Splatoon Raiders Becomes Top User-Rated Nintendo Game on Metacritic

Nintendo’s latest spin-off venture is quietly rewriting review aggregate records. Released last week exclusively for the Switch 2, Splatoon Raiders has achieved unprecedented traction among players on Metacritic. Shifting away from the franchise’s traditional competitive multiplayer roots, the title reimagines the ink-based universe as a single-player-focused looter shooter.

The excitement for Splatoon Raiders might not have been as big as certain other first-party Nintendo titles in the lead-up to its release, but now that it’s out, the Switch 2 exclusive is getting a lot of praise from fans. It has not exactly been the most publicized game in the world, but Splatoon Raiders is delighting Switch players at the moment, marking a break from its usual genre and turning it into a surprisingly effective looter shooter.

Record-Breaking User Scores on Metacritic

While mainstream critical reviews settled at a moderate average, consumer reception tells an entirely different story. As highlighted by Kotaku, it’s been so positively received since arriving on Nintendo’s new system last week that it’s currently sitting in the top-10 highest user-rated games of all time on the review aggregate website Metacritic. At the time of writing, it’s in seventh place, with a score of 9.3/10 based on more than 700 user ratings. The competition is mostly serious stuff, with Clair Obscur in the top spot. This user score also reportedly makes it the top user-rated Nintendo game on Metacritic. In terms of 2026 releases, this current user score makes it the second highest-rated game of the year, behind Resident Evil Requiem.

The game’s score is actually a 9.4/10, making Splatoon Raiders the second-best user-reviewed game on the entire site ever, higher than any other Nintendo game as #1 is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with a 9.5, while the next highest Nintendo game is The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask with a 9.2 alongside a 95 critic score. Review tallies place it comfortably in the upper echelon of all-time user rankings, outperforming long-standing fan favorites such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, The Last of Us, and Nintendo’s own classic, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, as noted by Pocket Tactics. Pocket Tactics also points out that it sits ahead of The Witcher 3 and its Hearts of Stone DLC, The Last of Us, and Nintendo’s previous champion, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, though still behind Clair Obscure, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, Silent Hill 4, and Disney Cory in the House.

The numbers reflect deep engagement from the player base. More than 700 user ratings have driven the score to heights rarely seen for first-party console releases. Polling data from Nintendo Life indicates that nearly 50% of respondents rate the game an “excellent” 9/10 stars, with almost 25% of users awarding it a perfect score.

Diving Into the Spirhalite Islands

The gameplay loop trades standard turf wars for cooperative exploration and mechanical progression.

“HUNT FOR TREASURE IN A WILD ADVENTURE! In this single-player-focused game, play as a mechanic working with Deep Cut—a trio of swashbuckling musicians—and venture out into the mysterious Spirhalite Islands! Customize your character, kit yourself out with mechanical gadgets and ink-splattering weapons and take on waves of enemy Salmonids as you raid the islands for treasure.”

Nintendo, Official Game Synopsis

Players customize their mechanics and lean heavily into cooperative options. Reviewers have praised the title’s technical performance and pricing model. Nintendo Life noted in its 9/10 review calling it the best single-player Splatoon that “It looks good, runs fantastically, and you can play practically the whole thing with friends if you wish. Not only that, but Nintendo’s flogging it for a bargain price. It may not push any boundaries within the genre per se, but it’s difficult to find anything negative to say about it, it really is a must-play for almost anyone.” It also features robust multiplayer options for anyone wanting to splat some Salmonids with friends and family.

Contrasting Critical and Consumer Reactions

A notable gulf exists between professional critics and everyday players. While user scores push past the 9.3 and 9.4 mark, the professional critic score sits at a “just okay” 81 with 73 reviews in since it released last Thursday. Observers point out that while user-generated review aggregates can occasionally fall victim to organized rating campaigns or meme-driven scores—such as historical anomalies like Disney’s Cory in the House, which may have seen some love bombing as a meme—the sheer volume of positive sentiment for Splatoon Raiders suggests genuine organic enthusiasm among genre fans.

Nintendo has also capitalized on the release cadence by deploying limited-time digital rewards. Players can redeem their My Nintendo Platinum Points for exclusive rewards, including icon elements featuring the Splatoon Raiders game that you can use to create a new look for your user icon.

What Lies Ahead for the Switch 2 Exclusive

As the review count climbs past initial hundreds, community analysts are watching to see if the scores stabilize or mirror massive multi-thousand-review juggernauts like Clair Obscur, which has 26,000 reviews securing its score. For now, while there’s no guarantee it will stay up, this positive reception is a fantastic start for an entry that removes the core competitive multiplayer experience, standing firmly as a breakout hit for Nintendo’s new hardware generation.