How we actually test games

People sometimes ask how long we play before writing. The honest answer is: it depends, but never just a few minutes. For something like an RPG we'll put in hours over several days; for a casual game, enough sessions to see whether it holds up past the novelty.

One rule we never skip is testing on a budget phone. A game might feel great on a flagship and stutter badly on cheaper hardware, and plenty of readers aren't on the latest device. If performance is uneven, we say so.

We also test everything in airplane mode, because our whole focus is offline play. If a game throws up a connection error, that's an immediate note in the review.

Scores come last. We talk as a team about what worked and what didn't before anyone picks a number, and the number has to match the write-up. If the words say frustrating, the score can't say perfect.

None of this is glamorous, but it's why we trust our own reviews — and why we hope you do too.