Career Suggestion

Computer games tester

Computer games testers play games to check that they work as intended and identify problems or ‘bugs’.

Average salary (a year)

£24000.0 to £36000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

37.0 to 42.0 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays as customers demand

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly

University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:

  • games design
  • computing
  • programming

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

College

You could take a college course, which may help you to find a job as a junior tester.

Courses include:

  • computing
  • creative media
  • T Level in Digital Software Development

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Software Tester Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship.

This usually takes around 2 years to complete as a mix of learning on the job and study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Direct Application

You could contact games companies about part-time or short-term work experience opportunities.

You'll need good technical and problem solving skills and an in-depth understanding of different game platforms and quality assurance processes.

More Information

Career Tips

Some game companies release test versions of games for the public to try and to report back on.

You might also go to gaming events where you could:

  • talk to people who work in the industry
  • get advice about finding jobs or training

You can also search for games companies and educational institutions , offering courses in digital gaming, on the UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) games map.

Further Information

You can get details about careers in gaming from ScreenSkills and Into Games .

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • analytical thinking skills
  • complex problem-solving skills
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
  • concentration skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Day-to-day tasks

As a computer games tester you would:

  • test different levels of a game on different platforms
  • find problems or 'bugs', and record inconsistencies
  • write clear bug reports and add them to an online reporting system
  • check that fixes to resolve problems work as expected
  • report copyright issues and check for spelling mistakes in the game, manuals and packaging
  • check a game's accessibility options and gameplay experience
  • work closely with developers to meet deadlines

Working environment

You could work in a creative studio or in an office.

With experience and further training, you could:

If you're fluent in another language, you could check different language versions of games as a localisation tester .

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