Tips for Reviewing Games You Have Played

Reviewing games you have played, whether writing them up or simply sharing your thoughts, deepens your own appreciation and helps others decide what to play. Doing it thoughtfully, though, takes more than a thumbs up or down. These tips will help you review games well, so you can share opinions genuinely worth reading and understand your own tastes better rather than posting vague praise or complaints that help neither you nor the people reading them decide anything.

Be clear about what you liked and disliked

Reviews need substance, so be clear about what you liked and disliked. Explaining specifically what worked and what did not makes your review useful. Players value this on community sites such as ankertoto, where reviews are shared, but the key is to be clear and specific, since vague opinions help no one. Being clear about what you liked and disliked, and explaining specifically rather than vaguely, is the foundation of a useful review, since a review that names what worked and what did not helps readers far more than a bare verdict ever could.

Explain your reasons

Opinions need reasons, so explain yours. Saying why you felt as you did about a game makes your review far more valuable than a bare verdict. Rather than just rating, explain. Reviews are useful when reasoned. Explaining your reasons, and telling readers why a game worked or failed for you, is central to a good review, since the reasons behind an opinion are what let readers judge whether they would feel the same, and a reasoned review helps people decide in a way that a simple score or thumbs-up never can on its own.

Be fair and balanced

Good reviews are fair, so be fair and balanced. Acknowledging a game's strengths and weaknesses, rather than only praising or bashing, makes your review trustworthy. Rather than being one-sided, be balanced. Fair reviews are credible reviews. Being fair and balanced, and acknowledging both what a game does well and where it falls short, is central to a review worth reading, since almost every game has both strengths and flaws, and a balanced account that recognises both is far more trustworthy and useful than unqualified praise or relentless criticism.

Consider who the game is for

Games suit different people, so consider who the game is for. Noting what kind of player would enjoy a game helps readers judge whether it is for them. Rather than judging only by your own taste, consider the audience. Reviews serve varied readers. Considering who the game is for, and noting what sort of player would enjoy it, is central to a helpful review, since a game you disliked might be perfect for someone with different tastes, and a review that identifies a game's ideal audience helps every reader decide, not just those who share your preferences.

Avoid spoilers

Spoilers ruin games, so avoid them. Reviewing a game without spoiling its story or surprises respects your readers. Rather than revealing key moments, keep your review spoiler-free. Reviews should not spoil. Avoiding spoilers, and reviewing a game without giving away its story or surprises, is central to a considerate review, since part of the point of a review is to help someone decide whether to experience a game themselves, and spoiling its best moments robs them of the very thing your review might have persuaded them to seek out.

Reflect on your own experience

Reviews come from experience, so reflect on your own. Thinking honestly about how a game actually made you feel, and why, is the heart of a genuine review. Rather than echoing others, reflect on your own experience. Genuine reviews come from genuine reflection. Reflecting on your own experience, and thinking honestly about how a game made you feel and why, is central to writing a review worth reading, since the most valuable reviews are genuine personal accounts, and honest reflection on your own experience, rather than echoing received opinion, is what gives a review its authenticity and worth.

Keep it honest

Honesty builds trust, so keep your reviews honest. Giving your genuine opinion, rather than following hype or crowds, makes your reviews trustworthy and valuable. Rather than echoing consensus, be honest. Honest reviews earn trust. Keeping it honest, and giving your genuine opinion even when it differs from the crowd, is central to reviewing well, since the value of a review rests entirely on its honesty, and readers come to trust and seek out reviewers who tell them what they genuinely think rather than simply what everyone else is already saying about a game.

Enjoy deepening your appreciation

Reviewing enriches your play, so enjoy deepening your appreciation. Thinking critically about games deepens your understanding and enjoyment of them. Rather than treating reviewing as a chore, embrace the reflection. Reviewing enriches the hobby. Enjoying deepening your appreciation, and the way thinking and writing critically about games sharpens your understanding of what you love and why, is a real reward of reviewing, since putting your thoughts into words makes you a more thoughtful, appreciative player, enriching not just your reviews but the way you experience every game you play.

Common questions from players

What makes a review worth reading? Being clear about what you liked and disliked, and explaining your reasons. A specific, reasoned review that tells readers why a game worked or failed helps them far more than a bare verdict.

How do I make my reviews fair? Be fair and balanced, and consider who the game is for. Acknowledging both strengths and weaknesses, and noting what kind of player would enjoy a game, makes a review trustworthy and genuinely useful.

Does reviewing games help me as a player? Yes. Reflecting critically on games deepens your understanding of what you enjoy and why, making you a more thoughtful, appreciative player and enriching how you experience every game.

Playing reviewing games you have played, in short

Keep these tips in mind and you will get far more from the genre. For more guides, see our games section, with common questions on the questions page.