About us

We are the GameSmiths. We are a growing community of designers, developers, analysts and engineers who love to play games. As designers, we noticed how difficult it was to find quality play testers for our games so we took it upon ourselves to create the best play testing experience possible. Every play test is recorded in HD from multiple camera angles and comes with our detailed development analysis. We give you, the designer, a unique opportunity to see your game from a fresh new perspective that is guaranteed to add value to your design/development process. We have worked with many designers from all over the world on projects big and small and we cannot wait to hear about what you have been working on! Get in touch with us and find out how we can help.

Our services

Rules Explanation

Creating a great rule book that creatively engages players while clearly explaining how your game is played can be very difficult. Watch as we interpret, teach and engage with your rules.

Gameplay

After learning your rules, we play your game for the first time. Watching us play will give you the unique opportunity to see where your mechanics are working as designed and where they may be breaking down.

Design Discussion

Hear professional feedback from the GameSmiths after we play your game for the first time. Receive our detailed thoughts on your mechanics, theme, rules and other elements of your game.

What Designers Have to Say About the GameSmiths


The GameSmiths provided tons of thoughtful, actionable feedback for my most recent project, Yesterday’s War. This is a tremendous value even at twice the price and a massive time-saver too!

Brandon Rollins


The positive, constructive feedback is priceless. Would advice any designer to let them play test there game by the Gamesmiths. Personally I am coming back for a second run after the advice for adjustment they gave me. Merci, thank you and bedankt for this experience.

Mike De Greef


These guys are good! At first I balked at the idea of paid playtesting. But the more I thought about it, it made sense. It’s tough finding good playtesters, people who have enough experience with board games to provide feedback on a game as it fits in it’s category or genre. Local design groups really help, but ultimately you also have to give back your own time and effort into helping them with their own games. Friends and family… you don’t want to strain those relationships that much 🙂

Which is where these guys come in; for a reasonable price they’ll learn, play, and provide feedback on your game. Since it’s all on video, you can pick out the points where there is trouble, or where the “aha!” moment happened, or if a rules error occurs. They provide 4 more distinct perspectives on your game, and help you make it better!

Zintis MK


The play testing service that the Game Smiths provide is amazing for several reasons. It is hands down the best blind testing experience I’ve had because of how simple and smooth these guys make everything for you.

I’ve gotten lots of great feedback in the past but nothing beat being able to re-watch everything over and over again and better yet… you don’t even have to be there during the game session to mess things up!

The feedback on your rulebook alone should be enough for anyone to use this service and that’s just a third of what you’re getting.

Tor Viktorsson


The team at GameSmiths Playtesting are all great. Each one has a slightly different perspective and it really makes the feedback that much better. They did a phenomenal job providing extremely insightful criticisms of my game Runic which has not really been subjected to the scrutiny of blind playtesting for a very long time. Well worth the investment, looking forward to enlist their services again!

Bill Purpura


I can’t recommend them highly enough. The ability to see my game taught, played, and evaluated in video format is exceptionally helpful. I was really pleased with the level of technical execution (video/audio quality), quality of feedback, communication, and professionalism. If you have a game you want to make better; this is the place to go! Thank you very much guys!

Brennan Aldridge


The Game Smiths were great! The playtest they did for House Rules was a joy to watch and there was a lot of useful feedback that resulted from it. They found an unintended way to play the game and the result was awesome.

Eric Williams


The service is great, for people wanting to have blind playtesting I would highly recommend them as you get to see your game played without you which is important when your trying to find problems in your game. I would use their services again and highly recommend them.

Adam Leamey


They played and gave me feedback on my game. They were all super professional and Tyson was extremely communicative with me. The video is such a rare bonus and really helps me understand their playthrough and feedback. Worth ten normal playtests!

Michael Belsole


This service is well worth the money! I will gladly recommend again and again. They are wonderful at working with you to make sure that you get the type of videos that you want. Great play testers as well, they will figure out where your game breaks and make sure you see where the issues are so that you can get to work at fixing them.

Joe Kell


Game Smiths Playtesting was able to give me great constructive feedback that helped me make an immediate impact in my game. Great quality rules video helped show me what sections of the rulebook needed clarification. Their final overview video for me touched lots of points I believe will help make my game a success when we finally publish it. Thanks, guys! Well definitely use this service again!

Ric Pittman


As a first time game designer, this service has been amazingly helpful. It’s taken my game from good to great and has provided me with even more inspiration to continue to press on and develop the game further. This has to be one of the best experiences that I’ve had since I got into the hobby about 5 years ago. I highly recommend Game Smiths Playtesting with two thumbs way up!

