Playtest

A playtest is the process by which a company tests a new gaming product for bugs and needed improvements before bringing it to market. Playtests can be run "open," "closed," "beta," or otherwise.

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Playtests are very common with computer games, board games and table top role-playing games, where they have become an established part of the quality control process.

Related Topics:
Computer game - Board games - Role-playing game - Quality control

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An open playtest could be considered open to anyone who wishes to join, or it may refer to a company's recruiting testers from outside. Closed is an internal testing process not available to the public. Beta testing normally refers to the final stages of testing just prior to going to market with a product and is usually run semi-open with a limited form of the game in order to find any last-minute problems.

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