How We Actually Score a Game

People email asking why one game got a 4.6 and another a 4.2 when both are fun. Fair question. Our scores aren't a formula — they're a shorthand for how confidently we'd tell a friend to install something.

Before anything gets a number, at least one of us plays it well past the opening hour. We're watching for how a game feels once the novelty fades, whether it wastes your time, and how it runs on a normal mid-range phone rather than a flagship.

We weigh a game against others in its own genre, not against everything on the store. A tight little puzzler and a sprawling RPG are trying to do different things, so we judge each on its own goals.

The number is the last thing we decide, and honestly it's the least important part. If a review gives you a clear picture, the score is just a summary. Read the words.