ABOUT BOUGHT & HELD
Paid games, kept honest.
We buy the game, keep the receipt, and tell you whether we would pay again.
The name
Bought, because every game here was paid for at full price on our own accounts. Held, because we kept playing after the honeymoon: three weeks minimum, long enough for a shop to show its hand or a subscription to renew. The review is what was left when we added the receipt up.
Why these twelve?
They cover the ways paid games ask for money: one payment and nothing else, one payment with expansions or passes, buy-to-play with an optional subscription, and a plain subscription. They also span the price range, from a $14.99 farm to a $69.99 hunt, so the price index means something.
What we do not cover
Free-to-play games, which ask a different question. Gambling products, casino apps and games built around loot boxes, which we do not review at all. Single-player-only games are covered only when they have a meaningful co-op mode, because the receipt for a shared game is different.
Opinions with visible limits
A verdict is our estimate after weeks of play on ordinary hardware. It does not know your taste, your machine or your friends. Read the reasoning, not just the number.
This edition
Autumn 2026, twelve games. Verdicts are re-checked each season and logged on the updates page. Corrections and suggestions go to desk@boughtandheld.com.