Installing an app takes a few seconds, which is exactly why so many of them are chosen badly. A screenshot looks good, the icon is bright, the download starts, and ten minutes later the thing is either sitting unused on a second home screen or asking for money before it has shown what it does. A slower first minute usually saves the next hour.
Read the description as if it were a contract
Descriptions are written to persuade, but they still reveal a lot. Look for what the app actually does versus what it says it enables. Check whether the core function is available without a subscription, what happens to your files or progress if you stop paying, and whether the listing explains its update history or simply lists adjectives. Vagueness is information too.
Requirements deserve the same attention. Operating system version, storage, memory and network expectations are usually stated plainly, and ignoring them is the most common reason a well-reviewed app runs badly on a particular device. A title that needs a recent phone will not become lighter because the reviews are positive.
Try before you commit
Where a free tier, trial or demo mode exists, use it before spending anything. Ten minutes of actual use answers questions that no review can: whether the interface suits you, whether the pace is right, whether you will open it again next week. Independent guide pages help here as well, and a reference page for a game such as Duck Hunters 2 is a reasonable example of the format, describing how a title is structured before you decide whether it interests you.
That category is worth naming, because it is where trying first matters most. Games with unpredictable outcomes cannot be judged from a short session at all, so a free mode is best used to understand mechanics and personal taste, not to estimate results.
18+ where gambling content is involved. Such games are entertainment with real risk rather than a source of income, and BeGambleAware and GamCare provide free, confidential support.