Square Enix tops Metacritic’s annual publisher rankings in 2025

Review aggregator site Metacritic has announced the results of its 16th annual game publisher rankings. Square Enix won first place for the first time in the survey’s 16-year history. The company achieved 3305 points based exclusively on expert critics’ evaluations for titles released in 2025.

The average score for the Japanese publisher’s productions reached 84. Esse number represents an increase of five points compared to the previous year when the company occupied sixth position. Todos the games evaluated received positive reviews and none recorded a score below 75.

• The PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth recorded the highest rating among the releases with Metascore out of 90.
• Other highlights included remakes and ports that maintained consistent quality in reviews.

Annual ranking evaluation criteria

The Metacritic ranking only considers publishers that launched at least five different titles in the year. The methodology assigns points to four main criteria with different weights. The most important criterion is the average score of all released games.

Square Enix achieved the maximum possible in two important indicators. Cem percent of evaluated products achieved a rating of 75 or higher. At the same time zero percent recorded a score of 49 or lower.

This consistency contributed decisively to the total of 3305 points. The company presented nine different titles that entered the final ranking count.

Square Enix was Metacritic’s #1 Publisher of the Year for 2025!

– First team Square Enix has been ranked #1
– Average Metacritic score of 84 over 9 titles released in 2025!https://t.co/uWouZr6lOf pic.twitter.com/lU6V0FQLgE

—Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN)March 25, 2026

Main launches that boosted the result

The PC version of Final Fantasy VII The original version for PS5 released the previous year had reached 92 points.

HD-2D-style remakes have also received consistent critical praise. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D

Other titles like Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles contributed to the solid performance. The company maintained high quality even in ports and remasters released throughout the year.

Details of the scoring system used

The ranking calculation combines the average grade with percentages of positive and negative ratings. An additional bonus is awarded for each title that reaches 90 points or more as long as it has at least seven reviews.

Square Enix especially benefited from the total absence of low-scoring games. Essa characteristic differentiated the company from competitors that had some titles with more moderate reception.

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The average of 84 points represented a significant improvement. The result confirms the publisher’s strategy of investing in consolidated franchises with updates and multiplatform versions.

Consistency in critic reviews

All 19 products considered in the calculation including ports and different versions received positive reviews. The company completely avoided negative ratings in the period analyzed.

This uniform performance raised Square Enix’s position from sixth place in the previous ranking to leadership in 2025. The total score of 3305 points surpassed the other participating publishers.

Industry analysts note that the focus on high-quality remakes and ports allowed the publisher to deliver consolidated experiences for different platforms.

Specific releases and their contributions

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake received scores in the 88-point range on various platforms. The title reinforced the franchise’s tradition with updated visuals and preserved classic mechanics.

Octopath Traveler 0 maintained the series’ signature style with intertwined narratives. The game contributed to the overall average even without reaching the peak of 90 points.

The strategy of bringing classics and expansions to new audiences demonstrated efficiency in obtaining favorable evaluations from specialized critics.

Context of the ranking among the main publishers

Square Enix surpassed direct competitors such as Gamirror Games and Capcom, which occupied second and third positions respectively. The points difference was tight at the top of the list.

The survey does not consider sales figures or user opinions. The analysis is restricted exclusively to professional evaluations published in specialized vehicles. Essa approach allows measuring the perception of technical and artistic quality of games independently of commercial performance.

Square Enix leads the Metacritic publisher rankings in 2025 based on consistent reviews of their releases. The Japanese company reached the top for the first time thanks to the uniform quality of nine different titles. The PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth recorded the highest individual score with 90 points. Remakes as well as Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D and Octopath Traveler 0 also contributed to the 84-point average. The result reflects the publisher’s commitment to productions well received by specialized critics throughout the year.