Critical Spawn is Australia's independent voice in gaming journalism. We believe every score should be earned, every word should be honest, and every gamer deserves better than hype.
Founded in Melbourne in 2019, Critical Spawn was born out of frustration with paid reviews and publisher-influenced scores. We set out to build a platform where every game is evaluated on its own merits — no exceptions.
Our reviewers play every title to completion before writing a single word. We do not accept early access review copies under embargo conditions that restrict criticism. We do not take advertising from game publishers.
Today, Critical Spawn reaches over 85,000 monthly readers across Australia and New Zealand, and our tournament coverage has made us the go-to source for the ANZ esports community.
Every reviewer finishes the main campaign and explores significant side content before scoring.
Scores reflect gameplay, story, visuals, audio, and performance — weighted by genre expectations.
No publisher can influence our scores. Period. Our editorial team has final say on all content.
We revisit scores when major patches significantly change a game's quality — for better or worse.
Passionate gamers with deep genre expertise and a commitment to honest, thorough analysis.
10+ years covering open-world RPGs. Based in Sydney. Completed every FromSoftware title at least twice.
Former competitive FPS player turned critic. Covers shooters, action titles, and multiplayer games from Melbourne.
Covers the ANZ esports scene full-time. Attends every major tournament and provides live match analysis.
Strategy game specialist from Brisbane. If it has a tech tree or a supply chain, Sophie has mastered it.
Focuses on PC performance, graphics settings, and hardware compatibility. Perth-based hardware enthusiast.
Champion of independent games and narrative-driven experiences. Discovers hidden gems before anyone else.
We're always looking for passionate, knowledgeable writers to join our team. Send us your pitch via the contact page.