Beta: founding testers wanted. Bookings for developers open soon.

How it works

Every order follows the same rules, agreed before payment. Here is what happens from booking to review, and what happens when something goes wrong.

From booking to review

  1. Agree the terms

    The developer books a playtest or agrees a custom offer with the tester: scope, play time, hardware, deliverables, access, recording, confidentiality and every deadline. The schedule is locked when the developer pays.

  2. Pay

    The developer pays when booking. The money is held securely until the work is done. How payments work.

  3. Give access

    Within 48 hours of payment the developer shares access to the game privately with the tester, for example a key or a link.

  4. Check access

    Within 48 hours the tester confirms the access works or reports a concrete problem. The developer then has 48 hours to fix it. A second problem goes to IndieStaff support.

  5. Deliver

    The tester plays and delivers within the agreed time after confirming access, or by the agreed date. Written feedback always, plus a bug list or video when agreed, up to 2 GB of files per order. If the deadline passes, the tester has a 24-hour grace period.

  6. Review

    Within 48 hours of delivery the developer accepts it or asks for one correction against the agreed scope. The tester has 48 hours to correct it, followed by a new 48-hour review. A problem that remains after the correction goes to IndieStaff support.

  7. Release

    When the developer accepts, or the review window ends without a reported problem, the order is complete and the payment is released to the tester, once the tester's payout account is verified.

  8. Ratings

    Once an order where play started closes, the developer and the tester rate each other for 7 days, on working together, not on the game. Ratings stay hidden until both have rated or the 7 days are over, so nobody writes theirs after reading the other.

  9. Files

    Delivered files can be downloaded again for 30 days after the final delivery, then they expire.

These are the standard windows. A custom offer can set different windows or fixed dates, agreed by both sides before payment. Deadlines never move on their own, and a message does not reset a timer.

How payments work

Questions

For developers

When do I get a refund?

You get a full refund if the access you shared is never confirmed in time, if the tester does not deliver within the grace period after the deadline, or if the tester refunds the order. A problem that remains after the correction goes to IndieStaff support, who look at the agreed scope and the evidence and decide whether to refund or release.

What happens if the tester misses the delivery deadline?

The tester gets a 24-hour grace period. If nothing is delivered by the end of it, you can cancel for non-delivery and get a full refund.

What counts as a problem with a delivery?

Something objective against the agreed terms: missing recordings, much shorter play than agreed, the wrong hardware, unreadable files or missing required answers. Honest negative feedback, or a tester finding no bugs, is not a problem with the delivery.

What if I don't review in time?

When the review window ends without a reported problem, the delivery counts as accepted and the tester is paid.

What are ratings and reviews?

After each playtest, the developer and the tester rate each other: 1 to 5 stars and a short comment. They are about working together, not reviews of your game. Your game, the feedback and the videos stay private between the two of you. A tester's rating and completed playtests are shown on their playtests and profile, so developers can choose with confidence. Developer ratings are only visible to testers, so testers can choose who to work with. Ratings stay hidden until both sides have rated, or 7 days after the order closes, so neither side can retaliate.

Do I upload my game here?

No. You share a key or link privately with the tester on the order page. Nothing is hosted here.

What does it cost?

Free to join. No subscriptions or monthly fees, for testers or developers. We only earn when a playtest is paid: 20% of the price, payment processing included. Developers pay the tester's price (from EUR 10), with no booking fee on top.

For testers

When am I paid?

When the developer accepts your delivery, or when the review window ends without a reported problem. The payment is then released and paid out to your verified payout account.

What if the developer never sends access?

If usable access does not arrive in time, the order is cancelled and the developer is refunded. Your delivery clock only starts once you confirm the access works.

How many corrections do I owe?

At most one, and only within the agreed scope. New work is not a correction. If you think a correction request is out of scope, you can send it to IndieStaff support.

Who sees my rating?

Developers and testers rate each other after each playtest, on working together, not on the game. Your rating and completed playtests are shown on your playtests and profile. Developer ratings are only visible to testers, so you can choose who to work with.

Which countries can I get paid in?

You need to be based in one of the countries where payouts are supported, and verify your identity and bank account when you set up payouts.

What does it cost?

Free to join. No subscriptions or monthly fees. We only earn when a playtest is paid: 20% of the price, payment processing included.