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Pure-reference catalog of the testing categories that apply to a video-game build before it ships. Defines the six canonical buckets the industry tests against - functional / compliance / compatibility / performance / localization / accessibility - plus the multiplayer and content-rating sub-axes. Cross-references each bucket to the platform-holder vocabulary that drives it (Microsoft Xbox Requirements / XR test cases, Sony TRC, Nintendo Lotcheck, Steam Direct review). Use as the taxonomy lookup when planning a game test pass, scoping QA effort, or mapping platform-cert findings back to internal test categories. Pairs with platform-cert-overview-reference for the platform-by-platform submission process.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/qa-game:game-test-categories-referenceThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
A video-game build is tested against a stable set of categories
A video-game build is tested against a stable set of categories
that the industry has converged on over three console generations.
Public sources - Microsoft's
Certification step-by-step guide,
Microsoft's
Xbox Accessibility Guidelines (XAG) v3.2,
and Steam's
App Review Process - and longstanding QA practice in the field (Schultz & Bryant,
Game Testing All-In-One, 3rd ed., ISBN 9781305077133, cited by
stable ID per PLUGIN_AUTHORING.md Step 4 fallback; GDC Vault
talks on test taxonomy, gated, cited by stable ID) name the same
six buckets with minor wording differences.
This skill is the pure-reference taxonomy consumed by:
unity-test-framework,
unreal-automation-system,
godot-gut-tests),multiplayer-state-machine-coverage,
gameplay-recording-replay-skill),platform-cert-overview-reference),
which maps each category onto the four platform holders.compatibility-test).| # | Category | Scope | Typical owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Functional | Does the game do what its design says? Mechanics, scripting, AI, UI flow, save/load. | Engine-specific automation + manual QA |
| 2 | Compliance | Does the build meet the platform holder's Requirements document (Xbox XRs, Sony TRC, Nintendo Lotcheck, Steam Direct review)? | Cert / submission QA |
| 3 | Compatibility | Does it run across all required SKUs / OSes / hardware generations (Xbox One vs. Series S vs. Series X; PS4 vs. PS5; Switch vs. Switch 2; PC GPU/driver matrix)? | Lab / device-cloud QA |
| 4 | Performance | Does it hit the title's frame-time, load-time, memory, thermal, and battery budgets on each target SKU? | Performance engineers + profilers |
| 5 | Localization | Does every translated string fit its UI, render in its script, and behave under right-to-left + CJK + length expansion? Voice-over coverage. | LQA agencies + automation |
| 6 | Accessibility | Does the title meet the accessibility guidelines the platform requires or recommends (Microsoft XAG, AbleGamers, CVAA where applicable)? | Accessibility QA + design |
These six categories are referenced throughout
platform-cert-overview-reference
when describing each platform's submission gates.
Definition. Verifies that gameplay mechanics, AI, scripting, UI, save/load, networking, and economy match the design specification.
Sub-axes:
Typical tooling. Engine-native test framework
(unity-test-framework,
unreal-automation-system,
godot-gut-tests) for unit + play-mode
tests; recorded-input replay (per
gameplay-recording-replay-skill)
for scripted scenario coverage.
Where it shows up in cert. Microsoft's Build Verification Testing (BVT) stage is largely functional: "BVTs is a reduced test pass designed to make sure a product is fully testable and configured properly before entering full certification testing." Functional bugs that break BVT block the entire cert pass.
Definition. Verifies the build conforms to the platform holder's published Requirements / Policies / TRC document. Each platform holder maintains its own:
| Platform | Document name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Xbox console | Xbox Requirements (XRs) | learn.microsoft.com/.../console/certification-requirements |
| Xbox PC | Xbox Network Policies for PC and Mobile | learn.microsoft.com/.../pc/live-policies-pc |
| PlayStation | Technical Requirements Checklist (TRC) | Gated NDA portal; cite by stable ID "Sony TRC" per PLUGIN_AUTHORING.md Step 4 fallback |
| Nintendo | Lotcheck / Submission Guidelines | Gated NDA portal; cite by stable ID "Nintendo Lotcheck" per Step 4 fallback |
| Steam | App Review Process | partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/review_process |
Each requirement maps to one or more test cases with explicit Test Steps, Expected Behavior, and Pass / Fail examples - see Microsoft's Certification Tested Xbox Requirements for Xbox Console Games.
Severity model (Xbox example, applies broadly). Per the Microsoft cert guide above, findings are classified as:
| Code | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| CFR | Condition for Resubmission | Title fails cert; must be fixed before resubmit |
| SRI | Standard Reporting Issue | Related to an XR but not severe enough to fail; fix recommended |
| ION | Issue of Note | Not tied to an XR; informational |
| Non-Tested | - | XR could not be tested in this pass |
Sony TRC and Nintendo Lotcheck use comparable severity tiers internally (NDA - cite by stable ID).
