Apart from a few older titles, every game I place on this list is something I’ve played for the very first time live on stream. My opinions are completely my own and this list will be subjective. Whether a game is an indie title or a big-budget game, its popularity doesn’t affect its place on my list. What matters is how it feels to me while I’m actually playing it.
To keep things fair and consistent, I rate each game across four main categories, with a few extra factors that I also keep in mind during the process.
1. Gameplay
Gameplay is obviously the most important part. It’s what separates something that’s simply interesting from something that’s genuinely fun to play When it comes to gameplay, I focus on how the game actually feels to play. Do the controls make sense? Does the game explain things clearly, or am I left fumbling around trying to figure out how anything works? A well-designed game should teach you how to play it naturally and not require you to Google five minutes in just to learn how anything works.
I also pay attention to how engaging the gameplay is. Does it stay fresh and rewarding, or does it quickly become repetitive? Some games have incredible ideas that get bogged down by endless grinding. Others manage to stay entertaining even with simple mechanics because they just feel good to play.
At the end of the day, if the game doesn’t play well, if it’s confusing or frustrating for the wrong reasons then it’s not going to be at the top of my list, no matter how impressive everything else might be.
2. Visuals
Visuals are more than just the game looking pretty, they’re about art direction, consistency, and atmosphere. A game doesn’t need super realistic graphics to look good. What matters most is whether it succeeds in what it’s trying to be. If a game is going for a pixel-art style, I won’t compare it to a massive AAA title like Cyberpunk 2077. Instead, I judge whether it pulls off that pixel aesthetic well, if it stays consistent and builds a world that feels alive within that visual framework.
The best visuals are the ones that support immersion. They draw you into the experience and help get you lost into the game. Lighting, animation, camera work, and even UI design all play a part. If the visuals match the tone of the world and reinforce the game’s identity, that’s a win in my book.
3. Story / World
Not every game needs a deep story, but when a story is there, it should have a purpose. I want to feel something. curiosity, excitement, dread, empathy… something that connects me to the world I’m exploring. This category is about how well the story, characters, and world blend together to create immersion. A good story doesn’t just tell you what’s happening; it hooks you into it. The characters should feel memorable, the world should feel lived-in, and the lore should make me want to dig deeper rather than zone out.
Even games without much dialogue or exposition can build incredible worlds through atmosphere, visuals, and sound design. An environment filled with small details can do more for storytelling than pages of text ever could. So when I rate a game here, I’m looking at how cohesive and engaging its world feels. Whether it’s something I’ll remember long after I finish, or if it’s just another generic setting / story I’ll forget after I’m done.
4. Enjoyment
This is what matters the most to me out of anything else. This is my most subjective part, it’s the thing that for me, ties the whole experience together. A game might look amazing, sound amazing, and make sense as I play it, but its just not fun, it’s not making it high on the list. Conversely, a weird, unique indie game can completely win me over simply because it made me laugh, got me invested, or made me feel something.
Enjoyment is all about emotional connection. Did the game make me want to keep playing? Was I genuinely excited to see what would happen next? Did I come away from the experience feeling satisfied, surprised, or inspired? These are what matter the most to me and they weigh heavily in my overall rating.
A game doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be fun.
5. Other
While the four main categories shape the majority of a game’s final ranking, there are a few smaller but important things I also keep in mind:
- Hook Factor: Did it grab my attention early on, or was I only focused after the halfway point?
- Immersion: Did it pull me into its world.
- Pacing: Did it maintain a good rhythm, or drag out its content unnecessarily?
- Purpose: Did it deliver on what it set out to do? For example, if it’s a horror game, was it actually scary? If it’s a mystery, did it challenge me?
- Replayability: Would I ever come back to play it again off-stream, or recommend it to someone else?
These factors don’t always make or break a game on their own, but they help round out my overall impression when I’m deciding where it belongs.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, these ratings are based on my personal experience. I go into each game with an open mind and no expectations. I don’t aim to be objective, I just want to have fun playing video games and sharing my personal opinions. If a game’s great, I’ll give it the praise it deserves. If it’s bad then I’ll make sure you know all about why I didn’t enjoy it.
Either way, every game I play gets its spot based on what it gave me in the moment, the excitement, frustration, laughter, and everything in between.