For the first time in 16 years of Metacritic’s annual publisher rankings, Square Enix has claimed the top spot. The Japanese publisher achieved a perfect 100 percent positive review rate across all 19 scored products in 2025, with an average Metascore of 84. Not a single Square Enix release last year landed below the green threshold, making it one of just two publishers to achieve that feat. The best-reviewed Square Enix game of 2025 was the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, currently the best game I’ve ever played, which hit a Metascore of 90. A variety of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles rounded out a consistently strong slate.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a company that has faced its share of criticism over the past several years. Square Enix has been vocal about restructuring its approach to game development, and the 2025 results suggest those efforts are paying off. The publisher is already off to a strong start in 2026 as well, which means a repeat performance isn’t out of the question.
Capcom narrowly missed repeating at number two, landing at number three with a 93 percent positive rate and Monster Hunter Wilds leading its lineup. Microsoft came in at number five, though its two highest-scoring games were ironically PlayStation ports of Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Nintendo jumped 10 spots to number 12, boosted by three games scoring 90 or higher, all of which were Zelda and Donkey Kong titles for the Switch 2. Sony dropped from number four to number 21, with Death Stranding 2 just missing the 90 mark and several other releases underperforming with critics.
Here’s the full ranking from worst to best:
- 28. Idea Factory (188.6 points) — Best game: Battlefield Waltz (77)
- 27. Arc System Works (213.7) — Best game: Guilty Gear -Strive- Switch Edition (83)
- 26. Nacon/Daedalic (219.8) — Best game: Hell is Us (78)
- 25. Microids (240.9) — Best game: Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy (82)
- 24. Bandai Namco (250.2) — Best game: Elden Ring Nightreign (84)
- 23. Annapurna Interactive (258.8) — Best game: LEGO Voyagers (83)
- 22. Plaion (260.9) — Best game: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (89)
- 21. Sony (268.5) — Best game: The Last of Us Part II Remastered PC (90)
- 20. Atari (268.8) — Best game: Atari 50 Namco Legendary Pack (84)
- 19. PQube (271.6) — Best game: Iwakura Aria (83)
- 18. Clear River Games (273.7) — Best game: Operation Night Strikers (83)
- 17. Marvelous/XSEED (279.1) — Best game: The Hundred Line (85)
- 16. DONTNOD Entertainment (283.3) — Best game: Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 (84)
- 15. Konami (284.2) — Best game: Gradius Origins (86)
- 14. Devolver Digital (288.2) — Best game: BALL x PIT (89)
- 13. Koei Tecmo (289.2) — Best game: Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy (87)
- 12. Nintendo (299.2) — Best game: Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Edition (95)
- 11. Ubisoft (300.4) — Best game: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes (86)
- 10. Raw Fury (301.0) — Best game: Blue Prince (92)
- 9. Dotemu (302.2) — Best game: Absolum (90)
- 8. Electronic Arts (302.9) — Best game: Split Fiction (93)
- 7. Sega (303.9) — Best game: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (88)
- 6. Take-Two Interactive (304.0) — Best game: Borderlands 4 (90)
- 5. Microsoft (305.7) — Best game: Forza Horizon 5 PS5 (92)
- 4. Thunderful (306.8) — Best game: ISLANDERS: New Shores (83)
- 3. Capcom (322.2) — Best game: Monster Hunter Wilds (90)
- 2. Gamirror Games (322.4) — Best game: Absolum (87)
- 1. Square Enix (330.5) — Best game: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PC (90)
Metacritic’s rankings are based solely on critic review scores, factoring in average Metascore, percentage of positively and negatively reviewed titles, and bonus points for games scoring 90 or higher. Sales and user reviews are not considered. Only publishers with five or more distinct titles released in 2025 are included.
