Testing at the wrong hours

The test here is unusual, and it is the whole reason this site exists: we play these games when nobody is supposed to be playing them.

Logging in at the bad hours

Every game gets a month of sessions scattered across the clock, with a deliberate emphasis on the small hours. We count what is visible - open matches, chat activity, players moving on the map - rather than trusting published numbers.

We also take deliberate breaks of several days, because an irregular schedule means missed days and we need to know what they cost.

What gets written down

Four things: when the game is genuinely busy, what a missed week does to you, whether it is playable while exhausted, and whether a short visit is worth making at all.

• There is something to do at any hour.
• Missing days costs time, not progress.
• The best content is not locked to fixed hours.
• It can be played badly, while tired, without disaster.

What removes a game

Dead servers outside peak hours. Content that only runs at one scheduled time. Penalties for absence. Interfaces that need full concentration. Any of those and the entry goes.