01Which games we pick
Online games that players in the UK can start today on at least one mainstream platform, from party games to large shared worlds.
02How we play them
Online, over several sessions, in private groups with friends and in public matches with strangers. We look through the shop, try the chat and report tools, set up the family controls and time a few ordinary sittings before we write a word.
03What a score weighs
- Play: controls, depth, fairness and how it feels to improve.
- World: art, sound, writing and whether it is worth spending evenings in.
- Value: what it costs, what it sells once you are playing and whether the shop gets in the way.
- Exit: clear split points, sensible sittings and how hard the game pulls you back.
04From score to colour
One editorial score out of five, in tenths, sets the colour a game carries on the route:
- Gold split (from 4.7): One of the best games we have played. Worth a place on any route.
- Ahead of pace (from 4.4): Excellent, with a caveat or two the review spells out.
- On pace (from 4.0): Very good for the right player; the review says who.
- Behind pace (below 4.0): Rough edges, but worth it if the genre is yours.
05Sittings and split points
The segment shown for each game is a typical sitting we timed ourselves: one or two matches, a mission, a cup or an evening in a world. The split point is the natural moment to stop. Neither changes a score; both help plan an evening.
06Where the facts come from
Platforms, chat options, accounts and costs come from our own play and are checked against each game’s official pages, which stay the reference for prices and age ratings.
07What we never do
No paid placements, no sponsored scores, no invented facts and no reviews written from trailers or press releases.
08Keeping reviews current
Links, platforms and shops are checked regularly. When a big update changes how a game plays or what it sells, we play it again before touching the score.