How We Actually Test Games Before Reviewing Them

People sometimes ask how long we play before writing a review. The honest answer is: until we have something real to say, which usually means several hours minimum and often a lot more.

Our first test is always airplane mode. We install a game, cut the connection, and see what happens. Plenty of 'offline' games quietly reach for the internet the moment you launch them, and those get flagged hard in the review.

We also test on more than one phone. What runs smoothly on a flagship can stutter badly on a three-year-old mid-range device, and that's what most readers actually own. If a game only sings on expensive hardware, we say so.

Finally we play the way a normal person would — in short interrupted sessions, then longer ones. We check whether the save system holds up when you get a phone call mid-battle. It's unglamorous work, but it's the reason our scores mean something.