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Paladins®

Paladins®

Evil Mojo Games · released May 8, 2018

ActionAdventureMassively MultiplayerStrategyFree To PlayPCPlayStation 4Xbox OneNintendo Switch

Paladins is the ultimate fantasy team-based shooter experience, with over 50 customizable Champions fighting in 5v5 action across a diverse Realm of modes and maps!

Steam page ↗OpenCritic ↗Metacritic 74 · users 6.4 ↗
77
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence

anchored at patch: “Wekono's Wake Update Notes” (1y ago)

75%
At launch
85%
Steam all-time
79%
Press
52%
Player sentiment
83%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (244 positive / 55 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Story & writing7% mention it
  • Multiplayer & servers4% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

  • Bugs & crashes11% mention it
  • Multiplayer & servers9% mention it

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

66%

44 reviews

5-15h

76%

38 reviews

15-40h

90%

48 reviews

40-100h

71%

56 reviews

100h+

91%

113 reviews

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (OpenCritic)–797
Creator reviews (1 tracked)–800
All-time Steam reviews85%791538
Metacritic user ratings–6524
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)83%763000
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jan 29, 2025) · 300 reviews sampled · 7598 total reviews in window · weighted 213.9 up / 51.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (22)

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.

  • 80
    Nintendo LifeNintendo Life
    trust 75Jun 22, 2018

    “There's a definitive learning curve for those looking to play competitively, but it's nonetheless one of the console's best new multiplayer additions.”

    read full review ↗
  • 65
    NintendoWorldReportNintendoWorldReport
    trust 68Jun 19, 2018

    “Though my experience suffered from stability issues and inexperienced teammates, it was a fun exercise to what the Switch is capable of.”

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    NintendojoNintendojo
    trust 68Jul 13, 2018

    “While Fortnite is deservedly garnering a ton of attention, don't let Paladins slip past you. It has fun characters, a fair progression system, wildly addictive combat, and a vibrant look that makes each battle a real rush.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    GamerheadquartersGamerheadquarters
    trust 67May 8, 2018

    “Paladins is a blast, it's competitive and well balanced offering a wide range of heroes to choose from.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    Pocket Gamer UK
    trust 66Jun 12, 2018

    “Paladins is a worthy addition to the Switch, but it feels a bit soulless and shallow despite its breadth of heroes.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    EurogamerEurogamer
    trust 66Aug 3, 2018

    “Paladins: Champions of the Realm is a fun and exciting shooter, and we forgive its small hiccups and the reduced variety for the simple fact that it is available for free. Being a hero shooter, it is possible that not everyone might enjoy it. But FPS fans who own a Nintendo Switch do not have many alternatives, and our advice is to download it and try it, even if your not convinced. Who knows, you might love it in the end.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    Switch PlayerSwitch Player
    trust 62Sep 6, 2018

    “Paladins is a fun shooter, and encourages long-term play with its unlockables and level-up progressions. It loses to Fortnite in the addictiveness stakes, though, and isn't helped by a less-than-seamless matchmaking system.”

    read full review ↗
  • 84
    IGNIGN
    trust 61May 16, 2018

    “Player choice is at the heart of what makes Paladins tick as a hero shooter.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    PowerUp!PowerUp!
    trust 60Jul 10, 2018

    “Paladins is a lot of fun, unique in gameplay, if not in premise, and well worth a look in if you enjoy team based shooters with a lot of variety.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Nintendo InsiderNintendo Insider
    trust 60Jul 5, 2018

    “Paladins could be amazing, but it’s all a bit too convoluted. As it stands it’s still a great experience, but for casual players who just want a team-based shooter, they may find the list of options a little too long.”

    read full review ↗
  • 72
    WccftechWccftech
    trust 59Jun 30, 2018

    “Paladins is one of the best free to play games available, and nothing changes that on Nintendo Switch. If you're looking for an online shooter to either take seriously or just play casually, Paladins is a great option that you can take on the go. Only a few technical issues drag it down from being great.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    MMOGamesMMOGames
    trust 57Jun 21, 2017

    “Paladins is a very fun game, and while it does share a vast amount of similarities with Overwatch (I still felt the need to address this), outside the blue rectangular shield, rocket launcher, and chained hooks, Paladins is a whole game of its own. It's a fun champion-based shooter that's sure to win you over with its own take at the currently popular genre.”

    read full review ↗

…and 10 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Wekono's Wake Hotfix 1
    Feb 3, 2025
  2. Wekono's Wake Update Notes
    Jan 29, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  3. Year 8 of Paladins Begins!
    Jan 17, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  4. Ska'drin Celebration Hotfix Notes
    Dec 17, 2024
  5. Ska'drin Celebration Update Notes
    Dec 11, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  6. Developer Insights: Ska'drin Celebration PTS Changes
    Dec 9, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  7. Ska'drin Celebration PTS Notes
    Nov 27, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  8. Street Style: World Tour Hotfix Notes
    Nov 21, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  9. Street Style: World Tour Update Notes
    Oct 30, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  10. Street Style: World Tour PTS Flash Test Changelog | October 23rd, 2024
    Oct 23, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  11. Street Style: World Tour PTS Notes
    Oct 18, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  12. Reality Warp Hotfix | September 16th, 2024
    Sep 16, 2024
  13. This Week in the Realm | September 10th, 2024
    Sep 10, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  14. Reality Warp Update Notes
    Sep 3, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  15. Tidal Surge Hotfix Notes
    Jul 31, 2024
  16. Tidal Surge Update Notes
    Jul 24, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  17. Tidal Surge PTS Notes
    Jul 12, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  18. Feudal Fables Hotfix 1 | June 6th, 2024
    Jun 6, 2024
  19. Feudal Fables Update Notes
    May 22, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  20. Feudal Fables PTS Notes
    May 9, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  21. April 2024 Hotfix Notes
    Apr 17, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  22. New in Paladins - Banners Fall Update
    Mar 25, 2024
  23. Wild Hoard Hotfix Notes
    Feb 15, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  24. This Week in the Realm | February 13th, 2024
    Feb 13, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  25. Wild Hoard Update Notes
    Jan 24, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  26. This Week in the Realm | January 23rd, 2024
    Jan 23, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  27. Aico's Vault Update Notes
    Dec 20, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  28. New in Paladins - Desert Omens Update
    Aug 16, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  29. New in Paladins - Anniversary Update
    Jun 21, 2023
  30. New in Paladins - Midnight Masquerade Update
    May 17, 2023
  31. Emergence Community Patch
    Mar 29, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  32. Season 6: Emergence Update
    Feb 23, 2023
  33. Dawnforge Update
    Nov 16, 2022
  34. New in Paladins - Last Remains Update
    Oct 12, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  35. New in Paladins - Constellations Update
    Aug 17, 2022
  36. New in Paladins - RWBY Update
    Jun 29, 2022
  37. New in Paladins - Heart of Darkness Update
    May 11, 2022
  38. New in Paladins - Monstercat Update
    Mar 23, 2022
  39. Season 5: Schism Update is now LIVE!
    Jan 31, 2022