Yes. Lysto supports self-hosted playtesting, allowing you to run playtests with your own player community.

When creating a playtest request, select the self-hosted option. You'll receive a link that you can share in your communities to invite players to participate. Players will need to create a Lysto account and download the app to join the playtest, but recruitment is handled entirely by your team.

This approach works well when you want to test with players who are already familiar with your work, when you have an active community, or when you need feedback from a specific audience you've already built.

However, feedback is only relevant if it comes from your targeted audience. If your community doesn't fully represent the player segments you're trying to reach, using Lysto's recruitment method and 1M+ verified player panel may benefit your studio more by ensuring playtesters match your precise targeting criteria.

Yes. Players need to create a Lysto account to participate in playtests, whether they're recruited through Lysto's panel or invited by studios through self-hosted playtesting.

Once players receive the playtest link, they'll be prompted to sign up, download the Lysto app, and complete any required verification steps such as NDA consent before accessing the build. The app displays Lysto branding along with the studio's game icon and project details.

This account and app setup ensures secure build distribution, NDA enforcement, and proper gameplay capture for all playtests.

Setting up a playtest on Lysto requires minimal effort from your team.

You create a playtest request from your dashboard, define the type of study, add project details, configure session parameters including duration and in-game tasks, and upload your build or share a build link. For self-hosted playtests, you also receive a link to share with your community for player recruitment.

If you're using Lysto's player panel, you define targeting criteria such as age range, region, gamer profile, and genres played, and Lysto handles recruitment, verification, and scheduling.

The platform handles session management, gameplay capture, AI analysis, and insight delivery. Most playtests can be set up and launched quickly, allowing teams to move from setup to live sessions without technical integration or complex configuration.

Studios receive gameplay recordings along with think-aloud player commentary and audio transcripts from each session. Lysto's AI structures and analyzes the sessions instantly, surfacing key moments, player reactions, and patterns. AI-generated insights include timestamped summaries, smart annotations for confusion bursts, hesitation, frustration spikes, and delight, and both individual player snapshots and group-level patterns showing systemic issues versus isolated incidents.

If surveys are included, you also receive post-session or post-playtest survey responses. Research reports synthesize findings into actionable recommendations, helping teams understand what needs to change and why.

Lysto implements multiple layers of security to protect builds and player data throughout the playtesting process.

Players cannot access your build until they have signed a legally enforceable NDA. Builds are encrypted end-to-end and accessible only to verified testers who have cleared NDA consent and identity checks. Build access ends automatically through a remote kill switch the moment the test concludes. The build cannot be opened outside the Lysto app and becomes completely inaccessible after the session.

Unauthorized screenshot or capture attempts are detected, traced to the tester's identity, and instantly flagged. All gameplay recordings are automatically deleted from the player's device once the session ends. Role-based access controls ensure submissions are only accessible to authorized studio personnel, allowing you to decide who sees builds, insights, and data down to the permission level.

Every event from NDA sign-in to gameplay submission is logged, timestamped, and auditable. These activity trails can be shared with studios on request. These security measures apply to all playtests on our platform.

Yes. Lysto's Expert User Researcher team can help configure your study if you're not sure what to test or how to structure your playtest.

No matter what stage of game development you're in, our user researchers help define clear playtesting goals, choose the right study type, structure tasks and instructions, and determine optimal session length and player count to ensure meaningful insights.

For more information on our Expert User Research services, contact your Games Partnership Manager or reach out to us at contact@lysto.io.

Yes. If you start playtesting with your own community and later need more playtesters, you can recruit them via Lysto's global player panel.

Panel players can be added to the same running playtest alongside your community players, or can be recruited for a separate playtest. Either way, you'll be able to compare results between your community players and panel participants.

Lysto's Player Experience Platform allows you to expand your research beyond your own community to reach new audience segments, test with different player demographics, validate localization, and access precise targeting criteria. Combining both methods gives you insights from players who are familiar with your work alongside fresh perspectives from new audiences.