5 Game Testing Automation Tools for QA Speed Boost

Should you use game testing automation tools or stick with manual testing only? If you do use AI-based testing and otherwise automated solutions, which should you go for? Which of these options will help you avoid the fate of many game studios that seem to be laying off entire development teams and closing every other month?

This article, written by QA engineers with years of experience in game testing, will answer all these questions. We’ll also provide a comprehensive list of testing tools for various engines and game aspects. Moreover, we’ll explain how to maximize your workflow and budget use when testing game performance.

So, if your studio can’t afford the likes of the 29% crash that hit CD Project Red when it released a hopelessly bugged version of Cyberpunk 2077, read on!

Top 5 Game Testing Automation Tools in 2025

Just as with varied game testing techniques, there are many automation tools for game testing. So, selecting the right one can be confusing. Our QA engineers built a list of the top five solutions that should meet every game developer’s needs. However, bear in mind that this doesn’t mean that one of these tools is better than the rest. We’ve built a list of top-rated tools based on:

• Engine coverage
• Engine depth
• Black box reach

Considering all these factors, we offer a list of game test automation tools that can fit any type of game. Our experts also made sure that, as of 2025, these tools are relevant and regularly updated.

GameDriver

Designed for Unity and Unreal Engine, this game test automation tool supports PC, console, and mobile platforms. Its most outstanding feature is the Test Assistant. It’s a standalone tool that lets you create and maintain tests without access to source code or the game engine, which is invaluable for troubleshooting. In addition, this cross-platform toolkit allows you direct access to game objects within the engine using the HierarchyPath Query language.

AltTester Unity SDK

AltTester is an open-source game testing automation tool for Unity. It allows you to interact with various game objects through scripts and supports many programming languages (C#, Python, Java, and Robot Framework). AltTester also allows integration with Appium, a highly versatile mobile game testing automation tool that relies on WebDriver protocols. The desktop version of AltTester allows you to inspect object hierarchy and interact with the game outside of the Unity Editor.

says Maryna,

QA Engineer at QAwerk

Airtest + Poco

Airtest and Poco make a game-testing combo, where the former is a cross-platform UI automation framework, and the latter is its companion tool for object-based UI control. It’s a solution for image-based automation that uses image recognition technology. Poco, as an object-based UI control game testing automation tool, allows you to interact with UI elements by referencing their attributes. This solution is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows, and includes an integrated development environment for writing and executing test scripts.

Unreal Automation Testing Framework (ATF)

The ATF is one of the best game testing automation tools for Unreal Engine. It’s comprehensive and lets you create and execute tests within the Unreal environment. Combined with the Gauntlet framework, you can use ATF to run project sessions in Unreal Engine on desktop, mobile, and console platforms. In addition, it allows you to run multiple client scenarios, which means you can test multiplayer games.

Eggplant Test (Keysight DAI)

Eggplant is a game testing automation tool powered by Keysight’s Digital Automation Intelligence (DAI). It’s an AI-driven solution that’s extremely versatile and compatible with mobile and desktop platforms. QA-wise, it offers tagging and filtering for more effective test configuration. Moreover, it’s also capable of UI testing through image recognition technology.

Game Test Automation: Strengths and Weaknesses

There is no doubt that game testing automation tools are essential for eliminating bugs and improving the quality of your product. The main benefits of investing in automated QA solutions include:

• Speed boost: You can run long test sessions to speed up the process and increase your overall productivity.
• Budget scalability: Many of the game test automation tools offer subscription-based pricing models, which means you can easily scale up your resources whenever it’s needed and scale down to save money as necessary.
• Observability: Engine-level tools, such as UE ATF or AltTester, offer high stability and provide access to objects and properties, eliminating unnecessary steps in testing.
• CI/CD integration: You can effectively integrate these QA tools to streamline the testing process.
• Scalability: Implementing specific automation tools for game testing allows you to spin up multi-client scenarios and broad platform matrices fast.
• Reusability: You can use test scripts repeatedly across multiple platforms to both speed up the process and improve cost efficiency.
• Consistency: Game testing automation tools reduce human error and can deliver more reliable results, especially for large-scale projects.

However, you shouldn’t forget that every instrument has a weakness. Therefore, be sure to keep the limitations of automated quality assurance platforms in mind when planning your testing strategy.

• No creative evaluation: An automated game testing tool can evaluate technical details of the game, but not its creative or artistic components. It won’t be able to understand whether the game is well-balanced or whether it ‘flows’ smoothly and ‘feels’ right.
• Visual volatility: When using game testing automation tools that evaluate UI, you might get incorrect results due to camera shifts, shaders, and other visual changes. These interfere with image-based flows.
• Upfront costs: Many of the top QA solutions for game testing are expensive. These tools also require specific skills from the tester, a harness setup, and specific environment orchestration.
• Blind spots: Automated tools can’t evaluate features that require a nuanced understanding, such as exploits, social dynamics, or accessibility. They also can’t manage some emergent gameplay features and innovative approaches.
• Maintenance: You’ll need to provide regular updates to test scripts, adjusted for any game changes, including those based on test results.

What’s the Most Efficient Game Testing Strategy?

The gaming industry today is extremely competitive and wrought with tension due to multiple layoffs and studio closures. Every release is a gamble, and you really can’t afford to launch a product with any bugs that would reduce your chances of success. With the audience so demanding, it’s crucial to implement a comprehensive game-testing strategy that covers all your bases. However, you also need to be pragmatic in your planning to ensure the most efficient use of resources.

Finding that balance is where our experience at QAwerk has provided a clear perspective. An “efficient” strategy must be tailored, as the biggest risks vary across projects.

For example, when we partnered with the indie studio behind Couple Up!, the main goal was preparing for a large-scale launch. Our load testing with JMeter revealed a critical vulnerability: the server could handle a gradual increase in users but struggled with a sharp influx over a short time. This insight allowed them to prevent the exact system imbalances and server errors that often plague new launches.

In another project, we helped Deck 13 with Highrise City to stabilize it after launch. Players had reported crashes and freezes, so we checked everything carefully. We saw that the game often stuttered on lower-end computers, regardless of graphics settings, and we also found some clipping issues. To be sure, we stress-tested the hardware with AIDA64 and saw that the PCs were fine. This proved the issue was in the software, so the developers could focus on fixing the right things.

Here are some expert tips from our experience that can help you:

• Implement automated functional testing when appropriate. Automation saves you money, speeds up the process, and lets you catch many tech issues, helping you smooth out the game quickly.
• Enhance the strategy with game testing services delivered by human experts. This will help cover all your bases and ensure your game is top-level from both technical and artistic perspectives. Manual sessions can be focused on qualitative UX, exploration, Discovery, and fine-tuning.
• Use engine-level game automation testing tools to identify core issues and examine flows and variants (menus, inventory, save/load, and economy). These let you ensure you get the maximum out of the engine.
• Layer visual and black box tools to enhance coverage and analyze all elements with utmost efficiency.

Bottom Line: How to Choose a Game Test Automation Tool

Factors that you should consider when choosing a game test automation solution include:

• Engine
• Features
• Budget
• Deadlines
• Integrations
• Scalability
• Support

However, remember that you’ll definitely need more than one tool for a comprehensive QA coverage. If you aren’t sure where to start, the list of tools above should be a great help. Then, when you are closer to release and want to ensure your game is thoroughly stable, reliable, bug-free, and engaging, contact us. We’ll help you by delivering a customized testing approach to ensure you get maximum value for every cent invested.

See how we helped Highrise City identify the cause of freezes and optimize performance before the release

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