The launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 has caused a bit of a disturbance in the rankings of games released this year, as far as the overall critical score is concerned. The reason is fairly standard, and it has to do with older games being re-released for the new console.
In this case, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game initially released in 2017 – over eight years ago – is now considered one of 2025’s highest-rated games.
Breath of the Wild, of course, isn’t just a Switch game that’s playable on the console’s successor, the Switch 2; it’s also among select few games Nintendo elected to upgrade to take advantage of the power of the new console.
Those upgrades apply to Breath of the Wild, as well as its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom – both of which are paid. These are so called Switch 2 Editions (or Upgrade Pack if you already own it) – which, in Breath of the Wild’s case, does not even include all the DLC! Of course, releasing a new edition means you get another shot at charting among the year’s highest critically-acclaimed games, which is exactly what just happened.
The big MetaCritic list of 2025’s highest-rated games has “new” entrants. Breath of the Wild now sits at number one, tied with the excellent Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – a new game that was actually released in 2025. Breath of the Wild’s move also puts it ahead of Blue Prince, another critically-acclaimed 2025 release.
As it stands, Expedition 33 remains at the top with a combined 93MC score, now tied with Breath of the Wild with 93, Blue Prince with 92, Split Fiction with 91, and Despelote rounding out the top five with an 89MC score.
Obviously, new arrivals also inevitably knock existing games out of their respective slots. Breath of the Wild has knocked The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy out of the top 20, for example.
Considering that development, we’re very likely to see the same list get updated again soon with the arrival of the Switch 2 Edition of Tears of the Kingdom, which currently sits at an even better 94MC. This means that, soon, the 2023 game will be… 2025’s highest-rated release on MetaCritic.
If you picked a Switch 2 and found yourself buying those Zelda upgrades, you may want to bookmark our Breath of the Wilds guide, as well as Tears of the Kingdom guide. We’re guessing you’ve probably forgot plenty – or, even better, you may be playing them for the first time. Either way, our guides are a great resource.