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How we review games

Every game page on this site carries a review date. This page explains what that date actually means: the checks a game has to pass before it is listed, and the reasons we reject or remove one.

The checklist

1. It loads from a cold start. First visit, no cache: the game appears without an error screen or a blank frame.
2. It can actually be played. We start a game, lose a life, finish a level or score a point. A title that only shows a menu is not publishable.
3. The controls match what we tell you. If the page says arrow keys, arrow keys work. This is the single most common thing we correct before publishing.
4. It works on a small screen. We open it at phone width and check that the play area is still usable, or that the page says plainly that a keyboard is needed.
5. No personal data is requested. No sign-up, no email, no name entry. If a game asks for a name for a high-score table we say so on the page.
6. Nothing violent, sexual, or gambling-related. Cartoon bumping in a racing game is fine; blood, weapons aimed at people and casino mechanics are not.
7. No purchases. No in-game currency that costs money, no "watch this to continue" loops.
8. No external chat. Multiplayer is allowed only where the interaction is the game itself — not a chat room attached to it.
9. It does not trap the page. Closing fullscreen, leaving the tab and pressing back all behave normally.
10. It does not open pop-ups or new tabs from inside the frame.
11. It runs at a reasonable speed on an ordinary laptop and on a mid-range phone, not only on a fast desktop.
12. The licence allows us to host it. Open licence, public domain, or our own files.

What gets a game rejected

• It is a demo, a paywall, or a trailer for a game you have to buy elsewhere.
• It is a near-duplicate of something already in the collection with no advantage.
• It requires a plugin, an emulator, or a specific browser.
• It shows adverts of its own inside the play area.
• It asks for a login, an email address, or a phone number.
• It has broken controls on the platform most of our visitors use.

What the review date on a page means

The date is the last time a person opened that page, played the game, and confirmed that the notes on the page still match what happens on screen. It is not the date the game was made, and it is not the date the page was automatically touched. When a game stops working we either fix the page or remove the game.

Games we host from other authors

Many games here were made by other people and are hosted under their licence. We do not alter them. Where the author or licence is recorded in the game's own files, we show it; where it is not, we say nothing rather than guess. If you are an author and want a game removed or re-credited, see the editorial policy.

How often we re-check

Popular pages are re-checked most often, but every game page is revisited periodically. Broken games are the fastest thing we act on, because a dead game page is the clearest sign that a site has stopped being maintained — and maintenance is exactly what a parent or a reviewer should be able to see.

Tell us we got it wrong

If a game on this site is broken, unsuitable, or credited incorrectly, write to info@sblinknetwork.com with the page address. We answer, and we fix or remove.