Best Fiends

by Seriously

Builds & Distribution

45% of the 100 top grossing mobile games have been tested with PlaytestCloud. So we have experience testing many different builds on a variety of platforms. Here you will find all the information about which types of games can be tested through PlaytestCloud, what the restrictions are, as well as answers to the most commonly asked questions.

What types of games can I test with PlaytestCloud?
What types of games can I test with PlaytestCloud?

Here is the list of games that you can test with PlaytestCloud:

  • Unreleased iOS games, if they’re on Apple TestFlight

  • Unreleased Android games

  • Android games available on the Google Play Store

  • iOS games available on the App Store

  • Browser games – on mobile

Here is the list of games that you cannot test with PlaytestCloud:

  • PC / Console games

  • Desktop browser games

Please contact us if you're not sure where your game fits in the above lists. If your game works on mobile devices, we’ll find a way to test it.

Do I need to make modifications to my game?
Do I need to make modifications to my game?

Short answer: in most cases, no. Our software for recording the game and the player’s spoken thoughts and feedback doesn’t require changes to your game.

For Android, these touch recordings and our technical security measures are automatically added to your game by us and always enabled. PlaytestCloud automatically hooks into your game to capture the entire player experience, including audio & video recordings of the gameplay.

For iOS, we offer an optional SDK that enables recording of touch indicators and our technical security measures (ideal for testing unannounced iOS games). If the game you’re testing is less sensitive and touch indicators are not needed, you also can playtest any build on TestFlight (without needing the SDK) and on the App Store.

Before your playtest begins, PlaytestCloud automatically runs a compatibility check. If there are issues with your game in our testing environment, we can usually address them with minor tweaks to our own software. If we determine issues are not with our software, we will reach out to you to help resolve the issue – which could lead to a delay in turnaround time. However, in most cases, we can address minor compatibility issues in our software without the need for additional turnaround time or communication.

What is the purpose of the PlaytestCloud iOS SDK?
What is the purpose of the PlaytestCloud iOS SDK?

The PlaytestCloud iOS SDK is a small, optional software package that you can include in your game to add touch indicators and technical security measures (such as our remote build deactivation feature) to enhance the iOS playtests you run on PlaytestCloud. 

To keep your games, prototypes and anything else you’re testing on PlaytestCloud secure during your tests, we employ both technical as well as non-technical security measures.

Everything you test on PlaytestCloud already benefits from our non-technical security measures (such as NDAs). For iOS games that require a bit of extra security and more in-depth testing data, we offer this small SDK. For Android games uploaded to PlaytestCloud and many other testing types, these extra measures are already built-in. Learn more about our Confidentiality & Security measures.

Once integrated, you would submit builds of your game that include the SDK to us via Apple TestFlight. The SDK itself is not mandatory, and only required if you need or want these touch indicators or the above mentioned extra security features. The PlaytestCloud SDK is easy to install & integrate and works with all popular game engines.

Learn more about it in our SDK documentation.

What type of build do I need to provide?
What type of build do I need to provide?

iOS: On iOS, builds can be shared through Apple TestFlight or via the App Store.

Android: On Android, we support both APK and AAB file types. However, if your game supports both the ARM and x86 architecture it’s important that you provide us with a build that has support for ARM devices – normally this is the default.

Android builds can also be imported from supported build distribution services. For more info on which services we support, see “Which build distribution services does PlaytestCloud support?” below.

Alternatively, we also support playtesting of any game on the Google Play Store – no build required. For more information on this playtesting type see our Competitor Testing service. 

How do players install the game?
How do players install the game?

Our players will receive an email inviting them to join your playtest. If they accept, they install the game on their personal mobile device.

Which build distribution services does PlaytestCloud support
Which build distribution services does PlaytestCloud support

If you’re hosting your development builds on Unity Cloud, we can download them directly from there. Our order form walks you through the process, see the image below:

Downloading builds directly from Dropbox is also supported, and we are open to adding support to our order forms for your internal build management system so you and your team can conveniently place orders.

Additionally you can test any game on the Google Play Store by simply providing a link to the game on the Play Store. See our help center for more details

When you upload a build of your game, it will be secured using safety measures designed especially for mobile user research before distribution to our players.

How does PlaytestCloud keep builds secure?
How does PlaytestCloud keep builds secure?

During the upload and download process, your game builds are protected and secured through an encrypted connection to our servers (HTTPS) and stored safely on Amazon’s Cloud Platform.

For all playtests where you submit a build to us and for our Concept Testing service: Your builds are protected by our specialized security and recording software. One of the key measures we implement is a kill switch that permanently disables your game after the playtest. In addition to the kill switch, non-disclosure agreements are mandatory for all our players.

For playtests using our Competitor Testing or Survey-only services: Players must agree to mandatory non-disclosure agreements before participating in your playtest or survey.

Please visit our confidentiality & security page for the full details about how we keep builds secure.