How can you test and debug mobile games on multiple devices?

1 Choose your target devices

The first step is to decide which devices you want to support and optimize your game for. You can use market research, analytics, and user feedback to identify the most common and relevant devices for your audience. You can also use device fragmentation reports, such as the one from Unity, to see the distribution of devices by platform, OS version, screen resolution, and memory. You should aim for a balance between reach and performance, and prioritize the devices that have the most impact on your game quality and user experience.

2 Use emulators and simulators

Emulators and simulators are software tools that mimic the behavior and features of real devices on your computer. They are useful for testing and debugging your game in different scenarios, such as orientation, resolution, input methods, network speed, and battery level. You can use emulators and simulators from the official SDKs of your target platforms, such as Android Studio, Xcode, or Windows Phone SDK. You can also use third-party tools, such as Genymotion, Appium, or BrowserStack, that offer more options and features.

3 Test on real devices

Emulators and simulators can only simulate so much. To ensure your game works properly on real devices, you need to test on physical hardware. You can use your own devices, or borrow from your friends, colleagues, or testers. You can also use device testing services, such as Firebase Test Lab, AWS Device Farm, or TestObject, that provide access to a large pool of devices in the cloud. You can run automated or manual tests, and get reports and screenshots of your game performance and issues.

4 Use debugging tools

Debugging tools are essential for finding and fixing errors, bugs, and crashes in your game. You can use the built-in debugging tools from your game engine, IDE, or platform SDK, such as Unity Debugger, Android Logcat, or Xcode Debugger. You can also use external debugging tools, such as Visual Studio Code, Chrome DevTools, or Charles Proxy, that offer more functionality and flexibility. You can use debugging tools to set breakpoints, inspect variables, monitor network traffic, analyze memory usage, and more.

5 Collect feedback and analytics

Feedback and analytics are important for improving your game quality and user satisfaction. You can collect feedback from your users through surveys, reviews, ratings, or social media. You can also use feedback tools, such as Instabug, Bugsnag, or HockeyApp, that allow users to report bugs, send screenshots, or record videos of your game. You can collect analytics from your users through tracking tools, such as Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics, or Flurry, that measure user behavior, engagement, retention, and monetization.

6 Update and iterate

Testing and debugging your game on multiple devices is not a one-time process. It is a continuous cycle of updating and iterating your game based on the feedback and analytics you collect. You should always test your game before releasing a new version, and monitor your game after releasing it. You should also use version control tools, such as Git, SVN, or Mercurial, to manage your code changes and backups. You should also use distribution tools, such as Google Play, App Store, or TestFlight, to deploy your game to your users or testers.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?