I choose the order of completing routes according to the call of my heart
Since I'm not afraid of ruining the narrative, I always go from best to worst
I usually play in the intended order, but when there's no specific route order to follow, I choose the character I like the most (normally the childhood friend/best friend) because friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes
It depends on the reviews and the guide; if there are good reviews, then I start with the recommended route, if not, I start with the route I like best.
I started playing the character lines that I was interested in, and then slowly played other routes. Generally, if there are hidden routes in the game, it will attract me more!
If it is a game that I am very interested in and enjoy, I will complete all the characters!Even playing it repeatedly several times
I always play the route I think I'll be the most intrigued by or any that were recommended to me. Starting from the worst sounds nice and I wish I could do that but unless a game I play heavily needs the use of a guide (for me), then I'll try to gather my own thoughts while playing with no prior knowledge.
At the beginning, I usually choose the route of a character I like or am interested in. But if I fail (for example:keep getting bad endings, or the character is locked), then I will lookup the guide and continue playing in the order it recommends.
I usually start with the route of the character I liked the most from the common route. Once I finish that character's route, I proceed by referring to a guide.