Review policy

A mobile game review is worth reading only if you know what it was played on, for how long, and by someone who paid what you would pay. All three are disclosed at the top of every review here.

What every review discloses

• The device it was played on, by model.
• The operating system version.
• The game version, where the game exposes one.
• Playtime in hours — the real number, not a comfortable one.
• Money spent by the reviewer, including nothing.
• Whether the publisher provided review access, hardware or in-game currency, and what exactly was provided.

What a review covers

• Performance, and how it changes over a long session.
• Battery and heat, where the game is demanding enough for it to matter.
• Controls and interface quality on a touchscreen.
• Monetisation — what it asks for, when it asks, and what it costs to keep up.
• Accessibility options the game actually offers.
• Cross-platform differences, where a version elsewhere changes the picture.

There are no scores

What we will not do

• Invent playtime, a device, an operating system version or a spend.
• Describe performance on hardware nobody here used.
• Publish a review under the shared team byline. Reviews need a named person.
• Let review access change the verdict, or go unmentioned.