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How to Compare Video Game Reviews When Scores Use Different Scales

Different outlets can use the same-looking score to mean different things. Here’s how to compare scales, aggregates and review context without mistaking conversion for equivalence.
Length4 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To compare game review scores fairly, first identify what each outlet’s scale means, then check how any converted or aggregate score is calculated. A conversion such as 4 out of 5 to 80 out of 100 makes the numbers easier to read side by side; it does not make the reviews equivalent. Compare the same game edition and platform where possible, and read the critics’ reasons to decide whether their priorities match yours.

What a review score does—and does not—tell you

A review score is an outlet’s editorial judgment, not an objective measurement of a game’s quality. A number only makes sense in the context of the publication’s scale, language and scoring habits.

For example, IGN’s review policy says its scores translate descriptions on its own scale: “scores aren’t math – they are code, with each number corresponding to a description on our scale.” IGN also says a score is not built by adding or subtracting points for individual qualities. The number summarizes the critic’s opinion; the review’s discussion explains it.

Start with the original scale

Before comparing numbers, note what each outlet originally published: a score out of 10 or 100, stars, a letter grade, a recommendation, or a descriptive verdict. Look for the outlet’s own explanation of its scale and the verbal descriptions attached to its scores. An 8/10 at one publication need not mean the same thing as an 8/10 at another.

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Scale guidance is outlet-specific. Metacritic Support says that, among the game publications it uses, scores below 50 generally indicate a negative review, while scores in the upper 70s or higher usually indicate an unequivocally good review. Those are Metacritic’s descriptions of its contributing publications—not universal cutoffs for every reviewer or site.

Separate number conversion from score equivalence

A linear conversion can put scores on a shared display scale. For instance, multiplying 4/5 by 20 gives 80/100. That arithmetic translates the value proportionally; it does not show that the five-star outlet uses its highest ratings as strictly or generously as the 100-point outlet does.

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Metacritic says it converts critics’ game scores to a 0–100 scale, but a common display scale does not erase differences in what contributing outlets mean by their scores. When you make your own comparison, label a converted number as a translation, not evidence that two reviews used identical standards.

Check how an aggregate score is made

An aggregator’s result may involve more than converting scores. Metacritic describes its game Metascore as a weighted average and says it gives different weights to publications. Its support explanation does not provide the individual weights, so a reader should not assume that the result can be reproduced by taking a plain mean of the visible scores. Metacritic also distinguishes its treatment of game scores from normalization used for film and music; do not assume its game Metascores are curve-normalized in the same way.

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Other sites may use different methods. VideoGamesCritic’s published methodology describes normalizing an outlet against its own scoring history before mapping scores to player-quality distributions. That is one site’s method, not an industry standard or proof that one aggregator is universally fairest.

When assessing any aggregate, check these details if the site publishes them:

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  • Conversion: Is the original score mapped linearly, matched to a grade or verdict, or handled another way?
  • Aggregation: Is the result a weighted mean, simple mean, recommendation share, or combination of separate measures?
  • Coverage: Which publications and reviews count? Is the review count shown, and are unscored opinions included?
  • Transparency: Can you inspect the underlying reviews and the site’s explanation of its method?
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Match platform, edition and timing

When possible, compare reviews of the same edition on the same platform. A review of a PC version does not automatically describe its console port, and different reviews may cover different patches or release periods. Note the review date and version information where available; treat a cross-platform comparison as less direct if those details differ or are missing.

Also check whether a publication’s scoring policy changed. IGN says it moved to a 10-point scale for games in January 2020 and left scores in its back catalogue intact. A comparison involving older IGN reviews may therefore span different policy periods; check the applicable scale rather than assuming every score was issued under the current approach.

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Read the reasons, then decide whether they fit you

Use the score to locate a review, not to replace it. Look for the specific reasons behind the critic’s judgment: performance, accessibility, genre conventions, story, monetization, difficulty or multiplayer, depending on what matters for the game and for you. IGN says its review should give readers information to decide whether a game is worth their time and money.

An aggregate summarizes a pattern in selected reviews according to that site’s method. Your own question is different: whether the game’s strengths, drawbacks and design priorities suit you. A critic or aggregate can inform that judgment, but cannot decide personal fit for you.

A practical comparison checklist

  1. Record the original score and scale. Include the outlet, format and any verbal anchor the publication provides.
  2. Check the outlet’s policy. Look for scale definitions and whether the scoring system changed around the review date.
  3. Translate cautiously. If you convert a score for easier comparison, keep the original visible and mark the result as a numerical translation.
  4. Inspect the aggregator’s method. Identify its conversion, weighting or other aggregation approach, review coverage and any limits on what it discloses.
  5. Match context. Compare the same game edition and platform where possible, and note dates, patches or version differences.
  6. Read for fit. Decide whether the review’s stated reasons matter to your own tastes and circumstances.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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