Metacritic has released its annual ranking of video game publishers based on 2025 releases, placing Square Enix at the top with a perfect record of good or great games. Capcom and others follow, while Sony finished near the bottom at 21st out of 28 publishers. Nintendo placed 12th despite launching the Switch 2.
Review aggregation site Metacritic published its 2025 Game Publisher Rankings, evaluating non-mobile titles from 28 publishers. The rankings measure the percentage of releases rated good or great by critics, favoring those with many high-scoring games. Square Enix led with nine releases, all achieving good or great scores—a first for the publisher in Metacritic's 16-year history of such lists. It was followed closely by smaller studios like Gamirror Games and Thunderful, both with perfect or near-perfect records. Capcom secured third place with seven releases, 93% good or great, continuing its strong streak highlighted by Resident Evil Requiem. Larger publishers filled out the top 10: Xbox with 21 releases at 81% good or great, incorporating titles from Activision, Blizzard, and Bethesda, boosted by Forza Horizon 5's PS5 launch; Take-Two Interactive at 80%; Sega with 17 releases at 84%; and EA with 12 at 79%. Ubisoft edged into 11th with 81% across eight titles, ahead of Nintendo's 68% from 18 releases. Sony ranked 21st overall. Its highest-scoring 2025 game was The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on PC, a port of a PS4 title. Death Stranding 2 and Yotei received strong Metacritic scores, but weaker performers like Lost Soul Aside and a shortage of major new hits dragged down the average, amid a focus on live-service games.