Nintendo’s ‘Splatoon Raiders’ Just Set A Metacritic Score Record - Forbes

What the report says

Forbes reported that Nintendo’s newly released “Splatoon Raiders” has reached an unusually high Metacritic user score, making it the top-rated Nintendo title by users on the site at the time of the article. Paul Tassi wrote on July 27, 2026, that the game’s user rating was showing as 9.4 out of 10, which would place it second overall on Metacritic’s user-ranked list, behind “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” at 9.5. Forbes noted that Metacritic’s broader list had not yet reflected the updated score and still displayed the title lower with a 9.3.

The article contrasted that audience response with the game’s critic reception, saying “Splatoon Raiders” had an 81 critic score based on 73 reviews after its release the previous Thursday. According to the Nintendo synopsis cited by Forbes, the single-player-focused game sends players to the Spirhalite Islands alongside Deep Cut, with character customization, gadgets, ink-based weapons and battles against Salmonids while searching for treasure.

Forbes framed the response as notable because “Splatoon Raiders” shifts the Splatoon franchise toward a looter-shooter style, a departure from its usual format. Tassi also noted that the game is available on Switch 2, not the original Switch, and compared the enthusiasm around it to interest from players looking for alternatives to “Destiny 2.”

The reported Metacritic ranking may change as more users review the game. Forbes pointed out that the score was based on only a few hundred reviews, while the top-ranked “Clair Obscur” had tens of thousands, making the early record impressive but not necessarily settled.