How our scores actually work

People ask why we don't just give everything we like a shiny high score. The short answer is that a scale where everything's a 9 tells you nothing. Our scores run from 3.8 to 4.9, and each step is meant to carry real information.

A game around 4.0 is genuinely good with clear flaws we want you aware of. Something at 4.5 or higher is a game we'd recommend without hesitation and probably keep playing after the review is done. We rarely go to the top of the range, and when we do, it's earned.

We also weigh a game against its own ambitions. A tiny casual puzzler and a sprawling strategy game aren't judged on the same checklist. We ask whether it does what it set out to do, and whether it respects your time and attention while doing it.

Scores are the least important part of any review, honestly. The words explain the number, and two games with the same rating can be nothing alike. Read the actual text before you decide.