf]]'' tries to represent the 2 players you are playing with, but it ends up representing characters you do not play with in-game.
140* On the first ''VideoGame/RoadRash'' game, the title card for the track, "Pacific Coast", makes you think you're going to ride along the beach, but the actual track looks more like its out in an open field surrounded by mountains like its somewhere in Scotland or something.
141* ''VideoGame/SandsOfDestruction'''s [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/6/63/Sands_of_Destruction_%28NA%29.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100917072754&path-prefix=en American box illustration]] makes it seem like Kyrie is the one out to destroy the world and Morte is some sort of pensive ApocalypseMaiden. The reality is quite the opposite: he's a gentle boy who [[BlessedWithSuck happens to be capable of ending the world]], [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne but really doesn't want to]]; she's a GenkiGirl OmnicidalManiac who wants to use his power to destroy the world. He ''does'' end up being [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl very protective]] of her, at least. The original [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/box/4/0/4/96404_front.jpg Japanese box illustration ]] just had the six playable characters standing in a line, giving no hints as to personality or intentions.
142* Both the N64 and Dreamcast covers of ''VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush 2049'' depict a futuristic police car pursuing a racer, but there are no cops in the game, or any game of the series for that matter.
143* ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse'': The cover art and most promotional artwork depict Shantae wearing a skull bandana on her head and a belt around one leg, implying this is some kind of new look for her. In-game, she wears this outfit for all of one cutscene before [[EnemyMine Risky Boots]] makes her take it off. In what may or may not be an oversight, her sprites for using Risky's Hat, Boots, and Cannon do show her with the belt and bandana, but they're still not in most of them.
144* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'': Shenhua features prominently in the boxart alongside Lan Di and Ryo. However, she wouldn't physically appear in the story until the very end of Shenmue 2. Her presence in the first game boils down to the prologue and occasional appearances in Ryo's dreams (and strangely, in food labels), but all of this with very little plot importance. For example, Nozomi, another female character with a significantly more prominent role in Shenmue's narrative than Shenhua, is conspicuously absent from the box art.
145* ''Franchise/SilentHill'':
146** The box for ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' features Angela's face, and nothing else, on the cover. Angela is a character that you encounter a couple times throughout the game... but the much more important female character who you encounter far more often and who plays a major role in the story, is Maria, who is nowhere to be found.
147** The cover of the HD collection does feature a very stylish and creepy image of Maria - but unfortunately, it has nothing from ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' except for the original box illustration , downsized and included (next to the downsized original cover for 2).
148* ''VideoGame/SimCity'' plays mind screws with their covers, usually showing buildings that could never exist in the game. Best example of this is ''Sim City 4's'' cover, which shows many of the Asian buildings from ''Sim City 3000 Unlimited'' that cannot be built in that game.
149* The covers for every game in the ''VideoGame/SniperElite'' series feature the protagonist using a Karabiner 98k rifle, presenting it as his favored weapon, yet it isn't even available in the first game and can only be used in the [[VideoGame/SniperEliteV2 next]] [[VideoGame/SniperEliteIII two]] through DLC.
150* The cover for the NES game ''VideoGame/SolsticeTheQuestForTheStaffOfDemnos'' depicts the hero Shadax, shirtless and muscled, as he's casting magic. There is no point in the game where he removes his wizard hat and robe.
151* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
152** The [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit 8-bit version of]] ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' has each act introduction showing what hijinks Sonic and Tails will get into...except that Tails isn't a playable character at all and the whole game is about saving him from Eggman.
153** One of the Franchise/{{Leapfrog}} games based on the series features ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'''s Sonic on the cover. The actual game is based on ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2''.
154** Covers that featured Robotnik throughout the 1990s tended to use variants of his design from ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', despite that design looking [[YouDontLookLikeYou very different]] from the one in the actual games.
