Source: https://gameye.com/glossary/beta-tests/

---
title: "What Is a Closed Beta? Closed vs Open Beta, Explained"
description: "A closed beta is an invite-only pre-launch test for focused feedback; an open beta is public, for scale and stress-testing. What each means for your launch."
---

# Beta tests

A beta test is a pre-launch phase where you get a group of real players to test your game, typically when it’s close to launch day and the major issues are already fixed. Where an [alpha test](https://gameye.com/glossary/alpha-tests/) checks whether the game works at all, a beta checks whether it holds up with real players on real devices — performance, stability, matchmaking, and server load. Testers are actively trying to break it.

The two main kinds are **closed beta** (invite-only) and **open beta** (public). Many studios run a closed beta first for focused feedback, then an open beta to test scale.

## What is a closed beta?

A closed beta is a private, invite-only test. You choose exactly who plays — how many, where they are, and which builds they get. Because the group is small and controlled, the feedback is qualitative: testers work closely with developers to dig into specific problems. Closed betas are ideal when you need to answer a precise question (does this new mode work? is matchmaking fair?) without the noise of a public crowd.

## What is an open beta?

An open beta lets anyone play the beta build. It’s about scale: quantitative feedback, broad bug discovery, and a real stress test of your matchmakers and server capacity. An open beta is the first time your infrastructure faces public, unpredictable traffic — so it also reveals which regions are most popular and when they peak, which tells you how to allocate servers and whether your [auto-scaling](https://gameye.com/glossary/auto-scaling/) keeps up without long queues or [downtime](https://gameye.com/glossary/downtime/).

## Alpha vs. closed beta vs. open beta

| Phase | Who plays | Goal | Feedback |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Alpha](https://gameye.com/glossary/alpha-tests/)** | Internal / small trusted group | Does the core game work at all? | Qualitative, rough |
| **Closed beta** | Invited players only | Polish specific systems; controlled testing | Qualitative, focused |
| **Open beta** | Anyone | Scale, stress, broad bug discovery | Quantitative, broad |

## Why betas are an infrastructure test

A beta — especially an open one — is a dress rehearsal for launch-day server load. It’s where studios discover whether their capacity planning, regional placement, and scaling hold up under real [player concurrency](https://gameye.com/glossary/player-concurrency/). Getting this right in beta is exactly why flexible orchestration matters: you want to scale into unexpected demand without scrambling, and scale back down afterward without paying for idle capacity.

## Frequently asked questions

**What is a closed beta?**
A private, invite-only test where the developer chooses exactly who plays. The group is small and controlled, so feedback is qualitative and focused — ideal for digging into specific problems before a wider release.

**What’s the difference between a closed beta and an open beta?**
A closed beta is invite-only and aimed at focused, qualitative feedback from a controlled group. An open beta is public and aimed at scale — broad bug discovery and a real stress test of matchmaking and server capacity.

**What’s the difference between a beta and an alpha?**
An alpha test checks whether the core game works at all, usually with an internal or small trusted group. A beta comes later, when the game is near launch, and tests how it holds up with real players on real devices.

**What’s the difference between an open beta and early access?**
An open beta is a time-boxed, pre-launch test of a near-finished build, focused on feedback and load. Early access is an ongoing, often paid release of an unfinished game that players keep as it develops.

Running a closed beta? Playtests spike when a wave opens and drop to nothing between waves. Gameye starts a dedicated server per match and bills per second, so you only pay while testers are playing.

[See pricing →](https://gameye.com/pricing/)

[Back to Glossary](https://gameye.com/glossary/)

## Related terms

- ### Alpha tests

Alpha tests are the first round of game testing, run early in development to identify glitches, design problems, and technical issues. [Read more](https://gameye.com/glossary/alpha-tests/)
- ### Soft launch

Soft launching is when you release your game to a specific market or a restricted audience, before your full launch. [Read more](https://gameye.com/glossary/soft-launch/)
- ### Player concurrency

Player concurrency is the number of players connected to game servers at the same time. It determines how much server capacity is needed at any given moment. [Read more](https://gameye.com/glossary/player-concurrency/)
- ### Auto scaling

Auto scaling starts new game server instances as player load rises and releases them when demand drops — no manual intervention required. [Read more](https://gameye.com/glossary/auto-scaling/)