How we actually decide a mobile game's score

People ask us how a game ends up with a 4.3 instead of a 4.7, so here's the honest answer: it's a conversation, not a formula. We play, we take notes, and then we argue.

The first thing we judge is how a game feels in the hand. Controls that fight you on a touchscreen sink a score fast, no matter how good the ideas are. Then we look at whether the game respects your time — pushy timers and constant interruptions pull points.

We also weigh how well a game delivers on its own promise. A cozy sim doesn't need deep combat; a strategy game does need real decisions. Judging each genre on its own terms is the whole point.

None of this is mathematical. Two editors might land half a point apart and talk it out until we agree. The number you see is the result of that back-and-forth, not a spreadsheet.