How we score

Every verdict is an editorial call made by Zach, not an average of other people's scores. The label carries the meaning; color only helps.

What each verdict means

• BUY: worth the money and the hours right now.
• WAIT FOR $X: good game, but it has been cheaper or should be. Wait for that price. If the price is already at or under $X, now is the time.
• PLAY ON [platform]: buy it, but on this platform.
• SKIP: your evenings deserve better.
• NO VERDICT YET: we haven't finished checking it, or it's this week's sponsor or launch partner (no verdict that week).

Which five make the Worth It 5

A fresh Worth It 5 every morning at 7:30 CT, plus the full issue every Friday.

A game has to pass every gate before it makes the list:

• Prices were checked on the date shown
• Strong reviews from major outlets, with a lower bar for family and co-op games. We link the reviews on the page.
• The sale has at least 24 hours left
• HowLongToBeat hours exist
• Not this week's sponsor or launch partner
• Base games only, no DLC

Then it's scored out of 100:

• Value per hour (price divided by main-story hours): up to 25
• Parent and family fit (co-op, ESRB rating, length): up to 25
• Deal vs historical low: up to 20
• Reviews: up to 20
• Buzz (signal only): up to 10

At least two picks are family or co-op, no more than two are rated M, and no more than three come from one store. Ties go to the lower price per hour. If fewer than five games pass, we publish fewer.

Where the numbers come from

Every verdict weighs price, play time, performance and how well a game fits a busy schedule. Hours come from HowLongToBeat, ratings from the ESRB and prices from the store itself. Every page shows its sources and when they were checked.

We don't use affiliate links right now. If that changes, we'll label them on the page. We link the best price we found when we checked. Affiliate links are never an input to the score.