--- title: "How we score adult games." description: "Our six editorial scores, the research behind them, and what they can and cannot tell you." language: en canonical: https://bestadultgames.io/en/methodology --- # How we score adult games. Our six editorial scores, the research behind them, and what they can and cannot tell you. ## Six scores, one Overall Erotic (25%) judges the adult fantasy, sensuality, intimacy, scene variety and payoff. Story (20%) judges writing, coherence, pacing and closure within the rated edition. Gameplay (15%) judges choices, systems, interaction, challenge and friction. Visuals (15%) judges art, staging, animation, readability and consistency. Characters (15%) judges personality, individuality, development and chemistry. Replayability (10%) judges meaningful branches, system variety, unlocks and the ease of revisiting them. Each category receives an integer from zero to 100. Overall is their weighted sum, rounded to a whole number. For example, Erotic 96, Story 89, Gameplay 84, Visuals 94, Characters 95 and Replayability 78 produce Overall 91. A game with no authored narrative receives Story 0. The same six weights apply to every assessed game; pending assessments stay unscored. ## What earns a higher score More explicit sex does not automatically earn a higher Erotic score. Character, mood, dialogue, presentation and interaction make an encounter distinctive. A large gallery can feel repetitive, while a smaller collection can deliver convincing intimacy and romantic closure. Repeated chores, thin routes and rewards that barely change count against the experience. Visuals measures what the game shows; we discuss audio in the review. Characters rewards personality and relationships, with no automatic bonus for boobs or a bigger roster. Replayability rewards meaningful reasons to return, rather than raw length or promised updates. Gameplay reflects the interaction a game offers: a visual novel can score well through consequential choices and route design. Price, paid extras, completeness and access also shape the written verdict. ## Where the evidence comes from Our scores are editorial opinions based on public research: developer and store material, substantial criticism and player accounts. We do not play the games ourselves, and the scores do not represent a consensus among critics. We judge all six categories after research and editing, including where sources disagree. Prices, features, editions and scene counts change and need verification; each review shows when its sources were last checked. For new reviews, we check Steam and LewdGamer, then relevant accessible sources such as DLsite, other stores, communities and independent critics. We compare substantial positive and negative accounts and the editions they discuss. A blocked page, an unsuccessful search or a search snippet does not count as a source read. Outside opinions inform our judgment; their ratings are not averaged into our scores. Each review also shows an evidence rating. High means the edition, its content and its reception are well documented by several independent sources. Medium means the main points are well supported but some details, such as exact scene counts or current behaviour of optional content, could not be confirmed. Games stay unscored until a full assessment is complete, and significant updates can prompt a new review. ## Rankings Overall and genre rankings use the same weights and include assessed games in our catalog. Readers can also sort by any of the six category scores. Each review identifies its edition and stopping point. A released season, a complete romance and an active character-collection service make different promises; the scores apply to the experience being assessed. ## Stores, scores and money Steam recommendation percentages and other external ratings keep their own meaning and scale. The share of players who recommend a game answers a different question from a quality score out of 100. Store ratings and our editorial assessments remain separate. No payment, sponsorship or affiliate relationship influences a score or a ranking position. The site currently has none.