How we actually decide on a score

People ask us how a game gets a 4.6 instead of a 4.2, so here's the honest answer: there's no secret formula, but there is a process. Every game is played by at least two of us, across a few days, on more than one phone.

We weigh four things: how fun it is to actually play, how well the controls fit a touchscreen, how it treats your battery and phone, and whether it respects your time. A game can be gorgeous and still lose points for cooking your battery or hiding buttons behind a paywall of patience.

We argue about the final number, usually loudly. Ratings are subjective and we don't pretend otherwise — they're the opinion of people who played the thing, not a measurement handed down from on high.

If our score doesn't match your experience, that's fine. We'd rather you read the actual review than the number, because that's where the useful bits live.