Metacritic’s Best New Video Game Earns 91 Metascore And 8.6 User Score

Split Fiction is a massive success with critics, and users appear to be in love with Hazelight Studios’ new co-op fantasy adventure title.

The game has garnered an impressive 91 Metascore, making it the highest-rated video game of the year. It edged out Monster Hunter Wilds (90) and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (88) for the honor.

Hazelight proved they know co-op games with the charming It Takes Two from March 2021, and Split Fiction builds on the mechanics and ideology of its predecessor.

Split Fiction was released on March 6, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. On Metacritic, more than 95% of reviews were positive, while the remaining 5% were mixed. Remarkably, none were classified as negative. To understand how rare it is for a game to receive a Metascore of 90 or above, consider that just 13 of the 457 titles Metacritic covered with aggregate scores in 2024 scored above 90.

Screen Rant’s Kaitlyn Peterson dropped this wildly positive summary of her time with Split Fiction:

“Split Fiction is an adventure unlike any other. There are hundreds of games that can be played with friends, but few are going to deliver as memorable an experience as this one. While exploring the fantasy worlds of Zoe and the sci-fi worlds of Mio, there is a balance of high-stakes events and wacky chaos that blends seamlessly. Whether or not you found A Way Out or It Takes Two interesting or enjoyable, don’t write off Split Fiction.

Hazelight continues to evolve and improve with each game it’s produced, and Split Fiction is its best masterpiece yet. The short run time is insignificant in comparison to the quality of what you’re receiving in that time, and you won’t be disappointed that you gave it a chance.”

As you might have expected, Peterson scored Split Fiction a perfect 10 out of 10.

For the unaware, Split Fiction follows two writers, Mio and Zoe, on an adventure as the two reluctant partners become trapped in their own contrasting stories and are forced to work together to escape the antagonist’s simulator.

I haven’t had an opportunity to sink my teeth into Split Fiction, but based on what I’m gathering from the reviews, the game understands how to transfer the desired emotion throughout the journey.

Beyond the emotional attachment that appears to be present, from a purely creative and technical standpoint, Split Fiction earned praise for what one reviewer described as a “rollercoaster of gameplay ideas.” IGN, who scored it a 9 out of 10, said it was “an expertly crafted co-op adventure.”

Critics will mostly share honest opinions without the desire to be overly negative about a game without reason. Users are often a different story.

That’s particularly why Split Fiction’s 8.6 user score is so impressive. We live in a world where people hate on each other and things almost as if it is an obligation or prerequisite for keeping it real.

All things considered, nearly everyone seems to love Split Fiction. With Assassin’s Creed Shadows on the way later this month, as well as MLB The Show 25 and Atomfall, it’ll be interesting to see if any new title challenges Split Fiction for its throne in the near future.