Game Testing Modes
Game Testing Modes
Testing games is critical for success. Because of the underlying articles/Roblox Client Server Model|client-server model in all Roblox games, it’s important that you test your game in various modes before publishing it to the public.
Play Solo Mode
The Play and Play Here modes in Studio are collectively known as “play solo” mode. Play inserts your avatar into the game at the SpawnLocation while Play Here inserts your avatar at the current camera position.
When testing in these modes, Studio runs two separate simulations (one client and one server). This gives you a more accurate impression of how the game will execute in production, for instance:
LocalScript|LocalScriptswill run on the client data model and obey client-side rules — they will not create objects in the overall game world, etc.Script|Scriptswill run on the server data model and they will not affect client-side instances like a player’s localScreenGui.
Client/Server Toggle
To toggle between Client and Server modes, click the Client/Server Toggle button while simulating:
The following tables outline the key differences between modes:
| 3D View | |
|---|---|
| Client | Server |
 |
 |
| Output Window | |
|---|---|
| Client | Server |
 |
 |
| Explorer Window | |
|---|---|
| Client | Server |
|
|
|
Run Mode
Run mode is similar to Play Solo → Server mode, but it does not insert your player avatar into the game. The simulation begins at the current camera position and you can navigate around the game world using the standard Studio camera controls.
Player Emulator
Various articles/Introduction to Localization on Roblox|localization and game content policies can be tested through the Player Emulator.
- Select the Test tab in Studio.
- In the Emulation section, click the Player button.
- Once the emulator window is open, toggle on Enable Test Profile to enable emulation while playtesting. Note that emulation will remain as toggled (enabled or disabled) even if you close the window.
- Lower down in the emulator window, the following options are available:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Locale | Lets you emulate a language locale while playtesting. Default is set to your Roblox locale. |
| Region | Lets you emulate a player's country/region while playtesting; this selection may impact policy switches pertaining to the next three options. Default is set to your Roblox country/region. |
| ArePaidRandomItemsRestricted | Emulates whether a country/region restricts paid random item generators. If you're implementing articles/virtual items policy|virtual items, you should check the ArePaidRandomItemsRestricted boolean of PolicyService/GetPolicyInfoForPlayerAsync|GetPolicyInfoForPlayerAsync() to determine if such items are allowed. |
| IsSubjectToChinaPolicies | See here for details. |
| AllowedExternalLinkReferences | Emulates whether external link references are allowed in a country/region. If you're including in-game links to Discord, Facebook, Twitch, and/or YouTube, you should check the AllowedExternalLinkReferences array of PolicyService/GetPolicyInfoForPlayerAsync|GetPolicyInfoForPlayerAsync() to determine which link types are allowed. |
- Start playtesting in a Play Solo mode to test the chosen settings.
Multi-Client Simulation
Using the Server/Players options in the Test tab, you can launch multiple sessions of Studio, one acting as the server and each other acting as a client.
- Select the Test tab in Studio.
- In the Clients and Servers section, make sure Local Server is selected in the upper box.
- In the next box, select the number of player sessions to test (usually “1 Player” is fine).
- Press the Start button to begin the client-server simulation.
- From the same Clients and Servers menu in any of the Studio sessions, select how many new sessions you'd like to add.
- Press the Start button to launch the additional player sessions.
Team Create
If you’re working on a game with others in Articles/Team Create|Team Create mode, you can test as follows:
- Select the Test tab in Studio.
- In the Clients and Servers section, select Team Test in the upper box.
- Press the Start button to publish the current state of the game and create a new Studio session with your character inserted. Other creators can join by pressing Join from the Test tab.
