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• A new analysis of player data has revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 has had the best-received new game releases in 2025 so far.
• Player stats were pulled for 100 games released this year: number of people playing, backlogs, replays, percentage retired, and rating.  
• The Switch 2 scored best across every category, with the lowest retired rate and highest player rating for games available on the platform. 
• Xbox Series X/S ranked second and the PlayStation 5 was third, while Xbox One performed the worst across all consoles analyzed. 

A new analysis of player data has identified which games consoles have released the best-received new games this year so far – and which have let fans down.

The analysis came from video game asset marketplace Chicks Gold, which analyzed the following metrics from HowLongToBeat across 100 games released in 2025: number of people currently playing, number of backlogs, number of replays, percentage of players who retired the game, and percentage rating.

The results for these games were then grouped and averaged based on which platforms the games are available on, with each console given a final score out of 100 to indicate which has released the best content this year. 

Games analyzed included Hollow Knight: Silksong, Borderlands 4, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Monster Hunter: Wilds. Consoles considered were the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4 and 5, the Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X/S. 

On average, the typical game saw the following: An average of 79 people currently playing it, added to 260 backlogs, 2.6 replays, 3% retired, and a rating of 78%.

The Nintendo Switch 2 led by a landslide, scoring a perfect 100 out of 100 for average game reception this year. Of the 2025 games released on this console, each sees an average of 127 current players and appears in 328 backlogs, suggesting many more intend to play even if they haven’t gotten around to it yet.

The typical game released on the Switch 2 this year is replayed 3.9 times, and holds a retired rate of just 1.9% – the lowest of any console in the study. It also holds an average player rating of 82% – 5% above the study average (78%). 

Among the best-received games on the console this year is Hollow Knight: Silksong, despite a fairly high retired rate of 1.5%, Hades II, and Donkey Kong Bananza. 

Second is the Xbox Series X/S – which struggled to catch up to the Nintendo Switch 2 – scoring 39 out of 100 for new game reception. The typical game released on the X/S sees 80 people playing it at any given time, with 318 adding it to their backlogs.

The typical game also sees 4.2% of players retiring it, which is the highest rate of any console analyzed. It’s also 40% above the study average (3% retired). The average X/S game is replayed 3.2 times, and holds a 76% player rating.

Of the games that scored the best across the same metrics, the fan favorite Xbox Series X/S releases were found to be: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Split Fiction. 

Rounding out the top three consoles for new content this year is the PlayStation 5, scoring 36 out of 100. The typical new game attracts 77 current players, sits in 285 backlogs, and holds an average player rating of 77%. It’s also replayed 2.9 times, and is retired at a rate of 2.9%. 

The top-performing newly-released games available on the console also included Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Split Fiction, as well as Monster Hunter: Wilds and Deltarune. 

Consoles ranked by average reception for a new game released in 2025

	Console	New Game Score (Out of 100)	Average Current Players	Average Backlogs	Average Replays	Average Retired	Average Rating	Best-Received Game
1	Nintendo Switch 2	100	127	328	3.9	1.9%	82%	Hollow Knight: Silksong
2	Xbox Series X/S	39	80	318	3.2	4.2%	76%	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
3	PlayStation 5	36	77	285	2.9	3.9%	77%	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
4	Nintendo Switch	31	54	211	1.8	2.1%	79%	Hollow Knight: Silksong
5	PlayStation 4	27	62	206	2.0	2.5%	78%	Hollow Knight: Silksong
6	Xbox One	14	68	212	1.6	3.2%	76%	Hollow Knight: Silksong

At the bottom of the ranking is the Xbox One, scoring just 14 out of 100 for new game reception. Across the 100 games analyzed, just one-quarter (25%) were available on the console, with the typical game holding a player rating of 76%. 

The platform was largely let down by a high retired rate of 3.2%, and the number of replays at 1.6 – the lowest in the study. The typical game is added to 212 backlogs, and is being played through by 68 players at any given time.

Although the platform sees the least enthusiastic reception for a new game release, it does still offer some of the best-received games this year, including Hollow Knight: Silksong and Elden Ring: Nightreign. 

Overall, the game that saw the best reception across the metrics (number of people currently playing, number of backlogs, number of replays, percentage of players who retired the game, and percentage rating) was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, scoring 97 out of 100, followed by Hollow Knight: Silksong at 63.4, and Hades II at 57.4. 

The 10 best games released in 2025, based on player reception

	Game	Score (Out of 100)	Current Players	Backlogs	Replays	Retired	Rating
1	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33	97.1	1,100	2,500	64	1.3%	95%
2	Hollow Knight: Silksong	63.4	948	1,100	8	1.5%	89%
3	Hades II	57.4	124	1,900	21	1.6%	85%
4	Donkey Kong Bananza	52.8	595	530	7	0.7%	89%
5	Kingdom Come: Deliverance II	50.3	138	1,100	16	2.4%	89%
6	Split Fiction	49.8	217	853	11	0.7%	89%
7	Monster Hunter: Wilds	49.5	207	1,000	18	2.6%	84%
8	Deltarune	49.0	137	550	23	1.0%	88%
9	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered	48.1	242	1,300	16	5.7%	81%
10	Death Stranding 2: On The Beach	47.6	266	654	4	0.3%	90%

The worst-received game of the 100 analyzed was FBC Firebreak, scoring just two out of 100. The game sees 23 current players, is in 48 backlogs, has seen no replays so far, holds an exceptionally high retired rate of 21.9%, and a low player rating of 51%. The game is available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. 

Discussing the study findings, Al Alof, CEO of Chicks Gold, said:

“There’s a lot of discussion about which game releases fans are most eagerly anticipating throughout the year, but not much on how a game is actually received once players access it. And while some consoles are generally considered better investments than others at the moment, it’s clear that game reception differs drastically by platform and that the Nintendo Switch 2 is the best at the moment when it comes to actual gaming experience.

“It’s impressive that such a new console has dominated the ranking, and it suggests that Nintendo are well aware of which titles to prioritize on their new platform in order to offer players the best value for money. Meanwhile, the Xbox One isn’t really providing that much value in terms of new content this year so far.

“It remains to be seen how upcoming game releases affect the ranking, as the long-awaited GTA VI is rumored to be ‘the largest game launch in history’ and will be on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The Switch 2’s domination could be rocked by that – unless the games they release in the meantime continue to impress.”

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Methodology: Player data was analyzed via howlongtobeat.com, which allows players to catalog their games collection and share data. The following metrics were pulled for 100 games released in 2025:

• Playing (current players)
• Backlogs
• Replays
• Retired %
• Rating %

Each metric was scored out of 10, added and doubled, to calculate a final reception score out of 100. Games were grouped based on the consoles they’re available on and then averaged across the metrics, to reveal the average reception per console.