How We Actually Test A Mobile Game

People sometimes assume reviewers play a game for twenty minutes and call it done. We've all read reviews that clearly happened that way, and we didn't want to be that site. So here's roughly how it works for us.

First, we install on at least two phones, one modern and one a few years old. A lot of games feel fine on new hardware and fall apart on anything older, and most readers aren't carrying the latest flagship.

Then we play. For a quick arcade game that might mean a few sessions over a few days. For an RPG it could be ten hours before anyone writes a word. We take messy notes the whole time, including the moments we got frustrated.

We pay special attention to the first fifteen minutes, because that's where most people decide whether to keep a game. We also note battery drain, storage size, and whether the interface stays readable on a small screen.

Only after all that does someone draft a review, and Lena edits it before it goes live. The rating comes last, once we've actually argued about it.