Why QA Testing is the Backbone of Game Development Success

Picture this: you’re playing a game with jaw-dropping mechanics, an awesome storyline, and unforgettable characters, but there’s a catch. It’s riddled with bugs, glitches, and constant crashes. Would you stick with it? Probably not, right?

No matter how great a game is in theory, if it’s full of technical issues, players will abandon it quickly. With so many gaming options available at a tap, a strong quality assurance (QA) strategy is essential for creating a game that not only works but keeps players engaged.

Let’s understand what makes QA testing crucial in game development and why it’s much more than just ‘squashing’ bugs.

QA is Not a Final Step - It’s Your Secret Weapon

QA shouldn’t be the last-minute checklist before a game’s release, but an integral part of the entire development process. By involving QA from the earliest stages, you can catch and fix issues before they turn into significant challenges, saving time and resources down the road. Addressing bugs early makes the development process smoother and ensures fewer last-minute fixes before the game goes live.

A regular, continuous testing practice also ensures that each update or change to the game receives the attention it deserves.

Play It Before You Release It

One of the best ways to ensure quality is by having the whole team experience the game before it goes live. This allows different perspectives - from developers to designers - to be involved, offering fresh insights and detecting issues that might have been overlooked. While not everyone needs to become a tester, cross-team feedback fosters a ‘quality-first’ approach to development.

Don’t forget to involve your player community. Engaging them in early access or beta versions offers valuable insights, helping you refine the game further based on real player feedback.

Automated vs. Manual Testing and Why You Need Both

When it comes to testing, you need a balance of automated and manual approaches. Automated testing works best for repetitive tasks, like regression testing across platforms or versions. It can quickly identify bugs in large-scale games or when there are multiple variables to consider. On the other hand, manual testing brings a human element that’s essential for assessing gameplay from a player's perspective. This helps identify quirks or issues that automated systems might miss.

In other words, automated tests might catch performance issues, while manual testing can catch gameplay nuances or unexpected bugs.

Key QA Testing Approaches

When it comes to delivering a game that works smoothly and gives players a great experience, different types of QA testing come into play to make sure everything runs the way it should.

Unit testing is all about breaking the game down into smaller pieces, like individual mechanics or parts of the user interface, and making sure each one works on its own. This is especially useful early on in development because it helps catch problems right away, rather than letting them snowball into bigger issues. Automating these tests makes the process faster and more consistent, allowing developers to fix issues quickly before moving on. By doing this, you end up with a much more stable game foundation, making it easier to add new features later without causing unexpected problems.

Next, integration testing looks at how different parts of the game work together. Even if every single part works perfectly on its own, things can go wrong when they start interacting. For example, a character’s movement mechanics might work fine, but when you add animations or a new gameplay feature, bugs can pop up. Testing how systems connect and interact helps catch these issues early so that the game remains smooth as it evolves. This type of testing is especially important for more complex games, like multiplayer titles where syncing and interactions between players need to work seamlessly.

Regression testing is your safety net when it comes to updates. Every time you add a new feature or fix a bug, there’s always a chance that something else could break. Regression testing is done to make sure that any changes or updates don’t mess with the existing parts of the game. It’s about keeping things consistent, even as the game evolves. So, whether it’s a major update or a small patch, regression testing ensures the gameplay experience stays solid and glitch-free.

Then there’s performance testing, which is all about making sure the game runs smoothly across different devices. Players expect their games to run well, whether they’re using a high-end PC, a console, or a smartphone. Performance testing looks at things like frame rates, loading times, memory usage, and overall stability. Performance issues, such as lag, crashes, or overheating on mobile devices, can drastically reduce player satisfaction. By testing the game on different hardware setups, network speeds, and operating systems, developers can ensure it performs smoothly across the board, from low-end devices to top-tier gaming systems.

Functional testing is concerned with making sure that the game’s features work as intended. Whether it’s a character’s ability to jump, a weapon’s damage calculation, or a touch-based control on a mobile screen, functional testing checks each feature to ensure it performs its role correctly. The goal here is to validate that the game behaves as expected under typical gameplay conditions. For example, a game that involves complex mechanics like puzzle-solving or strategic combat must ensure that all components work seamlessly together, providing players with an intuitive and frustration-free experience. Functional testing spans across platforms to verify that specific features, like touch controls or gamepad inputs, function correctly on the intended device.

