Kelsey Raynor

Kelsey Raynor is a games journalist who specialises in guides and service coverage for Eurogamer, with a particular focus on horror titles and the stranger edges of mainstream games. Their work sits where meticulous walkthroughs meet close reading of tone and theme, so players get both clear instructions and a sense of what makes a game worth lingering in. They write full-time on the guides side of the press, shaping coverage that stays useful long after launch.

Guides that explain systems, not just steps

Raynor’s core output is guides and evergreen service pieces that break complex systems into straightforward, repeatable steps for players.

Their coverage centres on the kinds of mechanics that can quietly block progress: where to find specific resources, how to optimise progression routes, or how to unlock late-game tools that the average player might never stumble on. In coverage of Witchspire, for example, they walk readers through how to acquire Fine Wood, turning a potentially frustrating search for a single crafting material into a short, readable plan.

The emphasis is on clarity and structure rather than flourish, with headings and sequences that can be skimmed mid-play, and enough context that a reader understands why they are doing something instead of just following an instruction chain.

That approach carries across their broader guides portfolio at Eurogamer and elsewhere, where they work on maintaining and updating evergreen lists as games evolve. They tend to frame guides around player goals - beating a certain boss, building a specific loadout, finding collectibles - and then backfill the necessary systems knowledge, so the information always feels anchored to an outcome rather than to patch notes. The tone stays practical and unhurried, which suits live games and long-tail single-player titles that players return to months or years later.

Horror and the queer, uncanny side of games

Raynor is known in the games press as a horror specialist, and that perspective colours both their guides and their features. They lean towards games that play with dread, unease, and the grotesque, whether in overt horror releases or in darker strands of mainstream action and role-playing games. That expertise shows in their contribution to Eurogamer’s Pride Week coverage, where they explore the surprising queerness of Elden Ring and draw out elements of identity, transformation, and ambiguity that sit beneath the surface of FromSoftware’s world.

The piece treats a major action RPG as a text that can be read sideways, not just beaten, and it sits comfortably alongside their more mechanical work by showing how closely they watch what games are doing beyond the HUD.

This horror-first lens also informs which aspects of a game they lift into guides coverage.

They pay attention to stories, sidequests, and spaces that speak to horror traditions - cursed items, unsettling NPCs, and areas that reward players who like being unnerved as much as rewarded. Even in straightforward how-tos, there is often a line or two that nods to mood and atmosphere, making the guide feel tuned to the game’s character rather than interchangeable with coverage of any other title.

Evergreen service coverage across the games press

Alongside their work at Eurogamer, Raynor has spent years writing for other games and entertainment outlets, building a portfolio that ranges from short, focused tips pieces to longer-form lists and features. Much of that work sits in the same service lane: maintaining guides hubs, curating evergreen lists, and refreshing coverage around new updates so it remains accurate and discoverable.

They move comfortably between platforms and genres, covering console and PC releases, big franchises and smaller cult titles, and treating each with the same baseline of clear explanation.

Across these roles, the through-line is consistency: Raynor writes with the assumption that a reader might arrive stressed, stuck, or halfway through a lunch break, and structures information so it can be used in seconds. Their horror background and interest in queer readings give their bylines a distinct flavour, but the work is anchored in reliability - guides that can be trusted, features that take games seriously without taking the fun out of them.

It is a combination that makes them a specialist in the mechanics and cultures of contemporary games, with a particular strength in helping players navigate the darker, weirder corners of the medium.