The Nintendo Switch 2 has been crowned as the console with the easiest games in 2025. Study information and data follow.

The Nintendo Switch 2 crowned the console with the easiest games, based on player data 

• The Nintendo Switch 2 is home to the easiest games of 2025 so far, based on current retired rates and completions.
• The average game on the console has seen 1.9% of players stop playing it and 284 players completing it.
• In comparison, the typical Xbox One game has a retired rate of 3.2% and sees just 162 players reaching the end.
• Among the easiest Nintendo Switch 2 games released this year are Split Fiction, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, and Hades II. 

A new study by video game asset marketplace Chicks Gold has identified which consoles have seen the most difficult new games this year, according to players. 

The analysis collated the following data points from HowLongToBeat across 100 games released in 2025: percentage of players who retired the game (retirement rate) and the number of players who have completed it (completion count).

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

Games analyzed included Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II, Mario Kart World, and Deltarune. Consoles considered were the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4 and 5, the Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X/S.

The Nintendo Switch 2 offers access to the easiest games this year, scoring just 11 out of 100, where 100 indicates more challenging content. The average game released on the platform this year sees just 1.9% of players retire it, and 284 players complete it. This is the lowest retired rate of any console in the study.

The easiest games released on the Switch 2 are as follows: Split Fiction (scoring 34.6 out of 100, where 100 indicates a higher difficulty level), Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma (45.3), and Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter (47.9 out of 100).

In comparison, the console with the most difficult games – the Xbox One – sees an average retired rate of 3.2% and just 162 players completing a title. Splitgate 2 was found to be the most challenging game released on the console, with a high 11.8% retired rate and just 21 players marking it as complete.

The second console with the easiest games is the Xbox Series X/S, scoring 50 out of 100 for difficulty. The completion count across games released on the platform is 329, while the retired rate is considerably higher than the Switch 2 at 4.2%.

Consoles ranked based on the ease of the average new game 

	Console	Difficulty Score (Out of 100, 100 = More Difficult)	Average Retired Rate (Per Game)	Average Players Completing (Per Game)
1	Nintendo Switch 2	11.0	1.9%	284
2	Xbox Series X/S	50.0	4.2%	329
3	PlayStation 5	50.8	3.9%	299
4	Nintendo Switch	54.3	2.1%	124
5	PlayStation 4	54.8	2.5%	158
6	Xbox One	69.0	3.2%	162

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

“These results indicate which consoles pose steeper challenges for players this year, with high retired rates suggesting either a game has proven too difficult for them, or they’ve lost interest in pursuing it further. Completion rates tell a similar story, and it’s interesting to see which titles players see through to the end.

“Gamers with higher skill levels may not be deterred by the ranking, but others who are looking for a relaxing experience may wish to opt for a console with easier releases like the Nintendo Switch 2. For the gamers who don’t feel at peace unless they’ve completed a game, the Switch 2 offers a more rewarding experience.” 

 The five easiest games on the Nintendo Switch 2 

	Game Title	Difficulty Score (Out of 100, 100 = More Difficult)	Retired Rate	Number of Player Completions
1	Split Fiction	34.6	0.8%	2,100
2	Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma	45.3	2.2%	101
3	Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter	47.9	0.9%	79
4	Hades II	48.8	1.3%	530
5	No Sleep for Kaname Date: From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES	49.4	0.5%	105

Overall, the game title that proved the most challenging for players regardless of platform was FBC: Firebreak, available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game has a high retired rate of 22.5% and has seen just 46 players mark it as complete to date.

At the other end of the scale, the easiest game released this year is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, the game holds a 1.4% retired rate and has a whopping completion count of 6,300.

-ENDS-

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: retired rate (%) and completion count.

Each metric was scored out of 10, added and multiplied by five, to calculate a final difficulty 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 difficulty level per console. Full data for all 100 analyzed games is available on request.