155* ''Sorcerer's Maze'' shows an old wizard casting spells with two children standing behind him. If you were expecting to play as the wizard or one of the children, then you're in for a surprise, none of the characters on the front cover show up at any point in the game, and what seemed likely to be an action adventure game with wizards and spells turns out to be a breakout style game for two players, (a fairy and some kind of cat thing). As breakout games go, this is one of the better ones. with good illustrations, some kind of story and interesting power-ups and different levels. But at no point are is there anything related to the cover illustration , or for that matter the title of the game.
156* ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestITheSarienEncounter'''s original cover depicts a '50s Chevy-esque space car, which none of the game's vehicles remotely resemble.
157* ''VideoGame/SpaceStationSiliconValley'' has a picture of the fire fox on the game cart and instruction manual (he's the only animal in the picture). Although he's one of the most fun animals to control, you only encounter him twice and NEVER play as him, unless you use a cheat code.
158* The box art for ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsBattleForBikiniBottom'' features nothing except [=SpongeBob=] in an army helmet (which he never wears in-game) saluting the viewer. The other playable characters, Patrick and Sandy, are not pictured, nor are any of Plankton's robots. It really tells you nothing about the game except that [=SpongeBob=] is in it, which is kind of a given.
159* The cover of ''VideoGame/{{Spore}} Creature Creator'' shows two creatures with embossed, segmented plates running down their torso. These creatures cannot be built, and after the release of the full game there is still no texture that even vaguely resembles an exoskeleton.
160* The cover for ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' seems to suggest that Peppy, Slippy, and Krystal are on the ground with Fox and Tricky. The reality is that Peppy and Slippy are on the ''Great Fox'' dispensing information, while Krystal is never playable at the same time Fox is; after the first part of the game, she's a DamselInDistress.
161* Space maps in ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII''. Usually, the LoadingScreen shows an image of a battle on the map being loaded along with hints in the upper right. Space maps, unlike most ground-based maps, only allow the player to battle in one era (Clone Wars from the prequels or Galactic Civil War from the originals) depending on the map. In the console versions of the game, Clone War-era space maps only show Galactic Civil War-era ships in the loading screens, and vice versa.
162* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'':
163** The cover to ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody'' has a yellow Sighthound looking dog that never appears in the game.
164** The cover for the European/Australian version of ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1'' shows Pete wearing a straw hat instead of his trademark baseball cap.
165* The iconic [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSY0KwDYngJY9W9hbk1TIj6HfOsPnhgB4hXEw&usqp=CAU American cover]] for ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' shows Ryu and Chun-Li facing Blanka, even though the game is a 1 on 1 fighter, not 2 on 1 like some sort of BeatEmUp. Secondly, Blanka is portrayed as a scary monster with leering SlasherSmile to Chun-Li having just defeated Ryu. In the actual games Blanka is a cuddly KindheartedSimpleton BeastMan who isn’t nearly powerful to brutally K.O Ryu like that. Creator/{{Capcom}} themselves [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTQ--uN1qIeZ19sSRftt0d1lZ2kZ1dQR4rVWQ&usqp=CAU poked fun at this cover]] with the arcade edition of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV''.
166* The cover illustration for all 3 entries of the ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' series have many kinds of errors in the North American/European versions while the Japanese versions are spot on for the source material.
167** For the first game, it shows Axel and Blaze fighting some punks and one of them has a gun (another mook in the background also has a sniper rifle), yet no mook has a gun except for the FinalBoss. Axel and Blaze's outfits are also wrong; Axel is wearing a yellow shirt instead of his white one and Blaze has an all white outfit with long pants instead of her traditional red with a short skirt.
168** The cover for the 2nd game is more or less correct in terms of what the player would be facing, but the appearance of Blaze and Max are vastly different compared to how they look in the actual game; Max is shown as bald when he really has hair and Blaze's hair looks like EightiesHair instead of her usual shoulder length flowing hair, along with wearing blue shorts instead of her red attire.
169** The 3rd game finally got the character designs on the box illustration correct, but they strangely omitted Skate and replaced him with Roo and while Roo is technically in the game, he is not a playable character at the start and you need to unlock him [[GuideDangIt without any hints as to how to unlock him]].
