How we decide on a rating

Readers ask us all the time what a 4.2 versus a 4.6 really means, so here's the honest answer. Our numbers aren't a formula. They're one editor's summary of how much they enjoyed a game relative to what it was trying to be.

We judge a cozy builder against other cozy builders, not against a deep tactics game. That's why a simple title like Legends of Slots can score well: it does its small job cleanly, and we rate it on that, not on depth it never promised.

The written review always matters more than the number. The paragraphs explain the context, the number just gives you a quick gut sense. If the two ever seem to disagree, trust the words.

We also revisit scores if a game changes a lot after an update. A review is a snapshot of a moment, and we try to say which moment it was.