Real ways for moms on maternity leave to earn money: from software testing to remote accounting

The development of interactive technologies and the growth of the gaming market have led to the profession of game tester becoming a full-fledged direction in the digital industry. Companies need specialists capable of identifying bugs at early stages, assessing performance, tracking logic, and suggesting corrections before the project is released to the market. The work of a game tester requires technical training, attention to detail, and a deep understanding of game mechanics.

Who is a game tester: essence of the profession

As part of the production process, the specialist is responsible for investigating game projects for technical and gameplay issues. The main task is to ensure the stable and correct operation of the product.

Responsibilities are not limited to mechanical button pressing. The tester analyzes interaction scenarios, controls the sequence of in-game events, records discrepancies, and prepares reports for developers. Such work in the gaming industry requires systematic thinking and patience.

The profession of a game tester: from error analysis to final assembly

Modern game testing covers all stages of the project lifecycle. From alpha build to release, the specialist works with various types of bugs: critical, visual, logical. They interact with programmers, game designers, and quality managers, providing feedback. Responsibilities include:

• balancing checks;
• testing mechanics for reproducibility;
• UI/UX testing;
• identifying glitches and unstable states;
• creating test cases;
• participating in regression analysis.

An important aspect remains the search for errors in video games, especially in multi-platform projects where scenarios differ across devices.

Skills and qualities required for a specialist

To successfully master the profession of a game tester, it is not enough to have a relevant education or courses in quality control. It is important to possess personal qualities that directly affect work efficiency.

Specialization requires high concentration, logical thinking, perseverance, and the ability for structural analysis. In the conditions of 2025, testers are increasingly becoming part of the automated testing process, making basic programming knowledge a mandatory requirement.

Additional advantages include analytical thinking, extreme attention to detail, knowledge of popular game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine, and the ability to create clear and structured reports on discovered bugs.

The combination of qualities and skills forms professional resilience and opens up opportunities for career growth in the game development industry.

What a game tester does: overview of main tasks

The specialist’s duties may vary depending on the project stage, studio, and genre. However, there is a universal list of actions that are part of daily practice. Below are the key directions:

• compiling reports on found errors;
• verifying bugs reported by other team members;
• checking compatibility between platforms;
• participating in collecting user feedback;
• analyzing stability after updates;
• working in bug tracking systems (Jira, TestRail, Mantis).

Such multitasking requires clear time management and technical preparation.

Working as a video game tester: opportunities and format

One of the factors contributing to the growth of the profession is the emergence of flexible collaboration conditions. Work is available both in-house and on a freelance basis. Numerous international studios hire remote specialists, providing access to in-game builds, bug tracking, and documentation.

In 2025, remote game testing is popular, especially for entry-level positions. Companies provide training materials, instructions, and maintain interaction through messengers and corporate platforms. This allows newcomers to start a career without relocation and full-time employment.

Education, certification, and entry points

Despite increasing requirements, entering the game tester profession is possible without a specialized university degree. At the beginning, a technical foundation and a willingness to learn are sufficient. Subsequently, certification, participation in beta testing, and portfolio development are important. Entry paths into the field include:

• free courses from studios;
• commercial educational platforms;
• project work in indie teams;
• volunteer beta testing programs;
• ISTQB Foundation Level certification.

Acquired skills are confirmed by internal diplomas and course results, increasing employment opportunities.

Salary and career growth

The income level in the game tester profession depends on the region, experience, and chosen specialization. Beginners in the CIS countries typically earn between 50,000 and 80,000 rubles, while in Europe, starting salaries begin at 1500 euros per month.

As experience accumulates, new career opportunities open up—from transitioning to automated testing to quality management or game project production. The typical career development path includes positions such as junior tester, mid-level QA engineer, quality control team lead, QA manager, and technical producer.

Each new level requires a higher level of responsibility, the ability to coordinate processes, and continuous learning of modern testing technologies and methodologies.

The profession of a game tester: prospects

Understanding the prospects and limitations allows for forming a realistic view of a future career.

Among the key advantages of game testing in gamedev are the low entry barrier, steady demand for specialists, flexible employment formats, the opportunity to transition to related IT fields, and relatively fast professional growth with proper motivation.

However, there are certain challenges: high monotony in some processes, the need for constant attention, continuous self-learning, limited space for creative solutions, and strict adherence to deadlines and internal release schedules.

The combination of factors allows for anticipating the specifics of the profession and preparing for its requirements.

Conclusion

Understanding the structure, responsibilities, and skills associated with the profession of a game tester allows for forming a solid strategy for entering the gaming industry. From studying errors and bugs to obtaining certification, a specialist goes through a path that requires perseverance, analytical skills, and technical knowledge.

In 2025, the field continues to evolve, and the work remains in demand among both novice and experienced candidates.

The gaming industry has long ceased to be just entertainment. Today, it is a complex system where gameplay is combined with code, design with marketing, and bugs with reputational risks. How to become a game tester: unlike many IT directions, starting a career does not require a specialized diploma, knowledge of programming languages, or deep technical skills. It is enough to have an interest in the segment, attention to detail, and a desire to develop. The rest comes with practice.

First step: why the gaming industry needs game testers

To understand how to become a game tester, you need to understand the task this specialist solves. A game tester is responsible for the quality of the product before its release. An error noticed before launch is cheaper than a fiasco on the sales platform. This is a reality confirmed daily by dozens of failed releases.

The tester evaluates:

• build stability (the game does not crash, freeze, or disrupt the system);

• correct behavior of objects (players cannot pass through walls, bosses do not disappear from the map);

• compatibility (the game runs on all declared devices and operating systems);

• logic (missions are completed according to the scenario, dialogues work, triggers activate).