170* The US cover for Creator/{{Konami}}'s ''VideoGame/SuikodenI'' featured what were ''supposed'' to be scenes of various characters from the game; however, only one or two are even recognizable as being certain characters from the game. Not exactly deceptive, but inaccurate nonetheless, and earns the US version of the game a position among the most awful game cover illustrations of all time. They get some points for the inexplicable Creator/BruceCampbell lookalike...
171* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
172** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'''s cover depicts Mario with a blue shirt and red overalls, an EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference that was pretty common at the time. In the game, though, Mario's sprite has the now-standard red shirt and blue overalls. This even carried over into the art for the later Japanese rerelease.
173** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3''[='=]s box has a screenshot of a [[GreenHillZone grassy hill]] level with Parabeetles, which in the final game [[UniqueEnemy only appear in one level]] in the [[LevelInTheClouds sky portion]] of World 5.
174** The box of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' claims that the game contains 96 levels. While there are 96 ''exits'', the actual level count is a bit smaller; there are 69 "real" levels, plus an alternate version of one, four switch palaces, and two one-screen "bonus" areas.
175** The [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/12/Super_Mario_64_DS_Coverart.png cover]] of ''VideoGame/SuperMario64DS'' features all four of the playable characters running a great distance away from Princess Peach's castle, but it is not possible to travel that far from it in the game. On the left is a red question mark block and a warp pipe, both of which do not appear in that specific area in-game (although a warp pipe briefly appears in the opening cutscene in a similar location). There is a giant floating power star to the right that neither appears in-game, nor looks like the power stars that are actually in the game.
176** The [[http://www.mariowiki.com/images/b/bd/Yoshi%27sSafariBox.png cover]] for the Platform/SuperNES rail shooter ''VideoGame/YoshisSafari'' prominently features Yoshi, yet Mario is nowhere to be seen despite his own in-game prominence outside the actual gameplay. But then Yoshi is depicted looking back at the viewer as if it's Mario.
177** ''VideoGame/MarioGolf'' on the Platform/Nintendo64 showcases Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Wario, Yoshi, Baby Mario, and Donkey Kong on the box art as well as the title screen. Only Peach, Yoshi, and Baby Mario (along with a human character) are playable from the start. Everyone else are hidden characters. This includes Mario and Luigi, which is very silly considering that they're ''Nintendo's mascots''.
178** The boxart for ''VideoGame/MarioIsMissing'' shows Bowser ambushing Mario from behind in a castle and takes him away while Luigi is trying to find him. The front of the box even says it's up to Luigi to save Mario and the world from Bowser. The back of the box continues with the lie by playing up to the world saving theme where Luigi can do things like "interrogate not so innocent bystanders," "thwart thieving Koopas", and "exploring cities". While you actually do get to save Mario and the world from Bowser and explore many cities, what you're not told is your adventure is Luigi running around in the real world looking for famous landmarks and objects that were taken by Bowser's minions and are answering geographical and history questions based on your location. In short, it was an educational game rather than a traditional ''Mario'' title, and it likely led to a lot of disappointed children that were gifted the game thinking it was another ''Mario'' game.
179* ''Surprise Surprise'' for the Platform/AmstradCPC has a generic MedievalEuropeanFantasy cover with an armored knight carrying a sword. The game is actually set in the PresentDay, and as WebVideo/StuartAshen has pointed out, the weaponless protagonist looks more like Music/{{Eminem}}.
180* The cover art for ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'' for [[https://fantasyanime.com/legacy/images/top_boxfront.jpg Super Famicom]] and [[https://fantasyanime.com/legacy/images/top_boxgbafront.jpg Game Boy Advance]] shows Cress and Mint riding on the eight-legged Sleipnir with company of Arche on her FlyingBroomstick. There ''is'' a HighAltitudeBattle in which Cress and Arche participate with help from a flying horse, but Mint is absent in that battle, and the horse in question is the four-legged {{Pegasus}} (though Cress does borrow that Pegasus from a valkyrie, servant of Odin).
