Xbox dominates Metacritic rankings, leaving Sony and Nintendo behind.
Xbox Beats Sony and Nintendo in 2026 Publisher Metacritic Rankings
Xbox surpasses Sony and Nintendo in publisher rankings, leveraging $23.5B in revenue and Xbox Game Pass growth to dominate despite major internal leadership shifts.
Highlights
- Xbox outperformed Sony and Nintendo in Metacritic’s 2026 rankings, driven by a successful multiplatform strategy.
- Strong Xbox Game Pass growth fueled a record $23.5B in revenue, offsetting declining hardware sales.
- Despite leadership changes and internal shakeups, Xbox now leads as a global publishing powerhouse.
Microsoft has changed the game. Instead of battling over hardware, Xbox has become a publishing powerhouse by making its most popular games available on competing platforms. And this shift is paying off big time. Microsoft reported an impressive $23.5 billion USD in gaming revenue for Fiscal Year 2025, and it has now surpassed both Nintendo and Sony in the most recent global publisher rankings.
In Metacritic’s newly released 2026 rankings, which evaluated 2025’s gaming output, Microsoft secured the number five spot globally with an impressive average Metascore of 80. This completely overshadowed its hardware rivals, with Nintendo trailing in 12th place with an average score of 77, and Sony plummeting all the way to 21st with a 74. Interestingly, it was Microsoft's aggressive push into competing hardware that padded these stats.
The highest-rated title under the Xbox umbrella was actually the PlayStation 5 port of Forza Horizon 5, which earned a massive 92. It was closely followed by the PS5 re-release of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, pulling in at an 86, as per GameRant.
On the native Xbox side, Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 led the pack with an 86, while Xbox Game Studios' own The Outer Worlds 2 posted a solid 83. Metacritic noted that Microsoft’s high ranking was driven by a massive volume of releases—21 games across 43 unique releases—thanks to its sprawling back-catalog ports and multiplatform launches.
Steam
Record Gaming Revenue and Game Pass Growth
In contrast, Nintendo released 18 games across 19 unique releases, and Sony managed only 13 games across 17 releases. Microsoft did hit a few minor speedbumps, with titles like Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Bethesda's Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants DLC receiving mixed reviews, but the overall software output remained undeniably strong.
The financial data entirely backs up this critical success. Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue climbed 9% to $23.5B. Xbox content and services revenue spiked by 16%, heavily fueled by Xbox Game Pass, which now generates nearly $5B annually. Meanwhile, Xbox hardware revenue plummeted by 25%, proving the company's growth is now almost exclusively tied to software.
Tracking firm Ampere reported that in December 2024, Xbox Game Studios was the absolute largest publisher in the world, generating roughly $465M to beat out Electronic Arts at $366M. Today, Microsoft Gaming boasts over 500 million monthly active users across PCs, mobile devices, and rival consoles.
Xbox expanded this effort even further in 2025, bringing historically exclusive franchises like Gears of War and Forza directly to PlayStation, and even dropping the bombshell that the next mainline entry in the flagship Halo series will launch on competitor platforms.
Microsoft
Leadership Shakeups and a Transitional Era for Xbox
Yet, despite these massive software victories, Xbox is navigating one of the most turbulent transitional eras in its 25-year history. The brand has been battered by recent internal controversies, including widespread layoffs, major studio closures, and the high-profile cancellation of anticipated titles like Perfect Dark. Gamers were also left frustrated when Microsoft aggressively hiked the price of its Xbox Game Pass service, charging a steep $30 for its Ultimate tier last year.
Furthermore, the company's leadership structure has been completely upended. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently announced his retirement, and Xbox president Sarah Bond has resigned from the company. Former Microsoft CoreAI president Asha Sharma has now stepped in as the new CEO to steer the ship.
As the dust settles on these massive internal shakeups, the Xbox brand finds itself in uncharted territory. While the promise of the upcoming Project Helix console proves Microsoft isn't abandoning living room hardware just yet, the broader picture is crystal clear. Xbox has moved past the console struggle, proving definitively that it can win the publishing war from the inside out.
Author
Krishna Goswami is a content writer at Outlook India, where she delves into the vibrant worlds of pop culture, gaming, and esports. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) with a PG Diploma in English Journalism, she brings a strong journalistic foundation to her work. Her prior newsroom experience equips her to deliver sharp, insightful, and engaging content on the latest trends in the digital world.
Krishna Goswami is a content writer at Outlook India, where she delves into the vibrant worlds of pop culture, gaming, and esports. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) with a PG Diploma in English Journalism, she brings a strong journalistic foundation to her work. Her prior newsroom experience equips her to deliver sharp, insightful, and engaging content on the latest trends in the digital world.
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