Square Enix Tops Metacritic’s 2026 Game Publisher Rankings

March 25, 2026 Rachel Kim – Technology Editor Technology

Square Enix has topped Metacritic’s annual game publisher rankings for 2025, unseating Sega, which held the number one position the previous year. The Japanese publisher achieved a total score of 330.5, largely attributed to nine first-party titles receiving at least a “Excellent” score – a Metascore of 75 or higher – including a “Great” score for the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Metacritic noted that this marks the first time in its 16 years of compiling the rankings that Square Enix has reached the top spot. “In a first for our 16 years of ranking, Japanese publisher Square Enix takes the #1 spot in 2025, with every new release earning positive reviews and an average Metascore five points higher than last year,” the site stated. The publisher benefited from strong reviews for multiple Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles released throughout 2025, with even the “worst” performing game, the remake of SaGa Frontier 2, receiving positive critical attention.

According to Metacritic’s methodology, publisher rankings are based on the average Metascore of all games they’ve published, the total number of released games and the number of games categorized as “Great” (90 or above), “Poor” (49 or below), or “Good.”

Gamirror Games followed in second place with a score of 322.4, while Capcom secured third with 322.2. Thunderful, Microsoft, and Capture-Two Interactive rounded out the top five, scoring 306.8, 305.7, and 304.0 respectively. Sega fell to seventh place with a score of 303.9, followed by Electronic Arts (302.9), Dotemu (302.2), and Raw Fury (301.0).

Several major publishers did not appear in the top ten. Ubisoft ranked 11th, Nintendo 12th, Sony 21st, and Bandai Namco 24th, according to the rankings.

The rankings reflect a period of significant activity in the gaming industry, with publishers vying for critical acclaim and market share. Square Enix’s success in 2025 highlights the impact of consistently high-quality releases on overall publisher reputation, as measured by Metacritic’s scoring system.