Video game review sites have been one of the market-leading innovations in the world of online gaming. During the home video console gaming boom of the 1990s, many reviewers worked for in-print magazines, where gamers would purchase weekly or monthly installments to stay informed about the latest news in the sector.However, as is the case with all legacy media and content, there was a sharp shift from paper-based magazines to online platforms in the early part of the 21st century. It’s a trend that continued to gather strength as more people adopted the internet into their daily lives. As a result, it became cheaper to seek out reviews this way, and smartphones and apps made them integral to the future growth of game development.
You only need to take a look at video game review sites in the modern market to see how they offer a wide, all-encompassing range of options. But as more people move toward quickfire social media clips, VR and generative AI to get more of their gaming news, what does the future hold for sites that specialize in reviewing video games?
Grabbing consumer attention
Customer demand is the driving force behind any significant change in the gaming industry. Video game review sites that have transitioned from print to subscription websites and social media are all too aware of the challenges they face in a competitive market that is becoming increasingly reliant on the 24/7 nature of the digital universe.
Ultimately, just like so many other industries, gaming reviews have to be able to do three crucial things for their audience:
- Offer a more competitive market price compared to the competition.
- Not compromise on quality, while also reducing costs.
- Become 24/7 news bulletin boards – and the first to cover the latest big-name games.
It may seem relatively easy and reductive to boil it down to these three points, and while this approach creates a multitude of challenges for video game review websites, it ultimately comes down to this. With this in mind, let’s see what some of the future changes could look like in this area of the video gaming industry.
Social media dominance
2025 marked the first year that statistics showed social media had become the primary news source for people in the US. Honestly, I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner, but now that it has, it acts as a cornerstone for where we see media heading. Within this broad definition of the word media, video game review sites are navigating a world where the power and presence of social media are becoming increasingly ubiquitous.
We can combine this with the fact that many different elements of our world are becoming digital, including the rise of remote workers, and financial companies now entirely focusing on fintech, such as Apple Pay and Venmo.
So, does this mean that video game reviews will become more focused on social media sites? It appears as though this will be the case. There’s a growing trend of creative Gen Z marketers putting all of their eggs into the social media basket, and with quickfire, to the point reviews often garnering huge attention on sites like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, this is a trend that is likely to bleed into video gaming reviews between now and the end of this decade.
Will AI take over?
Generative AI continues to grab the majority of tech headlines, and with its capabilities now stretching into areas such as breaking down complex video clips and creating long, free-form versions of content, could AI become the new norm for video gaming review sites?
Some believe that if AI continues to grow at the rate it has since the end of 2022, especially if it becomes increasingly adept at analyzing videos and reviewing the information it finds, it will have a significant impact. Then there’s the potential for AI reviewers to take jobs from human reviewers who have spent years refining their craft and understanding the nuances of video gaming.
At the moment, despite the advances of AI, it’s a stretch to think that it will be able to review video games with any sort of uniqueness and skill. Perhaps a decade from now, we might see it being used as a tool to assist reviewers. Still, unless there’s a significant surge in its advancement, AI will play a small but essential role on video gaming review sites, rather than reshaping the industry. For now, at least.
Final say
Video game review sites may not be at the forefront of the market, nor do they serve as a catalyst for significant change in the gaming industry; however, they are important, especially for gamers who prefer to conduct research before investing their hard-earned money in a new game.
Ultimately, because social media has such a significant influence on public perception, this is where the future of video game reviews will lie. Those prominent video gaming review sites, which already handle the most traffic, have started using their social media channels as a portal to direct people to their more in-depth reviews. Many have also begun to utilize social media influencers to review their games.
Again, it can depend on the gaming genre and the audience it’s targeting. Still, as long as video game review sites remain open to change and can adapt to consumer demand, they will continue to hold an essential place in the market, whether it is two years or two decades from now.
