How we test touch controls

People ask how we land on a number for each game, and honestly a lot of it comes down to controls. A brilliant game with awful touch input is a frustrating game, and no story or art can fully rescue it.

First we play with default controls, because that's what most people will do. If the layout fights us, we note it. Then we dig into the settings to see whether the game lets you fix things — resize buttons, move them, or swap schemes.

We also test with sweaty thumbs and a cracked-screen phone, not just the flagship. A game should feel decent on average hardware, not only on the device the trailer was shot on.

Finally we come back the next day. First impressions lie. A control scheme that felt clumsy on day one sometimes becomes second nature, and one that felt fine can start to grate. The rating reflects the whole week, not the first hour.