How a playtest works, step by step
Studio guide. Updated October 25, 2026.
From your demo to the report
Six steps, for a demo that's public on Steam or a private Playtest with keys. You do the first three; the rest happen while the test runs.
Point us to your demo
If your demo is public on Steam, paste its store link; we check on Steam that it's live. For a private Playtest, create a Steamworks permission group that holds only your game and its Playtest, then give us a Web API key for that group. Steam lists the apps the key controls, which shows the game is yours.
Set up the test
Pick a size, name three to five Steam games yours is like, and write three questions only someone who played could answer. Add one question of your own and a fact sheet about the game if you want; both are optional. Invitations go out an hour after you book, or on a later date you pick (at least 1 day out).
Add keys, if you use them
A public demo needs nothing here: players get it from your Steam store page. For a private Playtest, upload Steam Playtest keys and each invited player gets exactly one, logged against their invitation.
Players play
We invite players with real hours in the games you named, in waves until the test is full. Each one agrees to keep your build confidential, records the whole session, screen and voice, thinking out loud as they play, uploads it, then answers a short survey while it's fresh.
We check the sessions
We accept a session when the recording shows the demo being played and Steam playtime or the gameplay questions back it up. Sessions that don't show real play, and low-effort answers, aren't paid and don't reach your report.
Read the report
About a week after the test starts, the report is ready on the site: a summary of what players said, each session's recording and transcript to watch in your browser, a PDF, and a spreadsheet of every session.
Every player passes the same checks
Checked against Steam when they join, and again when they're invited.
- Steam account at least 6 months oldNew accounts can sign up but aren't invited.
- 5 or more hours played on SteamCounted from their Steam playtime. We match each demo to players by Steam's own game tags.
- No VAC, game or trade bansRead from Steam when they join.
- One Steam account per personThe Steam account is the login, so a second account means a second Steam account.
- US players, 18 or olderFrom any state. Each one agrees in writing to be recorded before their first session.
- A microphoneEvery player records their screen and voice. They're told this before they sign up.
Pick how many players
Each player plays for at least the time shown, inside the window. For Playtest keys we ask for 20 keys for a 10-player test, so there are spares when someone drops out.
| Test | Players | Each plays | Window | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Look (one per studio) | 3 | 30+ min | 5 days | $49 |
| Demo Check | 5 | 30+ min | 5 days | $99 |
| Demo Read 10 | 10 | 30+ min | 5 days | $179 |
| Demo Read 25 | 25 | 30+ min | 5 days | $449 |
| Deep Dive (hour-long sessions) | 30 | 60+ min | 7 days | $1,099 |
The Deep Dive costs more per player: each session is at least 60 minutes of play, twice the others, and players are paid $15 instead of $8.
Your first test can be a Quick Look (one per studio); every test is priced as listed. If fewer players finish than you booked, you get the report with everyone who did and we refund the unfilled share to your card. Monthly plans are on the studios page.
What the report contains
Written answers come shuffled and without names, emails, Steam IDs or profiles. See a sample playtest report.
- Would they keep playing?The share who wanted to keep going when they stopped, and the share who quit early because they lost interest.
- A summary of what players saidThe problems and moments that came up most across the sessions, each linked to the point in the recording, so you know which recordings to watch first.
- Recordings and transcriptsEach session's screen recording with the player thinking out loud, played beside a timed transcript: click any line to jump to that moment. You watch them on the site. Recordings are for your team: please don't share them. Recordings and transcripts are deleted 90 days after upload.
- PlaytimeMedian minutes played: from Steam where it reported, otherwise the recording's length or the player's own estimate.
- Ratings3 questions on a 1 to 5 scale, with the average and the full spread.
- Written answers5 questions, every answer in the player's own words, plus your own question if you added one.
- RangesEach percentage comes with the range the true number likely sits in, so a result from 10 players isn't read like one from 30.
- PDF and spreadsheetDownload the report as a PDF, and every session as a CSV with one row each, linked to its recording.
Same survey for every test
- How much did you enjoy the time you played?
- How clear was what you were supposed to do?
- How likely are you to buy it at launch?
- What confused you or slowed you down?
- What was the best moment?
- Which game you've played does it remind you of, and how does it compare?
- If you could change one thing, what would it be?
- Any bugs or crashes? Say where they happened. Write "none" if there weren't any.
A breakdown by how many hours players have on Steam appears only when both halves have at least 10 players.
Steam's rules, kept
You pay for the testing service. Playtest keys stay yours and go to players free; they're never sold. Nobody is rewarded for wishlists, follows or reviews.
Confidential, and traceable
Each player agrees to keep your build confidential before they get a key, and each private key goes to one player and is logged, so a leak can be traced. We can't prevent every leak. If your game isn't announced yet, use a hidden Playtest.
Partners
Creators, communities, publishers and accelerators who send studios our way earn 10% of what those studios pay in their first 12 months, paid once each order is 30 days past delivery. Referred studios pay the listed price. Links are issued by hand: write to us.
Your key, your app only
We use your Steamworks key to confirm the game is yours and read key activation and playtime for invited players. It's stored encrypted and you can remove it any time.
Tests are covered by the studio terms.