testland/game-test-categories-reference
Pure-reference catalog of the testing categories that apply to a video-game build before it ships. Defines the six canonical buckets the industry tests against - functional / compliance / compatibility / performance / localization / accessibility - plus the multiplayer and content-rating sub-axes. Cross-references each bucket to the platform-holder vocabulary that drives it (Microsoft Xbox Requirements / XR test cases, Sony TRC, Nintendo Lotcheck, Steam Direct review). Use as the taxonomy lookup when planning a game test pass, scoping QA effort, or mapping platform-cert findings back to internal test categories.
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SKILL.md
- name:
- game-test-categories-reference
- description:
- Pure-reference catalog of the testing categories that apply to a video-game build before it ships. Defines the six canonical buckets the industry tests against - functional / compliance / compatibility / performance / localization / accessibility - plus the multiplayer and content-rating sub-axes. Cross-references each bucket to the platform-holder vocabulary that drives it (Microsoft Xbox Requirements / XR test cases, Sony TRC, Nintendo Lotcheck, Steam Direct review). Use as the taxonomy lookup when planning a game test pass, scoping QA effort, mapping platform-cert findings back to internal test categories, preparing a submission checklist, reviewing first-party certification requirements, or triaging cert testing failures against internal categories.
- metadata:
- {"keywords":"game-testing, functional-test, compliance-test, compatibility-test, performance-test, localization, accessibility, xag, xr, lotcheck, trc"}
game-test-categories-reference
Overview
A video-game build is tested against six canonical categories that the industry has converged on over three console generations. This skill is the pure-reference taxonomy consumed by the engine-specific skills (unity-test-framework, unreal-automation-system, godot-gut-tests), the builders (multiplayer-state-machine-coverage, gameplay-recording-replay), and the platform submission reference (platform-cert-overview-reference).
Sources: Microsoft's Certification step-by-step guide, Xbox Accessibility Guidelines (XAG) v3.2, Steam's App Review Process, and longstanding QA practice (Schultz & Bryant, Game Testing All-In-One, 3rd ed., ISBN 9781305077133).
The six canonical categories
| # | Category | Scope | Typical owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Functional | Mechanics, scripting, AI, UI flow, save/load, economy/progression match the design spec. | Engine-specific automation + manual QA |
| 2 | Compliance | Build conforms to platform holder's Requirements / TRC / Lotcheck document. | Cert / submission QA |
| 3 | Compatibility | Runs across all required SKUs, OS versions, hardware generations, and display/audio/storage configurations. | Lab / device-cloud QA |
| 4 | Performance | Hits declared frame-time, load-time, memory, thermal, and battery budgets on each target SKU. | Performance engineers + profilers |
| 5 | Localization | Translated strings fit their UI, render in their script, and behave under RTL + CJK + length expansion; VO coverage correct. | LQA agencies + automation |
| 6 | Accessibility | Meets platform-required or -recommended accessibility guidelines (Microsoft XAG, AbleGamers, CVAA/EAA where applicable). | Accessibility QA + design |
These six categories are referenced throughout platform-cert-overview-reference when describing each platform's submission gates.
Category detail
1. Functional
Platform-specific notes. Microsoft's Build Verification Testing (BVT) stage is largely functional: "BVTs is a reduced test pass designed to make sure a product is fully testable and configured properly before entering full certification testing." Functional bugs that break BVT block the entire cert pass.
Tooling. Engine-native test frameworks (unity-test-framework, unreal-automation-system, godot-gut-tests) for unit + play-mode tests; recorded-input replay (per gameplay-recording-replay) for scripted scenario coverage.
2. Compliance
Build conforms to the platform holder's Requirements / TRC / Lotcheck document. The per-platform requirement documents and the CFR / SRI / ION severity codes are in references/platform-cert-details.md. A CFR (Condition for Resubmission) fails cert and must be fixed before resubmit.
3. Compatibility
Runs across all required SKUs, OS versions, hardware generations, and display/audio/storage configs. The Xbox bench layout that exemplifies the required matrix - plus the Sony / Nintendo / PC equivalents - is in references/platform-cert-details.md.
4. Performance
Key budgets: frame-time targets (16.67 ms / 60 Hz, 33.33 ms / 30 Hz) under representative load; long-session memory stability ("soak" test).
Where it shows up in cert. Microsoft requires a minimum sustained framerate per Xbox Requirements (XR) testing. Sony TRC includes performance gates (NDA - cite by stable ID). Nintendo Lotcheck includes thermal + battery rules for Switch (NDA - cite by stable ID).
5. Localization
Platform-specific note. Microsoft's cert bench (see references/platform-cert-details.md) varies Console Language across consoles to exercise localized assets. Culture-sensitive content rules live under each platform holder's compliance category - see Microsoft's Xbox Network Policies.
Key runtime risk areas not caught by screenshot review: German string overflow (~30% longer than English on average), CJK subpixel rendering, Arabic/Hebrew bidirectional layout, missing VO takes, and lip-sync drift.
