Ninja Gaiden 4's Metacritic reviews are in and place it as the second-best of the main series, but it's not even the highest reviewed Ninja Gaiden of 2025.
It's hard to say just how great 2025 has been for Ninja Gaiden, given the series has been dormant for over a decade (sans the Master Collection in 2021) starting off the year with a new version of Ninja Gaiden 2 pegged to be the "definitive version," and while the truth was it wasn't quite definitive, it was a great edition. Then came the excellent 2D revival Ninja Gaiden Ragebound in the summer, and it was up to Ninja Gaiden 4 to send the series home with a triple.
And from the looks of Ninja Gaiden 4's Metacritic, that's exactly what's happened. At the time of writing, Ninja Gaiden 4's Metacritic score is sitting at an 83, which places it above Ninja Gaiden 3 and its Razor's Edge update (58 and 69 respectively), and Ninja Gaiden 2, which sits at a shockingly low 81 (with the frankly inferior Sigma version rated higher, tying Ninja Gaiden 4 at 83).
However, when it comes to Ninja Gaiden, nothing is touching the original's 91 and its update, which cements it as one of the best action games ever made, Ninja Gaiden Black, at 94. However, looking at the wider series, Ninja Gaiden 4 hasn't been able to claim the "best Ninja Gaiden of 2025" award, with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound coming in a bit higher at 84.
The game's highest score came from the GamesRadar+ Ninja Gaiden 4 review, where reviews editor Oscar Taylor-Kent gave it 5/5 stars and said, "Ninja Gaiden 4 takes the torch from the second game, runs with it, and impales the nearest hulking demon. This is a genre triumph that delivers slick, over-the-top action that rewards patience and mastery, and a blood power system that adds a combat layer that allows you to push yourself beyond your limits. A deadly delight, action doesn't get much better than this."
