01Which games make the set
Games that players in the UK can start today on at least one mainstream console, computer, phone or headset. We mix team battles, party games, building games, co-op adventures and music games, and games played alone with games for a family or a group of friends.
02How we play them
Over many evenings, alone and with friends or family where the game allows it. We look through any shop, try the chat and report tools, set up the family controls, check the comfort and accessibility settings and time ordinary sessions before we write a word.
03What a score weighs
- Play: controls, depth, fairness and how it feels to improve.
- Sound: music, effects and how the game uses them.
- Look: art, readability and whether the world is worth spending evenings in.
- Company: how well it works alone, with friends or with a family.
- Outro: clear save points, sensible sessions and how hard the game pulls you back.
04From score to grade
One editorial score out of five, in tenths, sets the grade ring a game carries in the set:
- Grade S, Standing ovation (from 4.7): One of the best games we have played in years: we would hand it to almost anyone who likes the genre.
- Grade A, Encore-worthy (from 4.4): Excellent, with a caveat or two that the review spells out.
- Grade B, Strong set (from 4.0): Very good for the right player; the review says who.
- Grade C, Opening act (below 4.0): Rough in places, but worth an evening if the genre is yours.
05Tempo
Tempo describes how a game feels to play, never how good it is:
- Downtempo: calm and unhurried; nothing chases you.
- Mid-tempo: steady, but it asks you to think and plan.
- Uptempo: fast, loud and lively; reactions matter.
06Sessions and outros
The session shown for each game is one we timed ourselves: a few levels, a set of songs, a run or a few in-game days. The outro is the natural moment to put the game down, usually where it saves. Neither changes a score; both help plan an evening.
07Comfort notes
Flashing light, motion, volume, hand strain and headset comfort matter more in music and action games than anywhere else. Each review notes what we found and which settings help. Always read the game’s own health and safety warnings too.
08Where the facts come from
Platforms, chat options, accounts and costs come from our own play and are checked against each game’s official pages, which stay the reference for prices and age ratings. Studio home towns come from the studios’ own pages.
09What we never do
No paid placements, no sponsored scores, no invented facts and no reviews written from trailers or press releases.