Review Guidelines

You must have at least 5 hours of verified playtime on Steam or PSN before submitting an Initial Thoughts review. This is checked server-side in real time against your connected account. There is no way to bypass this requirement.

Full Reviews require a Platinum trophy (PSN) or 100% achievement completion (Steam). This is the highest tier of review on HoursIn and carries double weight in the scoring algorithm. If you've completed the game, your perspective is the most valuable on the platform.

You may submit one review per game. If you initially submitted an Initial Thoughts review and later earn a Platinum or 100%, you can upgrade your review to a Full Review. The original submission date is preserved.

Your HoursIn account must be at least 24 hours old before you can submit your first review. This prevents bot-driven review bombing on launch day for new releases.

Write what you actually think. A 4/10 from someone who finished the game is more valuable than a 10/10 from someone who played 20 minutes. We protect your ability to give low scores — no review will be removed simply because it is negative.

Generic reviews ('great game, 10/10') provide little value to readers. Mention specific mechanics, story beats, performance issues, or design decisions. The more specific your review, the more useful it is.

If your review contains story spoilers, you must toggle the spoiler warning before submitting. Reviews with unmarked spoilers will be hidden behind a spoiler gate by moderators. Repeat violations may result in review removal.

You may criticize a game's developers, design decisions, or business practices. You may not attack other reviewers, developers as individuals, or any group of people. Critique the work, not the person.

Organizing groups to submit negative or positive reviews for reasons unrelated to the game itself (e.g., political statements, developer controversies unrelated to the game's content) violates our guidelines. Reviews found to be part of a coordinated campaign will be removed.

Reviews written in exchange for payment, free copies, or other compensation must be disclosed. Undisclosed promotional reviews will be permanently removed and the account banned.

Reviews are removed for: coordinated review bombing, undisclosed promotional content, hate speech, doxxing, unmarked spoilers (after warning), or content that violates our Terms of Service.

Low scores. Negative opinions. Criticism of developers or publishers. Reviews that disagree with critical consensus. We will never remove a review simply because it is unpopular or because a developer requests it.

If your review was removed and you believe it was in error, you can appeal by contacting us at [email protected]. Include your username, the game title, and a brief explanation. We review all appeals within 72 hours.

First violation: review removed, warning issued. Second violation: 30-day review suspension. Third violation: permanent ban from submitting reviews. Account bans are reviewed case by case.