You're facing unexpected bugs in game testing. How do you decide which ones to prioritize first?

1 Bug Severity

The severity of a bug is a primary factor in determining its priority. Critical bugs that crash your game or severely affect gameplay should be at the top of your list. These are the deal-breakers that can turn players away if not resolved. Imagine a bug that causes the game to freeze every time a player reaches a certain level—this would not only frustrate players but also stop them from progressing, which is a surefire way to garner negative reviews.

2 User Impact

Consider how many players are affected by a bug. If it's a problem that every player will encounter, it needs immediate attention. However, if it's a rare glitch that only occurs under specific conditions, you might decide to prioritize other, more common issues first. For example, a bug that occurs for every player who attempts to save their game is more urgent than one that only happens when a player wears a certain combination of in-game items.

3 Bug Frequency

Frequency is another key consideration. A bug that happens once in a blue moon may be less of a priority than one that occurs frequently. You want your players to have a smooth experience, so if a bug is interrupting the gameplay often, it needs to be fixed quickly. A character's occasional flicker might be tolerable, but if the main quest line is consistently buggy, players will lose interest fast.

4 Development Cost

Assessing the time and resources required to fix a bug is crucial. Some bugs can be squashed with a few lines of code, while others may require extensive reworking of game systems. Prioritize bugs that offer the best balance between impact and development cost. If fixing a minor visual glitch takes as much time as resolving a game-breaking bug, focus on the latter to make the most of your resources.

5 Game Progression

Bugs that hinder game progression can be a death knell for player retention. If players can't advance through the story or complete objectives due to a bug, they're likely to abandon your game. Prioritize these progression blockers so players can enjoy the full experience you've crafted for them. Whether it's an unresponsive quest giver or a missing item needed to unlock the next area, these bugs can't wait.

6 Testing Stage

The stage of testing you're in also influences bug prioritization. Early in development, you might focus on bugs that affect core gameplay mechanics. As you move closer to release, the focus should shift to polishing the game and fixing minor issues that affect the overall polish. A bug in a beta test might be more critical to fix than one found in an alpha test, simply because of the proximity to launch.