How to become a Games Tester

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Career progression and salary expectations for a Games Tester

Games Tester

| Up to £20,000

This entry-level role involves playing video games to identify bugs, glitches, and inconsistencies. Games Testers meticulously document their findings and provide feedback to developers to ensure a smoother user experience.

Lead Tester

| Up to £30,000

After gaining experience, game testers can progress to this mid-level role, where they oversee a team of testers, coordinate testing schedules, and ensure quality standards are met across different stages of game development.

Game Developer

| Up to £50,000

With further training and experience, Lead Testers can transition into game development, designing and coding game mechanics, levels, and interactive experiences. This role requires creativity and technical skills to bring game concepts to life.

The role of a Games Tester

What does a Games Tester do?

Are you most comfortable with a controller in your hands? You should be a Games Tester...

A Games Tester’s job is to test the latest games for bugs and glitches before they’re released. This involves repeating the same level for hours or even days at a time, playing out every possible scenario and ensuring that all eventualities have been experienced before the game goes live.

Typical (call of) duties for a Games Tester include:

Playing a game, or single level of a game, performing hundreds of different scenarios to test for any bugs or glitches
Investigating any bugs which have previously been reported
Writing up specific details on each bug, so they can be looked at in greater detail
Checking all in-game copy for spelling, grammar or formatting mistakes
Providing any feedback or suggestions for improvement to the relevant departments

Is a career as a Games Tester right for me?

Aside from natural gaming ability (definitely a thing) and a passion for every platform, you will need patience and excellent problem-solving skills to become a Games Tester.

The ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines is also a necessity, especially when testing games prior to a big release.

Other key skills include:

Excellent attention to detail
A methodical approach to your work
The ability to work well individually, and maintain focus
A good knowledge of the latest developments and gaming news
The ability to complete all levels of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is not essential, but would be incredibly impressive

What's it like to be a Games Tester?

"I've been playing computer games pretty much my whole life (thanks Sega Mega Drive), but never thought I could turn it into a career. Being a Games Tester is great. The hours are long and the job can be repetitive at times, but I actually get paid to play games and tell developers how to make them better. For me, that’s as good as it gets."

Get qualified as a Games Tester

Formal qualifications are not always required to become a Games Tester, but relevant qualifications in game design, software engineering, or computer science can be beneficial. Practical experience is also key, which can be gained through internships, beta testing roles, or entry-level testing positions. Additionally, familiarity with different gaming platforms and an understanding of bug tracking software is extremely valuable.

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