See also.
platform-cert-overview-reference
for the submission workflow per platform.
Definition. Verifies the build runs across the full matrix of supported hardware generations, console SKUs, display modes, audio configurations, storage devices, controller types, and accounts.
The Xbox bench layout - per the Certification step-by-step guide - exemplifies the matrix:
| Console | SKU | Resolution | Storage | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Console 1 | Xbox One / Xbox Series X | 720p | Internal HDD | Stereo |
| Console 2 | Xbox One X / Xbox Series S | 4k | Internal HDD | 5.1 Bitstream |
| Console 3 | Xbox One S / Xbox Series X | 1080p | Internal HDD | Stereo |
| Console 4 | Xbox Series S | 1080p | USB HDD | Headset (Windows Sonic) |
| Console 5 | Xbox Series X | 720p | USB HDD | Stereo |
(table from Microsoft's certification-guide § Certification test bench configuration)
The same matrix logic applies to Sony (PS4 base / PS4 Pro / PS5 / PS5 Pro), Nintendo (Switch original / OLED / Switch 2), and PC (GPU vendor × driver version × OS × DirectX/Vulkan).
Cross-generation specifically. Microsoft tracks this under XR-130: Xbox Console Families and Generations.
Definition. Verifies the title hits its declared frame-time, load-time, memory, thermal, and (handheld) battery budgets on each SKU in the compatibility matrix.
Sub-axes:
Where it shows up in cert. Microsoft requires a minimum sustained framerate per Xbox Requirements (XR) testing. Sony TRC includes performance gates (NDA - cite by stable ID). Nintendo Lotcheck includes thermal + battery rules for Switch (NDA - cite by stable ID).
Definition. Verifies that translated text, voice-over, dates, times, currencies, and culture-specific content render and behave correctly per locale.
Sub-axes:
Where it shows up in cert. Microsoft's bench layout (table above) explicitly varies Console Language across five consoles to exercise localized assets in the cert pass.
Definition. Verifies the title meets the accessibility guidelines published by the platform holder (Microsoft XAG v3.2 per learn.microsoft.com/.../accessibility/guidelines) and the regulatory framework that applies in the target market (US CVAA for in-game communications; EU EAA from June 2025).
XAG-style category structure. Each Xbox Accessibility Guideline, per the page above, has:
Common accessibility test sub-axes (cross-referenced to XAG identifiers where they exist; see learn.microsoft.com/.../accessibility/guidelines):
Service. Microsoft offers an explicit Microsoft Gaming Accessibility Testing Service (MGATS) that tests against the XAG.
Multiplayer is not a seventh category - it cuts across functional + compliance + compatibility + performance. The multiplayer-specific test surface is:
multiplayer-state-machine-coverage.Content rating (ESRB / PEGI / CERO / USK / IARC) is not a testing category - it is a regulatory classification authored from a content questionnaire, then validated by the rating board. However:
When triaging a bug, map it to one category to clarify owner + urgency:
| Symptom | Category | Severity hint |
|---|---|---|
| Crash on save load | Functional | High - cert-blocker |
| XR-024 fail (unhandled controller disconnect) | Compliance | CFR - cert-blocker |
| Black screen on PS4 base, fine on PS5 | Compatibility | High - gens-affecting |
| 22 fps in raid encounter (target 30) | Performance | Triage vs. budget |
| German "Zurück" overflows button | Localization | Sev 3 - UI |
| Subtitles missing in cutscene 7 | Accessibility | XAG fail |
| Host migration drops players | Multiplayer (functional + compliance) | High |
| Anti-pattern | Why it fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Treating "QA" as one undifferentiated bucket | Loses ownership; compliance gaps surface at cert | Use the six categories explicitly in test plans + bug-tracker fields |
| Running compliance late ("we'll do cert later") | Late-found CFRs delay release by weeks | Run platform-holder TRC / XR checklists from milestone 1 |
| Compatibility on the dev kit only | Retail SKUs (Series S, PS4 base, Switch handheld) behave differently | Lab test on retail hardware per the bench layout above |
| Performance averaged over the level | Spikes cause CFRs; averages hide them | Frame-time histograms, p99, sustained-window measurements |
| Localization screenshot review | Misses runtime overflow, missing VO, lip-sync drift | Playthrough every locale; not a glanced screenshot |
| Accessibility as a launch checklist | Architectural changes (rebindable input) can't be retrofitted | XAG scoping questions at design milestone, not at submission |
| Multiplayer tested only in low-latency LAN | Drops, NAT, host migration fail in the wild | Inject loss / jitter; see multiplayer-state-machine-coverage |
PLUGIN_AUTHORING.md Step 4 fallback; partners
with NDA access should consult their developer portal for the
authoritative current revision.npx claudepluginhub testland/qa --plugin qa-gameProvides CDSS development patterns for drug interaction checking, dose validation, clinical scoring (NEWS2, qSOFA), and alert classification integrated into EMR workflows.