Affiliate disclosure
How the download buttons on this site work, who pays us, and what that does and doesn't change.
Do we earn money from the links on this site?
Yes. Some links are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission when you use them. Every page that carries one says so in the strip at the top of the page.
You pay nothing extra. Every game we link to is free to download.
Which links are affiliate links?
The download buttons for a game are affiliate links. They go through an address on our
own site that starts with /go/, then on to the game’s official download page.
Ordinary links in the text, such as links to developer sites, patch notes or store pages we cite as sources, are not affiliate links.
When do we get paid?
Usually when someone installs a game on a PC after clicking one of our buttons. Some offers pay when a new player registers or reaches an early milestone in the game instead.
The payment comes from the game’s publisher, through an affiliate network. We never see your payment details, and we’re not paid for anything you buy inside a game.
Does this affect our reviews?
No. Publishers and networks don’t see pages before they go live, and they can’t change a score or a ranking. Our editorial charter sets out the rules.
Are there games we don’t link to?
Yes. Some games we cover have no download button, because we have no arrangement for them. Their pages are written the same way as any other.
What happens after you click?
When you click a download button, we record a small amount of information about the click. That’s the game, the page you clicked from, your country and whether you’re on a phone. We don’t record your IP address or set a cookie to do this.
The game’s publisher and the affiliate network may set their own cookies once you arrive on their site. Their privacy policies apply from that point. Our privacy policy has the details.