6. Accessibility
Guidelines source. Microsoft XAG v3.2 at learn.microsoft.com/.../accessibility/guidelines. Each XAG entry specifies: Goal, Scoping questions, Key areas to target, Implementation guidelines, Example content, Potential player impact, and Resources/tools.
Regulatory frameworks. US CVAA applies to in-game communications; EU EAA applies from June 2025.
Testing service. Microsoft offers the Microsoft Gaming Accessibility Testing Service (MGATS) that tests against the XAG.
Common sub-axes: remappable controls, hold-to-press toggle, Xbox Adaptive Controller support (Input); high-contrast modes, text size (XAG 101), color-blind modes, screen reader output (Visual); subtitles with font size / background opacity / speaker attribution (Audio); difficulty options, save-anywhere, reduced-motion toggles (Cognitive).
Triage workflow
Given a bug report, apply this sequence:
- Identify symptom - what broke? (crash, visual artifact, wrong value, missing asset, regulatory flag)
- Map to category - use the bug-severity cheatsheet below, or the six-category table.
- Assign owner - use the "Typical owner" column from the six-category table above.
- Set severity - reference the platform holder's severity model (CFR / SRI / ION for Xbox; equivalent tiers for Sony and Nintendo). A CFR blocks resubmission; triage these first.
- Link to cert requirement - record the XR / TRC / Lotcheck ID in the bug tracker field so cert QA can verify the fix closes the finding.
- Verify before closing - confirm the assigned category matches the cheatsheet row for the symptom and that the recorded requirement ID resolves in the current platform requirements list; a mismatched category or stale XR number is the common triage error.
Bug severity → category mapping cheatsheet
| Symptom | Category | Severity hint |
|---|---|---|
| Crash on save load | Functional | High - cert-blocker |
| XR-024 fail (unhandled controller disconnect) | Compliance | CFR - cert-blocker |
| Black screen on PS4 base, fine on PS5 | Compatibility | High - gens-affecting |
| 22 fps in raid encounter (target 30) | Performance | Triage vs. budget |
| German "Zurück" overflows button | Localization | Sev 3 - UI |
| Subtitles missing in cutscene 7 | Accessibility | XAG fail |
| Host migration drops players | Multiplayer (functional + compliance) | High |
Cross-axis: multiplayer / online
Multiplayer is not a seventh category - it cuts across functional + compliance + compatibility + performance. Key test surface:
- State-machine correctness under packet loss / latency / disconnect - see
multiplayer-state-machine-coverage. - Matchmaking + session lifecycle - joins, drop-ins, host migration.
- Anti-cheat compatibility with platform integrity systems (Xbox LIVE; Sony's authentication; Nintendo Network).
- Cert-blocking risk. Per Microsoft's certification-guide, "Multiplayer does not work as expected" is one of the most common reasons a title is placed on Hold during an Xbox cert pass.
Cross-axis: content rating
Content rating (ESRB / PEGI / CERO / USK / IARC) is a regulatory classification, not a testing category. However:
- Steam requires the Content Survey before review.
- Platform holders gate distribution on the local rating board's certificate (cite by stable ID for NDA-only details).
- Localization (category 5) may interact with content rating - removing or recoloring blood for the German release, removing gambling minigames for the Belgian release.
Anti-patterns
| Anti-pattern | Why it fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Treating "QA" as one undifferentiated bucket | Loses ownership; compliance gaps surface at cert | Use the six categories explicitly in test plans + bug-tracker fields |
| Running compliance late ("we'll do cert later") | Late-found CFRs delay release by weeks | Run platform-holder TRC / XR checklists from milestone 1 |
| Compatibility on the dev kit only | Retail SKUs (Series S, PS4 base, Switch handheld) behave differently | Lab test on retail hardware per the bench layout above |
| Performance averaged over the level | Spikes cause CFRs; averages hide them | Frame-time histograms, p99, sustained-window measurements |
| Localization screenshot review | Misses runtime overflow, missing VO, lip-sync drift | Playthrough every locale; not a glanced screenshot |
| Accessibility as a launch checklist | Architectural changes (rebindable input) can't be retrofitted | XAG scoping questions at design milestone, not at submission |
| Multiplayer tested only in low-latency LAN | Drops, NAT, host migration fail in the wild | Inject loss / jitter; see multiplayer-state-machine-coverage |
Limitations
- NDA-only platform details. Sony TRC and Nintendo Lotcheck exact requirement numbers are gated. This skill cites them by stable ID per
PLUGIN_AUTHORING.mdStep 4 fallback; partners with NDA access should consult their developer portal for the authoritative current revision. - Microsoft XR numbering drifts. XR identifiers (XR-024, XR-130, etc.) are revised across GDK releases - verify against the current Xbox Requirements list before quoting.
- Steam Direct is lighter than console cert. Per partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/review_process, Steam's review is store-page + build-startup focused (3 - 5 business days), not a console-style XR pass.
- Content rating boards are out of scope - they are regulatory classification, not QA categories. Consult ESRB / PEGI / CERO / USK / IARC documentation directly.
- No regional content rules here. Per-region content rules (German violence colouring, Belgian / NL loot-box rules, China / Korea content rules) are platform + region specific - consult the platform holder's regional supplement.