Invite your own players to a playtest using a shareable public URL. No email list required. You create a custom invitation page, share the link wherever your audience is (Discord, social media, a mailing list), and players sign up directly.
How it works:
You set up an invitation page when ordering your playtest
You get a unique public URL (and QR code) once the order is confirmed
Players visit the link, enter their email, and join the playtest
When the playtest is full or finished, the link deactivates automatically
Setting up your invitation page
When ordering a playtest, select Create a new public invite URL in the Bring your own players (BYOP) section of the order form.
Customizing the page
Your invitation page has a few options:
Logo: use your game's build icon, upload your own image, or go with no logo
Title (required): the name of your playtest or a short invite headline
Description (optional): a sentence or two about what players can expect
Clickthrough agreements (optional): add a privacy policy, NDA, or any other agreement players must accept before joining. More on this below.
"Playtest full" message (optional): what players see if they arrive after the enough players have joined the playtest. Use this to point them elsewhere or thank them for their interest.
You can preview exactly how the page will look before you place the order.
Reusing a previous invitation page
After you've run a playtest with an public invite URL before, you can copy the settings from that page so you're not starting from scratch each time.
Get the invite URL
Once you confirm your order, your invitation URL is generated immediately. You'll find it in your confirmation email and on the playtest results page.
Sharing the link
From the playtest results page you can:
Copy the link to share wherever your players are: Discord servers, community forums, your studio's mailing list
Download a QR code: useful for events, livestreams, or anywhere players are watching in real time.
Important: this link is public. Anyone who has the URL can enter their email and join the playtest. There's no gating or authentication on the page itself. Be thoughtful about where you share it, especially for unannounced titles.
The player experience
Players visit the link and see your branded invitation page. They enter their email address, accept any required agreements, and tap Join playtest.
If there's capacity, they're taken straight to the PlaytestCloud app to start playing
If the playtest is full, they see your custom "playtest full" message instead
Managing the invitation page after ordering
You can edit your invitation page at any time from the playtest results page. Change the logo, update the text, add or remove agreements. Changes go live as soon as you save.
You can also enable or disable the page manually at any time, independent of whether the playtest itself is running. This is useful if you want to pause new sign-ups before the requested participations are received.
The page deactivates automatically when:
The requested participations are received
The playtest ends
Click-through agreements and player data
You can add as many clickthrough agreements as you need - privacy policies, marketing opt-ins, NDAs, and so on. Each one can be marked as required or optional.
Player responses to each agreement are recorded. You can download a full breakdown, with a timestamp for each accepted agreement, from the Downloads tab on your playtest results page, in the Survey and tester raw data (Spreadsheet).
If a player didn't accept an optional agreement, that column will be blank. A timestamp means they accepted it and shows exactly when.
Frequently asked questions
When does the link become active?
As soon as your order is confirmed. You can start sharing it right away.
What if I want to stop accepting players early?
Disable the invitation page from the playtest results page. Players who've already joined aren't affected.
Can I see who has signed up?
Yes. Everyone who submits their email appears on the playtest results page as soon as they sign up, even before they've completed the playtest.
What happens when the playtest is over?
The invitation page deactivates automatically. Anyone visiting the link after that will see the "playtest full" message.
Can I add a click-through agreement after the playtest has started?
Yes, you can edit the invitation page at any time, including adding new agreements. However, players who joined before the agreement was added won't be asked to accept it retroactively.
I have a question that isn’t listed here.
Please contact us at hello@playtestcloud.com. We’re happy to help.