Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree currently holds the highest Metacritic score of any DLC ever released, with a rating of 95. That's for the PS5 version, which is the platform with the most critic reviews. The huge score means it is even better rated than other expansions released over the years, like both The Witcher 3 DLCs and Grand Theft Auto IV.
Here's a selection of some of the highest-rated expansions and how they compare to Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree on Metacritic in rating order:
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree — 95
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood & Wine — 92
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned — 90
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — 89
- Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss — 89
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony — 89
- Bloodborne: The Old Hunters — 87
- Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare — 87
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Shivering Isles — 86
As you can tell from the comparisons, not only is Shadow of the Erdtree the highest-rated DLC ever made, it is also very comfortably the most well-received when stacked against other FromSoftware expansions. The piece of content that rivals it closest would be the Dark Souls DLC Artorias of the Abyss, but its score of 89 is based on just seven verdicts.
In our own Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree PS5 review, we awarded an 8/10 rating and praised its new environments and rewarding exploration, while warning the expansion can feel a tad too familiar at times. "By doubling down on what made the base game so sublime, FromSoftware has crafted an Elden Ring expansion that's just as great as it is familiar," we explained. "Shadow of the Erdtree delivers more of the same style of content you loved two years ago rather than introducing new ways to engage. That's enough to consider it a fantastic expansion, though it's hard not to feel like you're just going through the motions again."