This work requires not only patience but also attentiveness, perseverance, and consistency.

How to become a game tester: skills that distinguish a novice from a future specialist

How to become a game tester without experience? Start by understanding fundamental skills:

1. Attention to detail. Missing a bug can cost the studio its reputation. Detecting an error is not intuition but focus on details.

2. Logical thinking. A tester does not just press buttons — they predict how each action will affect the game’s behavior.

3. Ability to document. Writing a bug report is not creativity but structure: what happened, under what conditions, what steps led to the failure.

4. English language. Most interfaces, terminologies, and even requirements come in English. Basic reading skills are critically important.

5. Patience. You will spend the day checking the same location dozens of times without losing focus.

To reinforce these skills, use simple games with access to test builds or demos. For example, indie formats on the itch.io platform that seek feedback from real players.

Where to get education: how to become a game tester

A career start in QA does not require a bachelor’s degree. A practical course teaching testing theory, types of bugs, bug report structure, testing techniques (regression, functional, smoke, exploratory) is sufficient. Many game development studios offer internships for beginners. In this format, newcomers get access to a test build where they conduct real testing under the supervision of an experienced QA. During the training:

• bug tracking in bug tracking systems (Jira, Mantis, Bugzilla);

• writing test cases;

• requirements verification;

• compiling testing reports.

An additional benefit is immersion in the development process. Game testers communicate with programmers, artists, and writers. This helps to see the product from a broader perspective than just from the perspective of errors.

What bugs does a tester look for: examples and consequences

An error is not always an obvious failure. Problems can be subtle, hidden, and not immediately apparent. To understand how to become a game tester, you need to learn to classify bugs:

1. Critical — game crashes, freezes, progress loss. Example: after pressing a button, data is not saved. Reproduction is impossible.

2. Major — serious logic failures. Example: a character passes through a texture and falls into infinity.

3. Minor — minor visual errors. Example: text extends beyond the button boundaries.

4. Cosmetic — do not affect gameplay but spoil perception. Example: developer’s name in credits misspelled.

Documenting each bug requires specifics: exact sequence of actions, screenshots or videos, build version, device name. Without this, developers cannot reproduce and fix the problem.

Where to start without experience: real steps

How to become a game tester from scratch without industry connections is a key question for beginners. Entry step-by-step model:

1. Acquire basic knowledge. Complete a free course on testing theory or QA simulation. Even 15 hours of theory provide an understanding of processes.

2. Find access to test projects. Use itch.io or Reddit groups of indie developers. Offer help in testing for feedback.

3. Build a portfolio. Document each tested project in a PDF with error descriptions, testing conditions, and results.

4. Create a profile on freelance platforms. Register on sites like Upwork, Freelancehunt, Kwork — look for simple bug testing tasks.

5. Complete simulations. Use platforms with educational projects where artificial bugs are created — these tasks teach logic.

6. Subscribe to vacancies in Discord and Telegram chats. Many indie studios post needs for inexperienced testers.

7. Apply for an internship. Companies like tinyBuild, Gaijin, MY.GAMES regularly open junior positions without experience requirements.

How a career develops after the start: path from junior to QA lead

Game development offers wide growth opportunities. Starting with manual testing, a game tester charts a career path based on interests: some focus on automation, others on UX research or interaction with the development team. Understanding how to become a game tester does not end with the first project — quite the opposite.

Initially, juniors perform simple tasks: check interfaces, track bugs in simple builds, test a limited number of devices. After 3–6 months of active work, enough experience is accumulated to move to the middle level. Here, the scope of responsibility expands: interaction with developers, tasks of creating test plans, participation in planning and release candidates.

After 1.5–2 years, opportunities arise to advance to QA lead or product QA. At this level, the specialist not only tests the game but also builds a system: creates checklists, implements automation, manages a team, communicates with the producer. These roles require a deep understanding of development cycles, release stages, and the logic of interaction between departments.

Which studios hire beginners: real market

Large studios often require experience, but small teams are open to training. To understand how to enter game development, it is important to focus on team formats and their work specifics. Indie developers work faster, often launch pilots, and are open to feedback. They do not spend months on interviews — they evaluate results. A well-prepared report is enough to get a testing order.

The gaming industry is constantly growing: the number of releases on Steam, App Store, and Google Play counts in the thousands per month. Each game has dozens of builds, internal versions, localizations, and platforms. Even for a mobile runner game — testing on 20+ devices, languages, and OS versions. This creates demand for dozens of QA specialists in each studio.

How to become a game tester: tools a novice learns to use

To become a game tester, desire alone is not enough. Mastering the toolkit helps perform work qualitatively and systematically. First and foremost, learn bug tracking: Jira, Trello, YouTrack. These services are where tasks are organized, bugs are logged, and progress is tracked.

The next level is device simulators (e.g., Android Studio, BlueStacks) that allow testing the game on different resolutions and OS without physical access to each smartphone. For creating reports — screenshots, videos, tools like OBS Studio or Snagit. The ability to quickly capture, edit, and send a video with a bug is a valuable quality. It speeds up team work and saves hours. Automation is the next stage. Tools like Appium, Selenium, or Unity Test Runner are suitable for this, but they are mastered after a year of practice. Starting a career with them is not mandatory.

Conclusion

Games are more than just a hobby. For those who want to be part of the industry, the profession of a game tester offers a real opportunity to start a career without a diploma and connections. It is important not to wait for an invitation but to build the path yourself: complete simulations, test indie formats, collect cases, respond to real tasks. How to become a game tester is not about gaming experience but about systematic approach. Mastering tools, bug reporting, understanding the role — all of this shapes a specialist that studios want to hire.