Priya Nandakumar
Editor-in-Chief
Ex-arcade tech turned RPG obsessive. Twelve years reviewing on deadline.
Fitzroy, Melbourne · Since 2016
Where every shift in the arena gets written down.
ArenaShiftJournal is an independent Australian gaming blog run out of a Johnston Street loft. We test the games, sit courtside at the LANs and file honest write-ups you can actually trust before you spend a cent.
- 1,240+
- reviews filed
- 9
- years courtside
- 68k
- monthly readers
Who we are
A newsroom that still finishes the campaign.
We started in 2016 above a record store on Brunswick Street, three mates arguing about frame pacing at 2am. ArenaShiftJournal grew into a full editorial desk covering the Australian scene the big international outlets keep skipping.
Every review runs a minimum of 20 played hours before a score goes live. No early-access half-takes, no publisher-supplied footage passed off as gameplay, no scores traded for ad spend. If it ships broken, we say so.
- 20-hour minimum before any score is published
- On-the-ground coverage at Melbourne and Sydney LANs
- Every affiliate link disclosed in plain English
How we work
From pitch to published, four honest steps.
- 01
Pitch & assign
A writer claims a title in our Monday stand-up. We flag conflicts of interest and log whether the copy was bought, gifted or supplied by a publisher.
- 02
Play it properly
Minimum 20 hours on retail hardware. We test on a base PS5, Series S and a mid-range PC so the score reflects what most Aussies actually own.
- 03
Draft & fact-check
Two editors read every piece. Claims about performance, price and content get cross-checked against capture footage before anything goes near the CMS.
- 04
Publish & revisit
The review goes live with a dated verdict. Major patches trigger a re-score, and we keep the original text visible so nothing quietly changes.
The desk
The people filing the copy.
Callum Reyes
Esports Lead
Courtside at every ANZ Champs since 2018. Counts frames, not favourites.
Mei-Ling Torres
Indie & Reviews
Champions local devs. Will play your 40-hour visual novel to the end.
Dylan O’Farrell
Hardware & Video
Solders his own capture rigs. Benchmarks controllers for fun.
What you get
Four desks, one journal.
Hover any card to see what the desk has been shipping lately.
The Review Vault
Scored deep-dives on every major console and PC release, with a running verdict that updates after big patches.
Latest: 47 full reviews filed this quarter, from AAA blockbusters to $6 itch.io gems.
The Esports Desk
Match reports, roster moves and tournament breakdowns for the Australian and New Zealand competitive scene.
Latest: full courtside coverage of the ANZ Champs finals weekend in Sydney.
Indie Radar
Weekly spotlights on Australian and Pacific studios you won’t find on the international front pages.
Latest: 12 Melbourne-made games profiled, three of them before their Steam launch.
The Hardware Bench
Hands-on tests of controllers, handhelds and monitors — priced in AUD, with local warranty notes.
Latest: 9 handhelds benchmarked head-to-head on the same 30-game battery loop.
Membership
Read free, or back the desk.
Every review stays free to read. Memberships keep us independent and ad-light.
Reader
The whole journal, no wall.
Free
- All reviews and articles
- Weekly email digest
- Comment on every post
- No account required
Most popular
Arcade
For the regulars.
$9/mo
- Everything in Reader
- Ad-free reading
- Members-only review notes
- Early access to big reviews
Legend
Back the whole desk.
$19/mo
- Everything in Arcade
- Monthly live Q&A with the team
- Vote on what we cover next
- Name in the credits
Get in touch
Pitch a story or say hello.
Tips, review requests, corrections or advertising questions — the desk reads everything. We reply within two business days.
- Phone+61 3 9427 8336
- Email[email protected]
- Studio58 Johnston Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
- Desk hoursMon–Fri, 10am–6pm AEST