How we test
We play every game on PC, online from the UK, with a pad and with an all-button controller. Each review covers at least the tutorial, the main single-player mode, arcade runs, training, and ranked and casual matches across several evenings. We try the simplified controls where a game has them.
The four rounds
Every game is scored out of ten in four rounds:
- First night. How well it teaches a new player alone: tutorials, beginner controls, story and arcade.
- Online. The netcode (rollback or delay-based), crossplay, how quickly matches are found from the UK, lobbies and replays.
- Depth. The systems, the cast and how long the game keeps rewarding practice.
- The bill. What the full cast costs at usual Steam UK prices against what it gives you. A game with free fighters scores well here; one with an expensive pass every year scores lower.
The verdict
The big number is our overall verdict, not an average of the rounds. A game can lose a round badly and still score well if it is the best at what it sets out to do; SoulCalibur VI's online round is a good example. We rate the game as it is on the day we check it, and we update a review when a patch or a new pass changes the picture.
Prices
We read prices from Steam UK in pounds and print the date. "Today" means the price on that date, including any sale; "usual" means the price outside a sale. The full-cast price adds every pass and single fighter on sale, and leaves out outfits and soundtracks.
What we do not review
We leave out games that sell random rewards for money, and games with minigames where you risk in-game currency on chance. We check a game's store, its PEGI and ESRB labels and its patch notes before it goes on the card.
This page was last reviewed on 4 November 2026.