Tier list methodology

A tier list is an argument. Most published ones skip the argument and show only the conclusion, which is why they are simultaneously everywhere and useless.

What every PhonePlayers tier list must state

• The criteria — what is actually being judged, written out before the ranking.
• The mode or format it applies to. A ranking that does not name a mode is ranking nothing in particular.
• The audience — a list for a new player and a list for a competitive one are different lists.
• The basis — the game version or the date the ranking was reviewed.
• The reviewer — a named person or the editorial team.
• A reason for every placement. Not a summary at the top: a sentence attached to each entry.

Judgement versus evidence

We separate the two and label which is which. Where a placement rests on data — usage, win rates, measurable performance — we say so and link to where the data lives, which for the games covered by our specialized products means those products. Where it rests on editorial judgement, we say that instead of dressing an opinion up as a measurement.

Accessibility comes first

Rankings are published as readable HTML with real headings and real text. A tier board image, if one is ever added, supplements that — it never replaces it. An image of ranked names cannot be read by a screen reader, cannot be searched, is unusable on a small screen and cannot be corrected without redrawing it.

Updates and change history

Every list carries a dated change history, starting from its first publication. When a placement moves, the history records when and why. A ranking with no history is either brand new or unmaintained, and you should be able to tell which.

Balance changes, new content and updates can invalidate any ranking. Every list states this next to its date rather than hiding it in a policy page.