First-Party Metacritic Scores 2026: Who Really Leads?

Nintendo has the best first-party Metacritic average of 2026 so far: 80.33 across nine games, against 78.5 for Xbox and 77.5 for PlayStation, using Metacritic scores read on October 3. The Gamer published a similar ranking on October 2 and had Xbox and PlayStation tied at 77.5, because two Xbox scores have since risen. Most ways of slicing the scores agree that Nintendo leads, but weighting each game by its number of critic reviews puts Xbox on top.

Method and the scores

The tally covers first-party games released in 2026 from Nintendo, Sony and Xbox, using the same 21 titles as The Gamer: nine for Nintendo and six each for the other two. Ports, DLC and remasters are out, new remakes are in. On October 3 each game's Metascore and critic-review count were read from its Metacritic page, and every figure here was then computed with a short script. Metacritic is an aggregator, so it supplies the scores and nothing more; the ranking and its caveats are ours.

Two Xbox scores differ from The Gamer's table. Gears of War: E-Day now shows 87 from 58 reviews (The Gamer listed 86) and Minecraft Dungeons II shows 75 from 31 reviews (listed at 70). Those changes lift Xbox from 77.5 to 78.5. The Metacritic pages show Nintendo at 80.33 and PlayStation at 77.5, the same as The Gamer.

Where Nintendo leads

Nintendo wins four of the six measures. Its median game scores 81, against 78 for PlayStation and 77.5 for Xbox. Six of its nine games reach 80 or higher, double the count for each rival. Its three best games average 86.7 against 85.7 for Xbox and 84.3 for PlayStation, led by Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and Pokemon Pokopia at 89 each.

Nintendo also has the fewest weak spots. Its lowest score is Pokemon Champions at 67, while Xbox bottoms out at Kiln with 66 and PlayStation at God of War: Sons of Sparta with 64. The lead comes from depth, with many games between 76 and 82, rather than from a single standout.

Where Xbox pulls ahead

Review counts differ a lot between games. Forza Horizon 6 has 90 on 83 reviews and E-Day has 87 on 58. At the bottom, Towerborne has 73 on only 4 reviews and Kiln has 66 on 20. A simple average counts all four equally. Weighting each score by its review count lifts Xbox to 83.0, ahead of Nintendo at 81.3 and PlayStation at 78.7.

A second test drops games with fewer than 25 reviews. That removes Towerborne, Kiln and MLB The Show 26 (23 reviews). Xbox then averages 83.0 across four games, Nintendo stays at 80.33 across nine and PlayStation reaches 78.4 across five. Neither version is the right one. A six-game average is fragile, and whether a title with a handful of reviews should count is a judgment call. The gap between Nintendo and Xbox, about two points on the simple average, flips on that choice.

What can still change the 2026 ranking

Gears of War: E-Day is not out yet. Steam lists its release as October 6, so its score may move once more players and critics weigh in. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 arrives on October 23, according to the Call of Duty blog. It is published by Activision, a Microsoft studio, and The Gamer's list does not include Activision games, so it would only count if you widen the definition of Xbox first-party.

On the Nintendo side, its September 9 Direct recap confirms Metroid Ravenous for Switch 2 on January 28, 2027 and Kirby and the World Beyond in spring 2027. Both land after this year's tally closes. A first-party average also says nothing about sales or third-party hits. For the Xbox side of the story, see Game Pass in October.

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