Complex behavioral and psychological constructs, such as anxiety, are difficult to evaluate in rodents. Many studies have questioned which techniques and applications for monitoring anxiety behavior and related physiological parameters are most appropriate for assessing anxiety. Therefore, we aimed to compare the current methods of assessing anxiety using network meta-analysis. We performed a comprehensive review and network meta-analysis by searching electronic databases for animal studies involving rodents diagnosed with anxiety disorders who were undergoing behavioral tests. The main outcomes of the study were total distance traveled, fecal boli, and rearing. To effect sizes from several studies were combined by calculating standardized mean differences with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Subsequently, behavioral tests were ranked based on their likelihood of being the most effective measure for each outcome. Of the 46 studies reviewed, Open Field Test and Elevated Plus Maze were the most frequently utilized tests, appearing in 45 and 43 studies, respectively, while Light Dark Box and Elevated Zero Maze tests were used less frequently (in 2 and 1 studies, respectively). For total distance traveled, Open Field Test showed a significant disadvantage relative to Elevated Plus Maze and Light Dark Box. For Fecal boli, there was a significant difference between Light Dark Box and Open Field Test. There was no significance between tests in terms of rearing. Network meta-analysis is a powerful tool for indicating the effect of tests, indirect estimations, and complexities of anxiety-related behaviors in rodents in preclinical anxiety models.