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Isometric steps rising in four colours, one for each rating tier, with a ball on the top step.

How we curate

Which games we consider, how we play them, what the rating weighs and how a number becomes a tier. The whole method, written down.

  • RatingsOut of 5, in tenths
  • TiersFour, from Masterpiece to Special interest
  • Paid for?Never. No adverts or paid placements
  • Updated3 November 2026

Which games we consider

Any game that players in the UK can buy or download today on at least one mainstream platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iPhone or Android. New releases and older favourites are judged the same way.

How the shortlist forms

Reader suggestions, games we keep recommending to friends and smaller independent releases all go onto one shortlist. Games with a clear idea and a world of their own rise to the top. Publishers and developers can tell us about a game, just as readers can, but nobody can pay to be on the list or to move up it.

How we play

At least one of us plays each game to the credits where it has them. For games without an ending, such as building toys and roguelikes, that means many sessions over at least two weeks, long enough to understand the later hours. Co-op games are played with other people, and online games with friends and strangers. We play on our own copies or on review copies, and if we can’t play a game properly, we don’t hang it.

What the rating weighs

Ideas
What the game sets out to do, and whether it follows that idea all the way through.
Play
Controls, pacing, difficulty and how the core loop holds up after many hours.
Craft
Art, sound, music, writing, performance and stability on the platforms we played.
Welcome
How well it teaches, subtitles, remapping, difficulty and comfort options, and how easy it is to start.
Fair dealing
Honest pricing, no pressure to pay, no paid random items, and sessions that can end without punishment.

The rating is an editorial judgement across all five, not a sum. A game that leans on paid random items loses ground however good it looks.

From rating to tier

Each game gets one rating out of five, in tenths, and the rating sets the tier written on its plaque:

Masterpiece, 4.7 and above
A game we would put in front of anyone with an interest in its genre. Rare by design.
Permanent collection, 4.3 to 4.6
Excellent and easy to recommend, with a small caveat or two.
Worth the visit, 3.8 to 4.2
Very good for the right player, and the review says who that is.
Special interest, below 3.8
For people who already love its genre or its particular idea.

A game we would rate below 3.0 simply isn’t hung.

Time and money, always

Every plaque ends with a Checkpoint, a natural place to stop in that game, and a Costs line that says what it can cost after the first purchase. We name memberships for online play, expansions and other DLC, season passes, cosmetic packs and in-game shops whenever a game has them, and we say plainly when it sells paid random items. Current prices stay with the official page, because prices change.

Session and mood

The Session line gives the usual shape of a sitting: solo, co-op or online, the mood the game sets and how long a comfortable session tends to be. It is guidance for planning an evening and never changes a rating. The visit planner uses the same idea to build a session with breaks and a closing time.

Reading a plaque

What you do
The actions you actually spend your time on, in plain words.
Who it suits
The kind of player who will get the most from it, including families and pairs.
Plays on
The platforms it was released for. Versions differ, so check the official page for yours.
Session
Solo or together, the mood, and a comfortable length of sitting.
Checkpoint
A good place to stop in that game without losing progress.
Costs
What can be bought after the first purchase, if anything.
Age
Where to find the official PEGI rating and content notes.

What we never do

  • Take payment, gifts or favours for a place in the collection, a rating or a kind word.
  • Carry adverts, sponsored reviews or affiliate links.
  • Review a game from trailers, press releases or someone else’s playthrough.
  • Invent player numbers, sales figures or quotes.
  • Use official artwork or screenshots and present them as our own.

Keeping reviews current

Links, platforms and add-ons are checked regularly. When a big update changes how a game plays, such as new multiplayer or a new paid shop, we play it again before touching its rating, and the plaque says what changed. If you spot something out of date, write to hello@milentarium.co.uk.