Private betas and testers
Run a closed beta by keeping your game private and inviting testers by username, from the Creator Hub or the Studio.
On this page
A private beta lets a chosen group play your game before everyone else. You keep the game private (or a draft) and add testers by username. Testers can find and play the game; everyone else sees nothing until you make it public.
How access works#
| Who | Can find and play a private or draft game |
|---|---|
| You (the creator) | Yes |
| Your testers | Yes |
| Everyone else | No. The game's page says "This game isn't available." |
Testers play the live version, just like players of a public game, so the game needs a published version before testers can play it. Testers can also see and join the game's servers.
Limits:
- A game can have up to 200 testers.
- Testers must have a NEO account. Guests can't be testers.
- You don't need to add yourself: you always have access to your own games.
Add testers in the Creator Hub#
- In Creations, choose Manage on your game.
- Open the Testers tab.
- Type a player's username and choose Add tester.
The tester appears in the list with their display name and @username. To take someone out of the beta, choose Remove next to their name.
If the username doesn't belong to an active account, the hub shows an error and nobody is added.
Run a beta from the Studio#
In the Studio, the Build view has a NEO Platform section with everything you need for a beta:
- Choose Publish as private beta. This publishes your project as a new version and keeps the game private.
- Under Testers, type a username and choose Invite.
The testers you've invited are listed next to the Invite button. Until you invite someone, it reads "No testers yet: only you can play the beta."
When the beta is over, choose Publish to NEO Platform to publish a version and make the game public. See Publishing from the Studio.
Games you're testing#
When someone adds you as a tester, their game appears in a Games you're testing row on your home page, newest first. Open it from there to play. The row only appears when you're testing at least one game.
End a beta#
- Open it to everyone: choose Make public in Creations or on the game's Settings tab. Testers keep playing as normal.
- Close it: remove testers one by one on the Testers tab. They lose access straight away while the game is private.