Right now, the PlayStation Store has a simple rating system which allows players to score games listed digitally on the store out of five stars, but it looks like PlayStation may be testing an even deeper system which would enable users to create written reviews of games to be posted to the storefront, much like what you’d see on Steam.
The discovery was sparked by reddit user “cusman78” who posted a screenshot on the PlayStation subreddit of the review menu, which they’d been able to access, asking if others knew when this had become a thing.
From what we can tell by the ensuing chatter on message boards among those who’ve had access, it seems the feature is only available to select users who’ve received an email explicitly asking them to review a game that they’ve tracked time on with their account. Going to a game’s page from the console or a regular browser does not yet offer the option to submit a review, nor does it allow you to read reviews already left, unless you’ve come to the page from one of the invite links. For those that can access it, right now it’s only for digitally-purchased games and can only be done via a web browser.
Images: @cusman78
Given that the feature seems to still be in testing, it’s hard to say when we might see this roll out in full – or if it does at all. User reviews can be a great way to gauge the overall sentiment toward a game outside of professional, critical reviews but it also opens the doors for malicious activity and “review bombing” practices. Emailing specific users who’ve put a reasonable amount of time into a title and inviting them to review it isn’t without its own issues, but could be a workable solution, so perhaps that’s the endgame here.
As soon as I get an email asking me to review Balatro on the PlayStation Store, we’ll know the 200 hours I’ve put into that have amounted to something, I suppose.