181* [[https://cdn.mobygames.com/covers/5398550-taz-mania-snes-front-cover.jpg The European box illustration]] for the ''VideoGame/{{Taz|ManiaSunsoft}}-Mania'' LicensedGame for the Platform/{{S|uperNintendoEntertainmentSystem}}NES features Taz doing such things in a 2D sidescroller like dodging enemies and traps, and [[MinecartMadness riding a mine cart]], all of which can be done in [[VideoGame/TazManiaSega the Sega Genesis game]][[note]]which was created by a completely different developer[[/note]]. The SNES game is not a 2D sidescroller like the box illustration implies, rather, it's a racing game where Taz spends the entirety of it running down the road eating Kiwi birds.
182* The NES game ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheManhattanProject'' has the four Ninja Turtles fighting Foot Soldiers and Mousers as one might expect on the cover. Somewhat prominently, Triceraton is featured fighting the Ninja Turtles, but he does not appear in the game.
183* ''VideoGame/{{Tempest}}'' was an early vector graphics game, with a claw-shaped blaster firing down a true-perspective playfield. Superior Software's box and ads for the Platform/BBCMicro version of this game had screenshots of this, but the main painted artwork was of a dark and stormy night, with church tower in the background and an ominous figure in top hat and red-lined opera cape in the foreground... suggesting a possible breakdown in communications with the artist.
184* ''VideoGame/{{Tempo}}'' for the Sega 32X depicts a mutant with insect antennas protruding from his head, wearing sunglasses and a headset, and holding a musical note in one hand while kicking a red tentacled alien in the face. Not only is this inaccurate, it's a blatant case of AmericanKirbyIsHardcore -- the character designs in-game are cute and cartoony, which the Japanese box art reflects.
185* ''VideoGame/TerminatorRampage'' depicts what was supposedly Meta-Node's final form on the cover art. Except on the cover the version of Meta-Node as depicted still retains organic parts and partial human features, when in the game when fought as a boss the Meta-Node is 100% mechanical and robotic.
186%%* One would question the designer for the [[http://www.vizzed.com/videogames/nes/full/Thunderbirds.jpg box illustration]] for the ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' game on the NES that if they ever even ''seen'' the show. %%Administrivia/WeblinksAreNotExamples
187* The arcade promo flyer for ''VideoGame/ThunderJaws'' has a poster that imitates the cover art of ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', with your characters caught in the mouth of a gigantic shark. No such thing happens in the game.
188* The American and European box illustration for ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventuresBusterBustsLoose'' depict Buster wearing yellow boxer shorts with carrots on them. He does not wear them at all in any point in the game. In fact, the only time he wears something other than his his red shirt in the game is in the "[[AthleticArenaLevel Acme Looniversity Football]]" level, wherein he is dressed in his football uniform.
189* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles'' shows Lara Croft in a cat spy suit jumping out of a building shooting at someone with her signature dual pistols. Lara does infiltrate a building in the advertised outfit and the cut scene for the first level even shows her shooting a vent grate off with a pistol, but in the actual game, she doesn't have her pistols, but a limited ammo based machine gun.
190* ''VideoGame/TopBanana'': In the boxart, KT looks like a cute chibi with a green cap, in the actual game, however, she looks more like a CreepyDoll.
191* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', LesbianVampire Jeanette Voerman is a minor character who only shows up for about a third of the game as part of a major subplot. Apparently, that was enough to land her a spot as the sole character on [[http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KRPG1YWPL._SS400_.jpg the box cover.]] The developers noted their dislike of it, saying it was because the cover illustration was done by a marketing firm that hadn't played the game and had only various pieces of concept illustration to go with.
192* An urban legend had it that Platform/Atari2600's ''Video Chess'' was the end result of a false-advertising lawsuit. The original box illustration for the Atari 2600 game system included a picture of a chess piece. Supposedly, someone sued Atari because there was no chess game available for the 2600. However, [[WordOfGod according to Bob Whitehead, the programmer of the game]], there was no lawsuit.
193* The back cover for ''VideoGame/WarcraftIIIReignOfChaos'' shows buildings a lot taller than the units themselves, as well as units that weren't even in the final game (although most were added later in the expansion pack or through modding).
