# Jumbo Jelly

> Jumbo Jelly (jumbojelly.com) is a PC game QA studio for indie and AA teams shipping on Steam, and a "Steam ship desk": data, checklists and tools about getting a game out on Steam (Next Fest, Early Access, 1.0, patch day, Steam Deck, AI in production). Content is in English. Founder and author: Jean Jarques (JJ). Editor and data editor: Patryk.

Disclosure: the site is run by a QA company that sells testing (Smoke Test €290, Launch Health Check €590, ongoing QA from around €1,000/month). Data on https://jumbojelly.com/steam-in-numbers/ is CC BY 4.0 and comes only from public Steam endpoints; aggregates never name studios with fewer than 200 reviews.

Full article texts in Markdown: https://jumbojelly.com/llms-full.txt

## Key numbers (Steam Launch Bug Index, edition 2026-10, releases 2026-09)

- Games with ≥ 10 English reviews in the first 14 days after release: n = 592 (of 2739 games released that month).
- Median share of first-14-day reviews that mention a bug, crash, stutter, desync, freeze or glitch: 6.5% (Q1 1.6%, Q3 12.7%).
- Share of games with a patch announcement within 24 h: 22.1%; within 7 days: 73.3%.
- Games with an AI Generated Content Disclosure on their store page: 24.8% (median bug mention rate 8% vs 6.1% without a disclosure).
- Method, CSV and JSON: https://jumbojelly.com/steam-in-numbers/ (editions: 2026-10).

## Launch

Early Access, 1.0 and the first 48 hours on Steam.

- [Steam Playtest vs demo vs beta branch: which one to use for pre-launch testing, and what each costs in setup time](https://jumbojelly.com/steam-playtest-vs-demo-vs-beta-branch/): 3 Steam test tools compared: Playtest is a free separate app, only a demo counts for Next Fest, beta keys cap at 2,500. Setup time per tool. (updated 2026-10-30)
- [How long does Steam review take? Store page and build review timelines, with a 6-week release calendar](https://jumbojelly.com/steam-review-time-before-release/): Steam review takes 3 to 5 business days per round, for the store page and the build. A dated 6-week calendar for first releases, with a rejection buffer. (updated 2026-10-29)
- [Early Access Launch Checklist: 35 Checks Before Steam](https://jumbojelly.com/early-access-launch-checklist/): This early access launch checklist has 35 checks in 5 blocks, plus Valve's written rules and what broke 3 real Early Access launches in 48 hours. (updated 2026-10-30)
- [Pre-launch game testing: what 30 hours of QA finds](https://jumbojelly.com/launch-health-check-what-30-hours-of-testing-finds/): 30 hours of pre-launch game testing covers first launch, critical path, saves, controller and 3 PC tiers. See the hour split and real Steam findings. (updated 2026-10-27)

## Next Fest

Demos, deadlines and what Next Fest players hit first.

- [Steam Next Fest February 2027: 8-Week Demo QA Plan](https://jumbojelly.com/steam-next-fest-february-2027-demo-qa-plan/): Steam Next Fest February 2027 runs Feb 22 to Mar 1, with demo builds due Jan 18. A week-by-week QA plan, deadline table and the bugs that break first. (updated 2026-10-30)

## Patches

Patch day, regression and day-one fixes.

- [More patches, more bug reviews? Steam game patches vs reviews](https://jumbojelly.com/steam-patch-count-vs-reviews/): 14.9% negative reviews for Steam games with 6+ patches in 30 days vs 8.3% with none. Split by bug rate, the gap disappears. 592 launches, Sept 2026. (updated 2026-10-28)
- [Day one patch: 22% of Steam launches patch within 24 hours](https://jumbojelly.com/day-one-patch-data/): 22% of Steam games released in September 2026 patched within 24 hours, 73% within a week; median first patch 42.8 h after release. Data from 592 launches. (updated 2026-10-28)

## Buying QA

Costs, briefs, reports and choosing a tester.

- [Game QA cost in 2026: rates, hours and 4 billing models](https://jumbojelly.com/game-qa-cost/): Game QA cost in 2026: €13 to €45 per outsourced tester hour. Game testing services pricing, milestone hours and in-house costs compared. (updated 2026-10-27)
- [QA Brief for a Game: 10 Fields and a Free Template](https://jumbojelly.com/how-to-write-a-qa-brief/): A QA brief needs 10 fields on one page: build, scope, specs, severity and more. Free game testing brief template plus a filled example. (updated 2026-10-28)

## Data

Monthly editions of the Steam Launch Bug Index.

