Method

How we review browser games

Last updated: September 1, 2026

Every score on TabRank comes out of the same process. Here it is, step by step, so you can decide how much to trust the number.

1

Pick candidates

We track publisher releases, community forums and reader suggestions. A game is a candidate if it runs free in a browser without a required download and contains no real-money gambling.

2

Play, properly

Two reviewers play independently for at least 20 hours each, spread over three to six weeks. That covers the tutorial, the mid game, at least one live event and, where it exists, the start of endgame.

  • Fresh accounts, no press perks, no publisher-provided currency
  • Notes taken during sessions, not reconstructed later
  • Shop opened and priced, but nothing bought for the review
3

Score on four criteria

Each reviewer rates Gameplay, Depth, Fairness and Polish from 1 to 10. Scores are compared. If any criterion differs by more than two points, the reviewers discuss until they can explain the gap; the published score is the average.

  • Gameplay 35% · Depth 25% · Fairness 25% · Polish 15%
  • Overall score rounded to one decimal
  • Anything below 7.0 is not listed
4

Re-check

Browser games change constantly. After every major update, and at least every six months, one reviewer returns for a shorter session and confirms or adjusts the score. The "Reviewed" date on each card shows when that last happened.

What each criterion means

  • Gameplay (35%). The moment-to-moment experience. Do decisions matter? Is there feedback? Would you play it without any reward loop at all?
  • Depth (25%). Whether the game keeps opening up: new systems, real economy, tactics, builds, social structures. A game with one loop repeated forever scores low here even if the loop is good.
  • Fairness (25%). How far a free account gets, and what money actually buys. Convenience and cosmetics are fine. Power that free players cannot reach, or timers designed to be paid away, are not.
  • Polish (15%). Frame rate in a tab, load times, readability, art direction, bugs, and how much the interface nags you.

Independence

Publishers cannot buy a score, a position, or a review. We do not accept keys, currency or early access. Affiliate links are added after scoring is complete, by someone who is not one of the two reviewers for that game, and reviewers are not told which games have affiliate agreements.

Mistakes

We make them. If a score looks wrong to you, or a game has changed since we last looked, tell us and we will replay it.

Disagree with a score?