[1] The book's advertising campaign, led by Cathy Campos, was recognized in PR Week.

[2] Multiple journalists praised the book's treatment of European game history, which had been neglected in previous works,[3][4] and criticized its organizational structure.

[3] At the time of its release, Chris Baker of Wired wrote that Replay was the most thorough and comprehensive history of the subject.

[4] Colin Moriarty of IGN noted the book's generalist position in relation to other game histories, as of 2014.

He added that Donovan's thoroughness made for an interesting story about the industry's humble origins.