Smoke test
Also called: Build verification test, BVT, Sanity check
A smoke test is a short check that a new build starts, loads and runs its main loop, done before deeper testing so nobody wastes hours on a broken build.
A smoke test is the first, fast pass on a fresh build. The question is simple: does it install, launch, reach the main menu, start a new game, save, load and quit without crashing? The name comes from hardware, where you switch the device on and watch for smoke.
On Steam, a smoke test runs on every build that is about to go to testers, press, a Next Fest demo branch or the default branch. It covers the Steam layer too, including achievements firing, cloud saves syncing, the overlay opening and the game starting from the library on a clean machine.
QA keeps the smoke test short and the same every time, so a failure points straight at the new change. Jumbo Jelly sells a Smoke Test as a fixed product for €290 with 1 tester, 8 hours on your build and a prioritized report in 2 working days.
Updated · Written by JJ, founder of Jumbo Jelly.
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Related terms
- Regression pass
A regression pass retests features that already worked after a code change, to catch bugs the new patch broke in old parts of the game.
- Gold master
Gold master is the build a studio approves as the release version, after QA signs off that no known game-breaking bugs remain.
- Build ID
A Steam build ID is the global number Steam assigns to each uploaded build of a game, used to tell builds apart and to set one live on a branch.
- Steam Next Fest
Steam Next Fest is a weeklong Steam event, held three times a year, where unreleased games offer public demos to players, press and streamers.