Localisation testing ensures the game appeals to a global audience by verifying that all text, dialogue, and cultural elements are accurately translated and appropriate for each region. This process involves more than just direct translations; it requires an understanding of cultural nuances to ensure that the game resonates with players from different backgrounds. For example, a joke or reference that works in one culture might not translate well to another, and certain imagery or symbols could be misinterpreted. Localisation testing helps address these potential issues, ensuring that players in every region can enjoy the game in a way that feels natural and engaging to them. Furthermore, it checks whether the game’s special characters, fonts, and language-specific text display correctly across various devices and screen sizes.

Certification testing focuses on ensuring the game complies with the specific technical and legal requirements of the platform it’s being released on. For example, if you’re releasing a game on the Apple App Store, you need to make sure it adheres to Apple’s guidelines around app performance, user data privacy, and device compatibility. Similarly, if the game is headed to consoles like the PlayStation or Xbox, it must pass the rigorous certification standards set by Sony and Microsoft. Certification testing ensures that the game meets all the criteria necessary for a smooth approval process. Failing to meet these standards can result in delays or even the rejection of the game, so this type of testing is essential for a successful launch.

A/B testing helps you figure out what players prefer by comparing two versions of a particular feature. Maybe you’re testing different menu layouts or two versions of an in-game weapon. By seeing how players interact with each version, you can get valuable feedback and make adjustments that improve the overall experience. This kind of testing is great for fine-tuning the game and making sure you’re delivering what players want.

And finally, Accessibility Testing

Accessibility testing ensures inclusivity for players with disabilities, covering visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive needs. This includes features like colourblind modes, captions, control customisation, and difficulty adjustments. Accessibility needs can be simulated using tools like colorblind filters, adaptive controllers, and adjustable options for text size, difficulty, and UI simplicity. Following standards such as WCAG and gathering feedback from players with disabilities are essential steps to identifying and addressing potential barriers. By including these elements, games can be made more accessible, creating a seamless experience for a broader range of players and making accessibility a key part of overall game quality.

By using these testing approaches, developers can ensure that their game isn’t just free of bugs but also provides a smooth and enjoyable experience for players across different devices and regions. Whether it’s checking individual features, making sure everything works together, or testing for performance, having a strong QA process is what makes a game truly ready for launch.

A Few Specifics: Mobile, PC, and Console QA

Although the core of QA testing is similar across platforms, each type of game, whether mobile, PC, or console, has its own specific challenges.

Mobile games need to be tested across a wide range of screen sizes and touch-based controls. You also have to consider different network conditions, such as 3G, 4G, 5G, and WiFi. On top of that, battery life is important. Nobody wants their phone overheating or running out of charge quickly while playing, so it is essential to test how the game performs on various devices under different conditions.

For PC games, testing has to account for a variety of hardware setups. You have different CPUs, GPUs, amounts of RAM, and screen resolutions to consider. Additionally, peripherals like controllers, keyboards, and mice need to work smoothly with the game. With so many potential combinations, ensuring the game runs well across all setups is a critical part of PC testing.

Console games come with their own set of challenges. Testing needs to ensure that the game’s high-quality graphics, controls, and overall gameplay are optimised for the specific hardware of each console. As consoles can offer different performance levels and resolution options, it is important to test the game to make sure it looks and plays well on every system it is available for.

Handheld Devices, like the Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, Levono Legion or the latest one, Asus ROG Ally X, come with unique testing requirements that blend aspects of mobile and console QA. Unlike standard consoles, handhelds vary widely in screen sizes, control layouts, and portability. Testing for handhelds means ensuring smooth gameplay at lower power levels, optimising for battery life, and making certain control schemes feel natural in a handheld format. With handheld gaming popular among diverse player groups, addressing these elements helps bring the best possible experience to every handheld user.

Bugs Are Inevitable, But You Can Handle Them

Bugs are an unavoidable part of game development, but with the right QA strategy, they can be minimised. Whether it’s unit testing, performance checks, or multiplayer testing, a solid QA process ensures that your game is ready for players to enjoy without frustration.

In the end, QA testers are the unsung heroes of game development. By incorporating QA early, encouraging team collaboration, and listening to your player community, you can confidently launch a game that’s not only bug-free but also truly enjoyable.

If you’d like to know more about what a day in the life of a QA Tester looks like, check out Celebrating the QA Team - The Unsung Heroes in the Video Game Industry interview with Kwalee’s two QA Testers.