What the Video Game Review Process Works at Game Rant

People often have strong ideas about what it’s like to review video games, ranging from the excitement of playing them before anyone else to the belief that all good reviews are biased. Having worked on hundreds of reviews at Game Rant, I’ve found there’s often some truth to these ideas – for example, a strict release date can sometimes indicate a publisher isn’t entirely confident in their game.

Reviews are a fascinating and tricky part of the gaming industry. They’re incredibly important for any gaming website, but they come from a time when a good review score directly meant more game sales. Here at Game Rant, though, our reviewers focus solely on the game itself – our criticisms and final scores aren’t influenced by anything else.

Step 1: Getting Early Access to Review Games

First, we need to get a copy of the game. In the past, Game Rant received physical copies that required signatures and had a lot of security measures. Now, we only receive digital codes. These codes are usually provided by the PR team representing the game’s publisher or developer. They’ll contact us (or we’ll reach out to them) and offer a code for the game on a specific platform. The only requirement for getting the code is agreeing to respect an embargo – we’ll explain what that means shortly.

How Do We Choose Where to Review a Game?

The platform we use for a review usually depends on the reviewer. We choose the platform they’re most comfortable with and best equipped to use, even if it’s not the most powerful version of the game. For example, you might see a review on the Nintendo Switch 2 even if the game is also available on more powerful systems – that’s because our reviewer prefers that platform.

Getting reviews from many different sources is helpful for a few key reasons. It allows us to see how the game performs for players using various platforms, and whether any problems show up specifically on certain consoles. We’ve learned that games sometimes run better on some platforms than others.

Sometimes, when we’re willing to review a game on any platform, we simply review whichever version becomes available to us first. Often, PC is the first option for independent games or titles not exclusive to consoles. It’s easier for reviewers to access the game through Steam compared to the Xbox or PlayStation stores. Plus, it’s quicker to release updates for the PC version, allowing for faster bug fixes and improvements. We understand this can make reviewing a bit complicated, as our experience might not perfectly match the final retail version. However, we always consider this when writing our reviews. Critical bugs can often be addressed before the game is released, and even if we encounter them during review, there’s no guarantee most players will experience the same issues.

Playing games on PC before they’re officially released can have some downsides. Since these games are still in development, they might not run as smoothly as they will when they finally launch. You’ll generally need a powerful computer to overcome any performance issues. While you can usually tell if a game is well-optimized, sometimes a few updates can dramatically improve how it runs. That’s why we test games on our high-end iBUYPOWER RDY GTX 5090 computer – it’s powerful enough to deliver both high frame rates and stunning graphics.

We generally don’t review games specifically on handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally. While we might briefly test how a game runs on these devices, our official reviews are reserved for traditional home consoles and PCs. Some review policies even advise against checking a game on the Steam Deck if it hasn’t been officially verified or optimized for handheld play. While checking performance on the Steam Deck is sometimes encouraged, our primary focus remains on the core console and PC experiences.

Step 2: Agreeing to the Embargo

Generally, you’ll agree to keep a review secret until a specific date through email or a similar written agreement. Sometimes, especially with highly anticipated games or when you get access very early, a publisher might ask you to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). An NDA is simply a formal, signed promise not to publish your review before the agreed-upon date. While it doesn’t change what’s expected of you compared to a standard embargo, it adds an extra layer of officialness to the process. Publishers tend to use NDAs when they’re being careful about who receives review copies.

When you receive a game under embargo, there will be rules about what you can share in your coverage. These rules usually cover what details about the story should be kept secret to avoid spoilers, and what parts of the game you’re allowed to show in videos. Most of the time, these restrictions aren’t about hiding problems with the game, but about protecting surprises for players. If the rules feel too limiting, we might wait until the game is released to publish our review, so we can give you a complete and honest impression. We always want to be upfront about anything that could influence your decision to buy a game.

Embargoes Create a Ticking Clock

Reviewing a game is much smoother when we have ample time to play it. Being able to step away and return with a fresh perspective – whether to overcome a difficult challenge or fully appreciate a moving scene – is incredibly helpful. Sometimes, though, time is limited due to unexpected issues or tight deadlines. We always do our best with the time available and greatly appreciate any extra time we’re given.

Step 3: Playing the Game Within That Embargo Timing

Even though we’re reviewing games in unique situations, we always aim to treat it as realistically as possible. Reviewing can be demanding, and we don’t expect special consideration. Our priority is to get evaluations to our audience quickly, which often means spending a lot of time playing and then writing the review.

There’s been some discussion about when game reviews are released and how that relates to the game’s quality. Sometimes reviews come out very close to, or even after, the game is available to the public, and there’s usually a reason for that. It often seems like the goal is to encourage strong sales on the first day by limiting early reviews.

Sometimes, publishers decide on an embargo date simply to give reviewers ample time with the game before it launches, often choosing the day before release. It’s actually more common to see embargoes lift close to release for genuinely good games than to encounter situations where they seem intended to conceal negative reviews.

