Yes. Amazon says review recency affects overall star ratings. In the Reviews from Amazon FAQ, Amazon says one of the factors it considers when calculating overall star ratings is how recent a review is.
Where does Amazon say this?
Amazon states in the FAQ that, when calculating the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, it considers factors such as how recent a review is.
That is one of the clearest Amazon-owned statements on the role of review recency.
Does Amazon say this means newer reviews matter more?
Amazon does not publish a full formula or exact weighting. But when Amazon explicitly names recency as a factor in its rating calculation, the safe reading is that timing is part of the model rather than something ignored.
Amazon’s Understanding Customer Reviews and Ratings help page also says overall star ratings are based on machine-learned models instead of a simple average, which is consistent with that interpretation.
Is this different from saying recent reviews are all that matter?
Yes. Amazon does not say recency is the only factor. The same FAQ also points to whether the reviewer bought the item on Amazon.
So the better summary is that recency is part of the calculation, not the whole calculation.
Why is this useful wording?
This is one of the more useful Amazon-owned explanations because it moves the conversation away from myths about a flat average. Amazon is telling users that time is part of how the displayed rating is determined.