Methodology
How we pick
Scores should be easy to read and easy to check. Here is exactly how ours work.
1 Five scores out of 10
Every game gets five scores. The final score is their weighted average, rounded to one decimal. Gameplay counts most, because a beautiful game that is not fun to play is not a good pick.
Is the core loop fun, deep and well designed? This counts most.
How it feels in your hands: responsiveness, precision, game feel.
Art direction, animation, music and sound design.
Reasons to come back: runs, routes, secrets, modes.
Content and quality for the US list price.
2 Example: Vampire Survivors
- Gameplay 30%
- 8.4
- Feel & controls 20%
- 7.6
- Pixels & sound 20%
- 7.4
- Replay 15%
- 9.6
- Value 15%
- 10.0
8.4 × 30% + 7.6 × 20% + 7.4 × 20% + 9.6 × 15% + 10.0 × 15% = 8.46 → 8.5
3 Verdicts and hearts
Hearts show the score at a glance: each heart is two points, rounded to the nearest half heart.
9.0+
Buy it now, at full price.
8.0+
Excellent for most players who like the genre.
7.0+
Worth it if the pick-if line describes you. Sale price is ideal.
Under 7.0
Only for specific tastes.
4 The picker
Each game is tagged with moods, a typical session length, a challenge level and its player modes. The picker adds points for matches and subtracts for clashes (for example, a single-player game when you asked for couch co-op), then adds a small bonus for higher scores.
5 Data
Release dates, developers, publishers, US list prices and Steam Deck ratings come from Steam and SteamDB as of 3 Oct 2026. Playtimes are typical estimates, and price per hour is list price divided by that estimate.
6 Independence
Nobody pays for a score, a verdict or a place on a pick list. We have no affiliation with gambling operators. Reviews are written by the editorial desk with AI-assisted research and editor review.