How We Review Apps

Every APK covered on this site is tested on real phones before any download button goes up. There are no exceptions: if a game has not been installed and played on a physical Android device, its download button does not appear on Banned From Equestria.

Reviews are carried out on a fixed set of test phones: the Galaxy A55 (Android 15), Pixel 8 (Android 16), Redmi Note 13 Pro (Android 14), Infinix Note 40 Pro (Android 14), and Galaxy A13 (Android 12). Testing across these devices covers current and older Android versions, different performance levels, and the phones our readers actually use.

Each test starts with a clean install, followed by a permissions review to confirm the game only asks for access it genuinely needs. We then play through the opening sections on each device, checking performance and battery use, how the game handles saving and loading, and whether it runs smoothly in normal play.

Before a review is published, the APK also goes through a safety scan. When new versions land, the game is re-checked on the same devices and the review is updated, so the version information and guidance on this site stay current.