Nintendo Tops Sony and Xbox in 2026 Metacritic Averages

Nintendo's 2026 first-party releases average 80.33 on Metacritic, beating PlayStation's 77.5 and Xbox's 78.33 across more new games.

Based on Metacritic scores for first-party titles, Nintendo is leading the console trio in 2026, with an average of 80.33 across its new releases, according to a GameRant analysis spotted via The Gamer. The calculation excludes ports, DLC, and remasters but includes entirely new remakes. Crucially, Nintendo hit that average while publishing the most games of the three — nine, against six apiece for PlayStation and Xbox.

GameRant's breakdown shows Nintendo's year stacked with well-received exclusives: Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave (89), Pokemon Pokopia (89), Rhythm Heaven Groove (82), Splatoon Raiders (82), Star Fox (81), and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (80) — six new 2026 games above 80, while PlayStation and Xbox managed just three each among first-party titles. Weaker entries like Pokemon Champions (67) and Mario Tennis Fever (76) dragged but didn't sink the average.

The margin looks narrow, which makes the outcome striking: PlayStation averaged 77.5 and Xbox 78.33, so all three publishers delivered a solid year. Yet Xbox is the only one of the trio to land a 90-plus Metacritic score — Forza Horizon 6 (90), an instant GOTY contender per GameRant — and still loses on average. Nintendo won on volume and consistency, not on a single peak release.

Not every marquee release landed. GameRant notes Marvel's Wolverine (75) and Halo: Campaign Evolved (80) received colder receptions than their publishers may have anticipated, while Sony's God of War: Sons of Sparta fell to 64. On the Nintendo side, Pokemon Champions' 67 was the year's clear first-party stumble. These outliers are exactly what kept the three averages closer than the headline suggests.

GameRant frames strong first-party output as crucial in a shifting market: Sony is pulling games back to PlayStation-only after its PC experiment, while Xbox reportedly canceled Gears of War: E-Day's planned PS5 port late on while continuing to embrace PC. Nintendo, which never abandoned exclusives, is reaping the payoff — with the upcoming Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake among 2026's most anticipated games, per OpenCritic.

According to eXputer, former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida argues Sony and Nintendo should keep the PS5 and Switch 2 going 'as long as possible,' citing rising component costs and players satisfied with current visuals; he also says Xbox has confirmed a next-gen console due by the end of 2027 or early 2028. Nintendo's 2027 slate, as GameRant reports it, includes Pokemon Winds and Waves (Generation 10), Metroid Ravenous, and Kirby and the World Beyond.