Single Session
Playtests
Run fast, focused playtests to see how players experience your game within a single session, before habits, skill, or familiarity from repeated play kick in.
Capture true first session behavior
Find friction before retention drops
Test real builds without heavy setup
Get actionable insights within hours
The Unfiltered 30 Minutes of a Session
A single session often decides whether players stay engaged or leave quietly. Single Session Playtests focus on that critical window, before churn shows up in dashboards.
Identify FTUE breakdowns before Day-1 retention suffers
See where players abandon flows instead of finishing them
Validate whether your early pacing delivers payoff fast enough
Test risky changes without long term exposure or backend complexity
Test the First-Session Moments That Set Retention
Onboarding and tutorial pacing
Core loop discovery and completion
Navigation, menus, and UI clarity
Early monetization friction
Feature introductions and HUD changes
Ad promise vs. gameplay reality
MVP clarity and emotional hook
Instant Insights From A Single Session. Skip the Guesswork.
Single Session Playtests on Lysto make it easy to observe real player behavior in a single session across live or prototype builds, without the overhead of moderation or scheduling friction.
Define the focus
Decide what matters most: onboarding clarity, drop-offs, feature comprehension, or single session sentiment.
Share your build
Upload Android or PC builds, iOS TestFlight links, browser games, or any live game links. No integration required.
Watch players play
Players experience the game unmoderated, thinking aloud as they go, revealing natural decision making and points of confusion.
Shape the next move
Review behavioral data, commentary, and emotional signals to prioritize fixes that matter before scale.
Run playtests on your schedule, with players around the world, 24 x 7
Clear, Actionable View of How
Players Navigate Your Game
Lysto converts scattered gameplay reactions into an organized model of how players think, feel, and behave. And when needed, our game user research experts can help you interpret complex patterns with genre specific insight.
Key Moments Identified
Confusion, hesitation, friction, delight, clarity shifts.
AI Annotated Gameplay
Timestamped clips showing exactly where players get blocked or excited.
Emotional Signals
Tone, sentiment, and reaction cues aligned with gameplay events.
Player Commentary
Layered audio insights revealing expectations and mental models.
Cross-Player Patterns
AI automates clustering of recurring issues and shared experiences.
Survey Integration
Attitudinal signals combined with behavioural data.
Secure Player Access
NDA-bound, strictly qualified players ensure early concepts and builds stay protected.
Frequently Asked Questions
A single session playtest is a short, focused study designed to gather quick, actionable player feedback without causing fatigue. These sessions typically last 30–60 minutes and are used to evaluate specific aspects of the player experience within a single gameplay session.
Single session playtests are commonly used when the core gameplay loop is ready but not fully polished, helping teams evaluate initial player reactions, test new features or mechanics, and validate changes made from previous feedback.
When run consistently, single session playtests create a feedback loop that informs each iteration and steadily improves the overall player experience.
A Single Session Playtest is best used when you need quick, focused feedback within a short timeframe.
It is most effective when the core gameplay loop is functional but still evolving, when evaluating the First-Time User Experience (FTUE), or when assessing specific features or mechanics. Single session playtests are also well suited for validating changes from prior feedback and for conducting efficient testing under tight timelines or resource constraints.
These playtests work well as part of an iterative development process, helping teams make informed improvements between builds.
A Single Session Playtest focuses on gathering player feedback during one continuous gameplay session, typically lasting 30–60 minutes. It is best suited for evaluating first impressions, onboarding, core mechanics, and specific features within a short timeframe.
A Multi-Session Playtest involves the same players returning to play the game across multiple sessions, separated by short intervals, typically within a one to two day timeframe. This format is well suited for evaluating learning curves, tutorial recall, progression, feature adoption, and how player behaviour evolves after repeated exposure to the game.
The choice between the two depends on your research goals. Single session playtests are ideal for capturing immediate player reactions, while multi-session playtests help assess how player confidence and understanding evolve when they return for subsequent sessions within a short timeframe.
A Single Session Playtest typically lasts 30–60 minutes, depending on the goals of the study and the scope of what is being tested. This duration gives players sufficient time to explore the game naturally while also completing any specific tasks outlined by your team.
Shorter sessions can be effective for focused checks, such as onboarding or specific mechanics, while longer sessions are better suited for deeper evaluation of gameplay flow.
With Lysto's Player Experience (Px) platform, studios can choose a session duration ranging from 5 to 60 minutes, allowing the playtest length to be aligned precisely with the research objectives.
For most Single Session Playtests, 5–8 players are typically sufficient to identify major usability issues, capture First-Time User Experience (FTUE), and spot areas of confusion.
If you are testing multiple features, comparing variations, or targeting different player segments, increasing the number to 10–15 players may provide stronger validation.
The ideal number ultimately depends on your playtesting goals and the complexity of what is being evaluated. If you need guidance on deciding how many playtesters are required, our Expert User Researcher team can help.
Yes. Single session playtests can be run remotely, allowing players to participate from their natural social environments, such as their homes or usual play spaces.
With Lysto, running a remote single session playtest is simple and efficient. You define the session duration, player instructions, and in-game tasks, recruit the right players, and share the build securely. Gameplay, player commentary, and feedback are captured during the session for easy review and analysis.
Single session playtests are not a complete substitute for moderated studies, as each approach addresses different research needs.
Single session playtests are well suited for efficiently capturing FTUE, and validating onboarding, usability, and specific features. Moderated studies, by contrast, are designed for deeper investigation, enabling live observation and real-time follow-up to explore player behaviour and decision-making in greater detail.
If you're unsure which study type best suits your playtesting goals, our Expert User Researcher panel can help guide you.
With Lysto, a single session playtest provides structured, actionable feedback based on how players experience your game during one focused gameplay session.
Depending on how your study is set up, you can receive gameplay recordings, think-aloud player commentary, audio transcripts, AI-generated insights, and a research report summarizing key observations and recommendations. You may also collect post-playtest survey responses to capture player reflections immediately after gameplay.
Together, these deliverables help teams understand first impressions, onboarding clarity, usability issues, and feature performance, enabling faster and more confident iteration.