The App Store rating system is a great way to know which are the top games you can play on your devices. The 1 to 5 App Store rating system, be it on the Google Play Store or the Apple Store, is completely unreliable while you search for games to play. Sometimes after some digging through written reviews for 30 minutes, you can get an idea of how good a game will be, but it is just as likely you will still be left with a game’s rating. This numerical App Store rating system, however, is deemed a subpar measure for assessing a game’s true worth sometimes, and five key reasons contribute to this perception.
Reasons why shouldn’t blindly trust the App Store rating system
1. Fake Reviews
Game developers have a vested interest in their game getting good reviews. So much so that they pay for or otherwise incentivize reviewers to leave them positive reviews just like other products sold online. These reviews are easy to spot because they are scripted and are obviously hitting specific word choices provided by the game developer.
2. Overly Dramatic Raters
A 1-star review such as this “The server went down for an hour today. Fix your horrible game” is all too common on mobile games in the app store. People experience one small problem and give the game the lowest possible score. These reviews can make an otherwise great game have an undeserved low rating.
3. Premature Reviews
How much should someone play a game before leaving a review? A day? A week? Well, some reviewers leave a review before even playing it. Many games will prompt you to review the game after only a few minutes of play. You have to experience what a game has to offer before reviewing it and many reviewers do not wait long enough.
4. Old Reviews
I personally find too many old reviews, which is also a negative. There are many games that evolve rapidly, with updates, patches, and expansions often transforming a game over time. Relying on such dated reviews may not accurately reflect the current state of a game, which does not consider improvements or changes made by developers post-launch.
5. Individual Preferences
Finally, coming to the common reason why many games that are good do not receive healthy ratings. User ratings are highly subjective and may not align with individual preferences. A game that appeals to a particular audience might receive lower ratings from those with different tastes, leading to a skewed overall score, and there are plenty of examples backing it.
Final Thoughts
Coming to a conclusion, I feel dealing with app store ratings can be tricky. There are various reasons a game might not get a fair score. In my experience, it’s sometimes hard to tell if a game is actually good from just the rating. You will have to try the game first and then decide if it is to your liking or not. Believe me, I have had many experiences where the app store ratings were bad but the game turned out good. How about you? What’s your take on the app store ratings? Feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments!
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