What Are The Different Types of Game Testing?

Game testing is a vital part of the game development process. It helps identify bugs, glitches, or technical defects that could affect the gaming experience. The process follows a user-centric approach, ensuring smooth gameplay and player satisfaction. As games grow in complexity, testing has evolved beyond traditional QA to include specialized techniques based on genre, platform, and mechanics.

Testing requirements can vary based on genre, engine, or platform. For instance, game testing platforms like consoles and PC game require different procedures due to hardware, OS, and controller variations.

There are many different types of game testing, broadly classified into two:

1. White Box Testing: Conducted by developers or QA engineers with access to internal code. This method tests logic, flow, and integration across components.

2. Black Box Testing: Testers assess game functionality without accessing the internal code. It ensures the game behaves as expected for users.

Functional Testing

Verifies that all features and gameplay elements operate as intended. It addresses bugs such as unresponsive buttons, misfires, or crashes, ensuring smooth and predictable game flow.For instance, if a button doesn’t respond or the game crashes, it’s flagged during game functional testing.

Combinatorial Testing

Tests input combinations to verify whether multiple game components interact without conflicts. Pairwise testing checks component interactions with minimal test cases.

Compatibility Testing

Compatibility testing is done to check if the game is compatible with various software and hardware devices. People play games on different devices and each device has different configurations and features. So, it is necessary to check if the game is compatible with multiple devices.

Additionally, game accessories like controllers, bluetooth headsets, etc., are connected to the game. It should be compatible with the game for it to work. Video cards, controllers, OS, and standards like USB should be checked for compatibility.

Compliance Testing

Assesses whether a game meets platform-specific guidelines from manufacturers like Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo. Failure can result in launch delays or rejection from digital storefronts.

Ad Hoc Testing

Ad hoc testing is done to check if there are any unexpected errors. It neither follows a checklist nor any test plan. The error-guessing technique is used to detect any bugs or errors in the game. This testing doesn’t follow any process, planning, or documentation. It is done randomly at any part of the game to test for any issues. Ad hoc testing helps to detect major bugs which are not able to be found in the prior testing.

Clean Room Testing

When the game is tested, sometimes unexpected errors will keep on occurring, even if you fix them. In those cases, clean room testing comes in handy.

This testing helps to understand the exact reason for the bug to arise or identify the location of the bugs. Thus, helping to fix the bug permanently. It is one of the essential game testing types, to prevent the same bugs from appearing time and again.

Load Testing

Simulates high traffic by having multiple users interact with the game simultaneously. It checks for crashes or performance drops under pressure.

Soar Testing

Each player is different and they have their own way of playing. Soar testing is to make sure that the game is playable under any circumstance. In this game testing, the game is left on or paused for two or three days to check the functioning of the game.

The tester plays the game leisurely and pauses the game for hours and resumes the game to check if the game functions properly. It is much like when the player leaves for a short break (for say lunch) and resumes the game again to play.

Play Testing

Evaluates fun and engagement. Testers play through levels and report where the game feels boring or repetitive, providing feedback to improve entertainment value.

Regression Testing

Performed after updates or patches to ensure that new changes haven’t reintroduced old bugs. It’s crucial for live updates and ongoing support.

Localization Testing

Video games are released worldwide. And the game developers need to make sure that it appeals to the audience worldwide and ensures a better user experience. Localization is the process where the game is released in other regions and it is optimized to the likes of the local user.

Localization testing mostly involves translation. We can see many popular games made in Japan and Korea are released in English. The games before release should undergo localization testing to make sure the translation is proper and understandable.

Some games like Zero Wing, Ghostbusters, and Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment, were trolled mercilessly for their poor English translation.

Usability Testing

Focuses on user-friendliness, how easily players can learn and navigate controls. It’s especially important for studios or a game design company targeting casual gamers. If you are playing the game, the main concern should be about beating the opponent and not about figuring out a way to use the control. In short, usability tests focus on providing a better user experience to the players.

Not every game needs every testing method. The ideal game testing strategy depends on several factors:

When in doubt, start with functional and usability testing, then expand to more specialized testing based on your platform and user base. Tailoring QA strategies to fit your game’s genre, goals, and release roadmap, ensuring you invest in the right testing, not just all testing.

Alpha Testing

The Alpha testing is done during the production process, where the game is tested to curb any possible errors or bugs at the earliest. Alpha testing is conducted during development to identify and resolve major issues early. Testers with technical expertise validate builds at every stage to ensure system integrity.

In this testing, the tester needs to have knowledge of the software and hardware, to fix the issues and make sure the same issue does not arise again. In alpha testing, most of the major bugs are fixed.

Beta Testing

Beta testing starts right after the completion of alpha testing. By now, the whole of the production will be completed and all the major bugs will be addressed. The beta testing makes sure that all the bugs are fixed before the game is released to the world.

The beta testing is divided into two:

Closed beta testing: In closed beta testing, the game is not open to the players and is available only to the developers and game testers to test. During this process, the game is polished and any possible bugs and defects will be fixed.

Open beta testing: In open beta testing, the game will be available for players. The external testers play the game and report any issues with the game. In some open-world massive multiplayer games, it becomes impossible to detect every issue. Stress testing is done at open beta testing with many players playing simultaneously to detect any crashes, bugs, or loading issues in the game.

For comprehensive and reliable game testing services, Juego Studios is a partner you can count on. With over a decade of experience across platforms and genres, we bring a structured yet adaptive approach to testing, covering everything from game functional testing to compatibility, localization, and regression. Our team is well-versed in handling projects for mobile, console, and PC, using a mix of manual and automated methods tailored to your game’s needs. Our QA experts ensure your game meets industry standards and player expectations. With Juego Studios, quality assurance becomes seamless, scalable, and strategically aligned with your game’s success.