194* The [[http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb112/sicboypeachy/Warlords-F.jpg cover]] of the Platform/Atari2600 version of ''VideoGame/{{Warlords}}'' is dominated by the figure of a knight in armor swinging a sword, which doesn't remotely resemble anything seen in the game.
195* ''VideoGame/Waxworks1992'''s box shows a melting candle comprised of creepy faces, when nothing that even resembles it makes an appearance in the game.
196* For ''VideoGame/AWitchsTale'', the shading on the American box illustration makes Liddell look like she has brown hair. She's a blonde.
197* The covers of all four games in the ''VideoGame/WizardsAndWarriors'' series featured designs depicting main character Kuros as a [[BarbarianHero barbarian warrior]] in the style of ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'', complete with flowing locks and obvious huge muscles. In all four games, Kuros always wears platemail and almost always has a helmet. Even when he's not wearing a helmet, either all you can see are his eyes (in ''Ironsword'') or he is seen with short hair, a mustache, and a beard (in ''Wizards & Warriors III'').
198** The second game, ''Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II'' even oddly featured featured male model Fabio Lanzoni (known for appearing on romance novel covers) as he brandishes the title [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Ironsword]].
199%%* [[http://i.imgur.com/P5PPsCs.png This]] was used as the cover for a shareware release of ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D: Spear of Destiny'', as featured by WebVideo/LazyGameReviews [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRc88azfsKY here]]. %%Administrivia/WeblinksAreNotExamples
200* ''World Series Baseball 2K1'' for the Platform/SegaDreamcast came on the heels of the ultra-successful ''NBA'' and ''NFL 2K'' (the latter being a [[KillerApp system mover]] in its own right), both developed by Visual Concepts, and ''WSB'' was presented as a sim-like entry along the other Sega Sports entries. However, the gameplay was actually a port of a Sega arcade game, and left the box in blatant lies. It boasted things like hot zones, scouting reports, and weather changes, neither of which were in the game. Also neither in the game were sim-like gameplay and user-controlled fielding, which among other flaws made the game universally panned, and the series was properly handed off to Visual Concepts the next year.
201* The PSP version of ''WWE [=SmackDown=] vs RAW 2007'' feature screenshots of the console versions; while the PSP version looks solid enough on its own, it in no way compared to the console versions visually, esp. when it came to the player models.
202* The cover for the original ''VideoGame/{{XCOM}}'' game, ''UFO - Enemy Unknown'', features a huge bug-eyed monstrosity which does not appear in the game in any way, shape, or form--though something that ''did'' would be a subversion of the title.
203* The cover of the [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/box/1/8/8/20188_front.jpg TurboGrafx16 CD version]] of ''[[VideoGame/{{Ys}} Ys III: Wanderers from Ys]]'' displays a Viking-type BarbarianHero with a winged helmet instead of the series' redheaded hero Adol, [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic who has never worn helmets]].
204* In ''VideoGame/YuGiOhReshefOfDestruction'', Yugi/Yami Yugi isn't the playable character, though he does tag along for the majority of the game.
205* ''VideoGame/ZooTycoon:''
206** The inner box illustration shows an exhibit with hippos and flamingos and another exhibit with various African animals. Technically, you can do this in game, but most of the animal species shown together would be unhappy because of different exhibit requirements and other issues, such as the hippo and flamingo exhibit being way too overcrowded and too close to a guest hot spot for the shy flamingos, so it's clearly just a deceptive way to make the box illustration look good without being intended to be possible in game. If you try running a zoo like that, it will fail quickly. They had to actually go though the trouble to remove or disable the unhappy faces that float above animals' heads when exhibit requirements aren't met to get the box illustration to look like that, and the box illustration is suspiciously cropped so that the message box thing that tells you whether your zoo is successful or not is hidden.
207** That same box illustration shows an exhibit for polar bears that is too small for them.
208** The double expansion pack for Marine Mania and Dinosaur Digs does the exact same thing by showing the completely incompatible African elephants and woolly mammoths together. One wants snow and the other African savanna, for Pete's sake! The box illustration is even cropped again to hide the message box.

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