Which games we pick
Games that players in the UK can start today on at least one mainstream platform and that are made to be played with other people: on one sofa, online with friends, or both. We start with studios from the Nordic countries and widen the shelf when a game earns it.
How we play them
Over several sessions, together with friends and family and in public matches with strangers where the game has them. We look through the shop, try the chat and report tools, set up the family controls and time a few ordinary sittings before we write a word.
What a score weighs
- Play: controls, depth, fairness and how it feels to improve.
- World: art, sound, writing and whether it is worth spending evenings in.
- Together: how well it works with other people and with mixed skill levels.
- Value: what it costs, what it sells once you are playing and whether the shop gets in the way.
- Lagom: clear stop points, sensible sittings and how hard the game pulls you back.
From score to tier
One editorial score out of five, in tenths, sets the tier a game carries in the library:
- Aurora (from 4.7): Rare and brilliant: one of the best games we have played together.
- Polar star (from 4.4): Excellent, with a caveat or two that the review spells out.
- Midnight sun (from 4.0): Very good for the right group; the review says who.
- First frost (below 4.0): Rough edges, but worth it if the genre is yours.
Sittings and stop points
The sitting shown for each game is one we timed ourselves: a chapter, a mission, a handful of matches or an evening in a world. The stop point is the natural moment to put the game down. Neither changes a score; both help plan an evening.
Where 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. The studio’s home town comes from its own pages.
What we never do
No paid placements, no sponsored scores, no invented facts and no reviews written from trailers or press releases.
Keeping reviews current
Links, platforms and shops are checked regularly. When a big update changes how a game plays or what it sells, we play it again before touching the score.