- [Steam launches in numbers: 2,739 games in September 2026](https://jumbojelly.com/steam-launch-bug-index-october-2026/): 2,739 games launched on Steam in September 2026; in the median launch 6.5% of early reviews mention a bug, 22% patched within 24 h. Edition 1. (updated 2026-10-28)

## Tools and checklists

- [QA hours calculator](https://jumbojelly.com/tools/qa-hours-calculator/): How many testing hours your launch needs, from the Steam Launch Bug Index.
- [Next Fest demo QA checklist](https://jumbojelly.com/next-fest-demo-qa-checklist/): Interactive checklist with the February 2027 deadlines. Progress saved in your browser.
- [Bug report grader](https://jumbojelly.com/tools/bug-report-grader/): Paste a bug report, get a score on 8 criteria and a list of what is missing.
- [Patch day QA checklist](https://jumbojelly.com/patch-day-qa-checklist/): 34 checks before a Steam update goes live.
- [Steam Next Fest demo QA checklist (February 2027)](https://jumbojelly.com/next-fest-demo-qa-checklist/): 52 checks for a Steam Next Fest demo: first launch, the first 30 minutes, controls, the wishlist screen, saves, hardware and Steam Deck, performance, localization and store hygiene.
- [Patch day QA checklist for Steam updates](https://jumbojelly.com/patch-day-qa-checklist/): 34 checks for Early Access patches, content updates and post-launch fixes on Steam: regression, saves, changed areas, performance and the first 48 hours.

## Glossary

- [Repro steps](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/repro-steps/): Repro steps are the numbered actions that make a bug happen again on demand, written so a developer can trigger it without asking the tester anything.
- [Desync](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/desync/): A desync is a multiplayer bug where two or more players' game states drift apart, so each client shows a different version of the same match.
- [Soak test](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/soak-test/): A soak test runs a game build for many hours without restarting to catch memory leaks, slowdowns and crashes that only appear over long sessions.
- [Regression pass](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/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](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/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.
- [Steam Deck Verified](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/deck-verified/): Deck Verified is Valve's top Steam Deck compatibility rating, given when a game passes all checks and needs no configuration from the player.
- [AI content disclosure](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/ai-disclosure/): AI content disclosure is the section of the Steam Content Survey where developers describe how their game uses AI-generated content, shown on the store page.
- [Smoke test](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/smoke-test/): 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.
- [Day-one patch](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/day-one-patch/): A day-one patch is an update released on or right after launch day to fix bugs found after the release build was locked or once players arrived.
- [Softlock](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/softlock/): A softlock is a bug where the game keeps running but the player can no longer progress, for example stuck in a room with no way out.
- [Build ID](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/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](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/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.
- [Steam Early Access](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/early-access/): Steam Early Access lets a studio sell a playable but unfinished game on Steam while development continues, with the store page saying so.
- [Bug severity](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/bug-severity/): Bug severity rates how badly a bug hurts the game, from a crash or lost save down to a cosmetic glitch, separately from how soon it gets fixed.
- [Steam beta branch](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/beta-branch/): A Steam beta branch is a separate build of a game that players opt into from the game's properties, often locked with a password for testers.
- [Steam review process](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/steam-review-process/): The Steam review process is Valve's check of a game's store page and build before launch, each typically taking 3 to 5 business days.
- [Steam review score](https://jumbojelly.com/glossary/steam-review-score/): The Steam review score is the rating label on a store page, built from positive and negative reviews by players who bought the game on Steam.

## Case studies

- [POSTAL: Brain Damaged](https://jumbojelly.com/case-studies/postal-brain-damaged/): Speedrun routes kept intact after a major update, French localization delivered, aim-assist tuned for controllers.
- [Blood West](https://jumbojelly.com/case-studies/blood-west/): Test documentation built from scratch, a patch-day AI failure traced to a corrupted NavMesh, controller support and low-end performance.
- [Frozenheim](https://jumbojelly.com/case-studies/frozenheim/): Procedural map testing, multiplayer stress tests that stabilized online play, QA for a major update and a French localization review.
- [Hordes of Hunger](https://jumbojelly.com/case-studies/hordes-of-hunger/): Alpha feedback on pacing and feel, camera behavior, ability balance and a map-wide collision sweep for a 3D survivors-like.

## Services and company

- [Services](https://jumbojelly.com/services/): functional, performance, multiplayer, localization, achievements, playtesting
- [Pricing](https://jumbojelly.com/pricing/): Smoke Test €290, Launch Health Check €590, ongoing QA from around €1,000/month
- [Smoke Test](https://jumbojelly.com/smoke-test/): 1 tester, 8 hours, report in 2 business days
- [Launch Health Check](https://jumbojelly.com/pilot/): up to 2 testers, around 30 hours, Team Lead, report in 3 business days
- [Sample QA report](https://jumbojelly.com/sample-qa-report/)
- [About](https://jumbojelly.com/about/), [JJ (Jean Jarques)](https://jumbojelly.com/author/jj/), contact: contact@jumbojelly.com
- [Sitemap](https://jumbojelly.com/sitemap-index.xml)