Screenshots & trailers
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 83 | 20 |
| Creator reviews (4 tracked) | – | 85 | 4 |
| All-time Steam reviews | – | – | 0 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 90 | 750 |
| Backloggd ratings | – | 80 | 750 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (100)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
“It's a good game... but lacking that dazzle of the first experience.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“When it comes down to it, there are too many things Nintendo could have cut from Splatoon 2 to turn it into a faster, more furious, and more focused game.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Splatoon 2 is just about everything you could ask for from a sequel. It builds on everything the original set up and then some; almost every single major issue people had with the first game has been resolved, showing that Nintendo is genuinely listening and wants to deliver the absolute best experience possible. It maintains the freshness you’d expect and throws in countless big and small changes and additions, every one of them for the better. Anyone who says Nintendo can’t do online should be eating their words right now; Splatoon 2 is simply inkredible and continues Nintendo's trailblazing first year of Switch stunners. ”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Though never fun in real life, spilling ink all around is even more fun in Splatoon 2 than it was in the first game. Teaming up with your squid friends has never been better. But even though some weird Nintendo elements can drag the fun to a stall, everywhere that Splatoon 2 shines makes it a deserving heir to the original.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Splatoon 2 is a game for the players who want truly colorful Nintendo fun. It may look small, poor and less intelligent that all the big online shooters, but getting to know this game can be a really good idea. Splatoon 2 is child-like but the playability is off the charts.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A brilliant and refreshing competitive multiplayer experience, both online and offline, which really fills a void in that regard for the system.”
read full review ↗ - 82
“The absence of the traditional gimmick that every Nintendo sequel usually features was actually the right call for Splatoon 2. In the end, Splatoon 2 is a compelling, quick and fun multiplayer game, suitable for new players -due to the simplicity of its mechanics- and veterans that will be seduced by the complex and tactical challenges in Ranked and League Battles.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“This might just be a half-step forward for Splatoon, but the first step was so good that it’s not really a bad thing.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“The single player feels much more fleshed out, and Salmon Run is a blast. There are just two many weird setbacks to how the game works. Rotating only two maps per mode, keeping Salmon Run online locked behind events, and of course the online app. Sure Nintendo has promised lots of updates to Splatoon 2, and I believe them, but right now I feel like there are too many barriers for me to enjoy it to its fullest potential.”
read full review ↗ - 91
“Splatoon 2 has taken everything from the original and amped it all up to eleven. There’s no lollygagging with this sequel; online modes and gear are robust right out of the gate, with the promise of even more to come. New additions like Salmon Run expound upon an already winning formula and offer veteran players further reason to give the title a try. It also can’t be ignored that the boon of being able to pick up and play the game anywhere is something that is only possible with Switch. While I do feel that chat is needlessly cumbersome, it’s fairly easy to start matches with friends, and I never experienced any hitches while battling online. Splatoon 2 is a brilliant and rare game that manages to outshine its predecessor, and is yet another reason to own a Switch.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The game, like its predecessor, only truly comes alive when played with and against others, and thanks to Salmon Run it now offers something for everyone. It may not quite deliver enough of a progression to feel like a true sequel, but it is the definitive Splatoon experience, and deserves a place in every Switch owner's library.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Splatoon 2 is an incredible shooter that improves on the original in almost every single way. But if you still have a Wii U and don't care about taking it on the go, there might not be enough new content to justify the purchase.”
read full review ↗
The Jimquisition
Slant Magazine
Nintendo Life
PLAY Zine
GRYOnline.pl
Cubed3
LevelUp
NintendoWorldReport
ZTGD
Nintendojo…and 88 more tracked reviews.