How we actually test the games we cover

People sometimes ask how long we play a game before writing about it, and the honest answer is: until we have something real to say. For a short adventure that might be a full playthrough. For a deep strategy game it might be a couple of weeks.

We test on more than one phone, including at least one older model, because performance is a huge part of the mobile experience. A game that runs beautifully on a flagship but chugs on a three-year-old handset is worth flagging.

We also pay attention to the stuff reviews often skip — battery drain, how much storage it eats, whether the controls survive a bumpy bus ride. Those details matter more on mobile than anywhere else.

And we write down first impressions immediately, then check them again after a few days. Sometimes a game that dazzled at first gets old fast, and sometimes a slow starter grows on you. Both are worth telling you about.