Greg Mahler


I can’t recommend them enough. They are funny, critical, and above all, honest. They described and showed my game exactly as it is (well, what I hoped it was 🙂 ), a simple, fun, filler. If you want a game reviewed or previewed USE THESE GUYS.

Joe Bergman Just Because Games


What an experience! Professional throughout the entire process and provided honest feedback that I would never have thought of! I cannot express how great these guys were at playtesting and reviewing, with an entire video dedicated to feedback!

Zavier Bates

TAKE YOUR GAME DESIGN TO THE NEXT LEVEL! FILL OUT A SUBMISSION FORM NOW.

SUBMIT YOUR GAME

Pricing

 
Short Game Length
$75
*Game length under 30 minutes
Rules Explanation Video
Gameplay Video
Design Discussion Video
Sign Up
Most Common
Average Game Length
$125
*Game length 30-90 minutes
Rules Explanation Video
Gameplay Video
Design Discussion Video
Sign Up
 
Long Game Length
$200
*Game length 90-120 minutes
Rules Explanation Video
Gameplay Video
Design Discussion Video
Sign Up
 
Extra Long Game Length
Inquire for Pricing
*Game length over 120 min
Rules Explanation Video
Gameplay Video
Design Discussion Video
Sign Up

*Pricing is based on the amount of time that it takes for us to play your game. We try very hard to deliver exceptional value to each of our designers for a reasonably low price. So we ask that you respect our pricing structure by giving us an accurate estimate on your game’s play time. If the actual time that it takes us to play your game greatly exceeds your estimate there may be additional charges applied to the cost of testing your game.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I reserve a date for my game to be play tested?

To reserve a date for your game to be tested, click here or on one of the links above to fill out a game submission form. After submitting your game, you will be given a list of available dates. Once you select one of the available dates and submit your payment, your date will be reserved. After you submit your payment, you will receive instructions for mailing your game to us.

Can I submit a PnP version of my game?

Usually we require fully made prototypes to be sent to us for testing. However, we realize that not all our designers live here in the USA and shipping a prototype internationally can be very difficult and expensive. That is why, in some situations, we may be willing to accept a print and play prototype. Due to the effort and cost involved with creating a print and play, we charge an additional fee for print and play submissions. The fee for a print and play will vary based on the size and complexity of the print and play. Print and play fees begin at $20.

Will my game be returned to me after testing?

Unfortunately due to the volume of games that we receive and the effort involved in returning games, we do not return games to designers. We do however make exceptions for designers who have put extensive amounts of time, money or effort into their prototypes. So if you would like to work with us and really need your prototype returned, please let us know and we would be happy to work out the details with you. The fee for a returned game is $15 plus any shipping costs.

What happens if I do not ship my game on time and miss my scheduled testing date?

To avoid schedule delays, we require that designers send proof that they have shipped their game no less than 3 weeks prior to their scheduled testing date. If your game has not been shipped by this deadline or does not arrive by your scheduled testing date, we will reschedule you for one of our next available dates. Please note that due to the demand we receive for testing, this new date could be many weeks or even months from your originally scheduled date.

Can I get a refund if I miss my shipping deadline?

If you miss your deadline we are happy to reschedule you but we do not offer refunds for designers who miss their shipping deadline.

Do you offer play testing on TableTop Simulator?

We are currently experimenting with play testing groups on TableTop Simulator. At this time we do not have a package that we offer for TTS but we are working on developing a service for TTS play testing in the future. If you would like to help contribute to our TTS efforts, please contact us for more details.

Can you play games more or less than 4 players?

We can and have played games with as few as 2 players and as many as 8 players. If you wish for your game to be tested by more than 4 players, please let us know so we can make sure to schedule enough play testers (additional fees may apply for excessive player counts). If your game is a 2 player game, we will test the game twice with 4 unique players so you will need to select a package with enough time for 2 play tests of your game.

What happens if my gameplay takes longer than my package time limit?

If your gameplay takes longer than your package time limit, we can either upgrade your package and play your game to its completion or stop playing at your package time limit. If you choose to have us upgrade your package and keep playing, you will be charged the difference between your initial package and the package that is appropriate for the length of your actual gameplay. You will be required to answer a question in your game submission form regarding gameplay overtime.

Do you love games? We want to work with you!

We are always looking for more opportunities to grow our community.  If you are a designer, developer, play tester, publisher or just an individual who loves playing games, send us a message, we would love to meet you. Thank you for visiting the official home of the GameSmiths. We hope to speak with you soon!