One of the hardest things about reviewing a game is judging it based solely on your own experience, ignoring things like hype or expectations. You need to be honest about how you actually feel while playing, even if it’s not perfect. Often, reviewing means spending a lot of time with a game, which can actually make small problems seem bigger and repetitive tasks feel boring. Ultimately, forming an opinion is about trusting your initial reaction – if a game doesn’t resonate with you, it probably won’t with others either.

As a film buff, I always think about how a movie plays to an audience – and it’s the same with multiplayer games for me! We really try to wait until a game is actually live before we review it. Publishers are great about giving us access to test servers, but honestly, those can be misleading. You just can’t be sure how stable the online experience will be for everyone when it launches, and that’s a huge part of what we need to assess.

Review Guide

Developers Want to Help Your Review Process

Reviewers often receive a package of materials – like screenshots and a fact sheet – to help them understand a game. This package can also include a review guide. These guides vary in length and detail; some are brief overviews of the game’s core concept, while others provide comprehensive information on everything from combat to characters, including useful tips. Since reviewers frequently work under tight deadlines, these guides can be a valuable resource.

One of the best parts of reviewing games is being among the first to play them – and sometimes, the first to get completely stuck. When you encounter a tough puzzle or boss, you’re on your own, since there aren’t any online guides available yet. You either have to solve it yourself or reach out to the game developers directly. While reviewers always prefer to figure things out independently, hitting a dead end can be really frustrating when you’re trying to finish a game. Having direct access to the developers, through platforms like Discord or email, is a huge advantage most players don’t have, and it can be a lifesaver when you need a little help during the review process.

Step 4: Roll Credits vs. “Finishing” The Game

Each game feels complete at a different point. When you’re reviewing a game, you need to assess the entire experience, but you don’t always have to finish absolutely everything it offers.

At Game Rant, we always finish the main story of a game before writing our review, but that’s just the beginning. If a game has extra content like side quests or mini-games, we’ll decide whether to complete and review those based on how interesting they seem. How motivated we are by the story influences how much extra content we explore, but even simply collecting items can be important. A great game makes you want to spend more time in its world, and that positively impacts our review. However, if extra content feels unnecessary or just added to lengthen the game, it will lower our score.

Video games offer a lot of content these days, but it’s not always engaging or diverse enough to justify playing everything. While we enjoy fully completing a game when we have the time, that’s not always possible. You might ask why reviews are released so quickly – why not fully explore every game first? The main reason is there are simply too many games to play, and we’re eager to move on to the next one. More importantly, reviews are most valuable when they’re new. Interest peaks right after the embargo lifts and around the release date, and then quickly fades. This creates pressure during the review process, potentially highlighting flaws, causing frustration, and leading to a less enjoyable experience.

Step 5: Writing the Review

Writing reviews is simple when you have strong feelings about a game – whether you love it or hate it. It gets tricky when a game is just okay. Clearly explaining why a game is average, good, or amazing is a delicate balance. If you’re too enthusiastic, people will wonder why it didn’t get an even higher score. But if you’re too critical, any positive rating will seem unfair or biased.

It’s a challenge to introduce a new game to readers without simply writing a walkthrough. You need to explain how the game works, what the story is about, and what different ways there are to play, while also sharing your opinions on what’s good and bad. It’s impossible to cover every detail, but you also don’t want to leave out important information. The key is to be thorough without being overly long or losing your audience.

As a huge cinema fan, finishing a really long movie feels a bit like the last stretch of a marathon. You know how it’s going to end, but you still need to pay attention to really soak it all in. And after all that emotional investment and careful watching, it gets boiled down to just a single rating – it’s a little strange, honestly.

Step 6: Scoring the Review

As much as I’d prefer to just feel a movie and share my thoughts, review scores seem unavoidable these days. It’s incredibly subjective, you know? There’s no real way to say definitively what makes a film deserve a certain score. What really blows one person away might only be okay for another. Honestly, a movie I’d give a perfect 10 could lose a point because of something that wouldn’t even cross my mind!

Review scores matter because the gaming industry treats them as important. While we want people to read reviews and decide for themselves if a game is a good fit, it’s unrealistic to think everyone does that. Review scores are often seen as a measure of a game’s quality, instead of simply reflecting critics’ opinions. That said, sites that collect review scores, like OpenCritic, are useful because they quickly show whether critics generally liked or disliked a game. It’s important to also consider things like how many reviews a game has and which websites provided them, as well as what players think, but these sites offer a helpful overall picture.

Every review is shaped by the reviewer’s own preferences and experiences. We aim for reviewers who enjoy a game, but it’s important to find a balance – extreme enthusiasm can cloud judgment. With so many reviews available, different viewpoints are valuable. If you’re new to a genre, you need a review that understands that perspective. If all reviews are from dedicated fans, it’s hard to get an objective opinion. Conversely, a devoted fan might overlook flaws that would bother a more casual player.

Reviews are often quickly dismissed or distrusted, just as eagerly as they’re sought after. People tend to assume good reviews are bought and paid for, and bad reviews are motivated by spite. Despite this, reviews remain a vital part of our industry, and we hope this gives you a better understanding of how Game Rant creates them.

2025-11-22 13:08