How to Read Our Signal Score (and Why a 20 Isn't Always a Buy)

TL;DR — Signal measures momentum and traction, not quality. A high signal tells you a game is moving right now; it does not tell you the game is good, fair, or worth your money. Pair signal with the verdict, the rating count, and the red-flag list before you install anything.

What signal actually captures

Signal is a composite of the things that indicate a title is getting attention: chart movement, update cadence, rating velocity, and how recently it launched. A fresh game climbing the charts with a burst of new ratings will score high. A beloved evergreen that hasn’t moved in months will score low even if it’s excellent.

In other words: signal is a “what’s happening” number, not a “what’s good” number. Treat it like a trending indicator, not a review.

Why a 20 isn’t a green light

The maximum signal in our dataset shows up on titles that are, frankly, all over the map — some are genuinely great, and some are aggressive live-service machines buying their way up the charts. A 20 next to a casino or hyper-monetized match-3 title usually means “lots of money and marketing are pushing this right now,” which is the opposite of a recommendation for most players.

This is exactly why we don’t rank by signal alone. Signal answers “is this moving?” The verdict answers “should you care?”

The verdict layer

On top of signal we attach an editorial verdict to titles we’ve looked at closely:

Most titles carry no verdict at all, which simply means we haven’t editorialized them yet — not that they’re bad. When a verdict is present, it should outweigh the raw signal number every time.

How to actually use these numbers

  1. Start with the verdict. A build beats a high signal with no verdict.
  2. Check rating count, not just rating. A 4.9 from 40 ratings is noise; a 4.7 from 400,000 is a real signal.
  3. Read the red flags. We surface predatory-timer, ad-overload, and pay-to-progress patterns. One flag is a shrug; three is a skip.
  4. Use signal last — as a tiebreaker between two games you already like.