Watch the full video where our UX Lead, Joan Costa, walks through how we structure stress tests at Antidote!
Stress testing validates that your infrastructure can handle real-world player loads before launch. At Antidote, we’ve run stress tests ranging from 50-player capacity checks to 10,000+ player load tests.
This playbook breaks down why stress testing is important, what we measure and how we organize these tests to give you reliable infrastructure data
What is a Stress Test?
A stress test (a.k.a load or tech test) validates the server-side performance of multiplayer or MMO-style games by simulating real player loads.
Unlike gameplay-focused playtests, stress tests specifically check whether your servers can handle hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously without crashing, lagging or creating matchmaking delays.
The primary goal isn’t evaluating game design or player enjoyment. It’s ensuring your infrastructure provides a stable experience when players show up.
Why Should You Stress Test Your Game
1) Validate Server Capacity
If your game is designed to handle 50,000 concurrent players but servers crash at 10,000, you have a critical infrastructure problem. Stress testing reveals your actual capacity limits before launch.
2) Test Load Fluctuations
Player counts don’t stay constant. Events, streamers, or viral moments can spike your concurrent users dramatically. Stress tests show whether your servers adapt smoothly to sudden changes or buckle under unexpected loads.
3) Identify Performance Bottlenecks
Beyond crashes, stress tests reveal performance degradation. Increased loading times, matchmaking delays, input lag or frame rate drops caused by server strain rather than client-side issues.
4) Ensure Best Player Experience
Players don’t care if server issues aren’t “the game’s fault”. If they can’t log in, matches won’t start or lag makes the game unplayable, they leave. And that can impact long-term retention and refund numbers.
What We Measure in Stress Tests
At Antidote, we track two main categories of data:
Server-Side Performance
Your development team monitors the backend while we coordinate the player load. The critical questions you’re answering:
- Server Stability: Does the server crash under load? At what player count?
- Response Times: How quickly do servers respond to player actions under various loads?
- Instance Creation: For games with match-based instances (like battle royales), can the system create new game instances quickly and reliably?
- Matchmaking Performance: How long does it take to form matches as player counts increase?
- Load Handling: Can servers maintain performance across sustained high player counts, not just brief spikes?
Player-Side Experience
We collect direct feedback from players through short technical surveys, which can include:
- Loading Times: Are players experiencing unusually long loading screens?
- FPS Drops: Are frame rate issues caused by server performance rather than hardware
- Input Lag: Is server latency creating noticeable delays in player actions?
- Connection Issues: Are players getting disconnected or unable to join matches?
This player feedback often uncovers issues that server monitoring alone might miss or that only appear under specific conditions during live play.
How Antidote Organizes Stress Tests
Running a successful stress test requires careful coordination across recruitment, technical setup and live execution. Here’s our step-by-step process:
Step 1: Planning and Scoping (Week 0)
The first conversation determines everything that follows. We assess where you are in development and what you need to validate.
We then define your target loads, the peak (maximum concurrent players for a specific period) and the sustained average throughout the test. For example, a 1,000-player test might maintain 700 average concurrent players for one hour, with a 10-minute spike to 1,000.
Step 2: Recruitment (Weeks 1-2)
This is where most studios struggle and why they come to us. Recruiting hundreds or thousands of players in a short timeframe requires specific systems and experience.
Timeline: Minimum two weeks, though more time makes coordination smoother, especially across multiple time zones.
Player Criteria: Unlike UX studies where player preferences matter, stress tests focus on technical specifications:
- Geographic location (testing North American servers requires North American players)
- Device specs (first tests often use high-end hardware to isolate server issues from client performance)
- Availability during specific test windows to create concurrent player peaks
Player profiles are less critical for stress tests compared to UX studies. What matters most is that players meet technical criteria and can show up during the test window to create the necessary concurrent loads.
During recruitment, we also prepare all communication infrastructure and legal requirements:
Step 3: Setup and Communication (Concurrent with Recruitment)
- Discord Server: We create a centralized hub where all players can receive instructions and report issues in real-time during the test.
- Logistics: We handle automated emails, NDAs, key distribution, recruitment surveys and player management.
- Pre-Test Surveys: We collect PC specs, mobile device info and connection details so you know exactly what hardware will be stress testing your servers.
Step 4: Test Day Execution
A one-hour stress test requires our team to be available for 2+ hours – 30 minutes before for setup, 30 minutes after for troubleshooting.
Before the Test:
- Our team connects with all players via Discord 30 minutes early
- We distribute final instructions, game builds and login credentials
- IT support confirms all systems are running smoothly
During the Test:
- We coordinate player login timing to hit target concurrent peaks (e.g. getting 1,000 players online simultaneously for 10 minutes)
- Live Discord moderation handles player questions and technical issues
- Our IT team monitors platform performance to prevent any disruptions on our end
- Client teams can join moderation or simply observe, whichever they prefer
The Moderation Workflow:
Players report issues through Discord → our team troubleshoots in real-time → technical blockers get escalated to your dev team if needed → we keep players engaged and following the test protocol
After the Test:
- Short survey collecting technical feedback (loading times, crashes, lag, FPS drops)
- 30-minute buffer for players with issues or questions
- Initial debrief with your team on any critical issues observed
- We provide an optional top line report that includes overall observations and analysis
Progressive Testing Strategy
Many studios we work with don’t run just one stress test, they use iterative rounds as development progresses. For example:
- Month 1: 500 players to validate basic server architecture
- Month 2: 1,000 players to refine matchmaking and instance creation
- Month 3: 5,000+ players for final pre-launch capacity validation
This catches infrastructure issues early when they’re cheap to fix, then validates improvements at scale before launch.
It’s important to note that stress tests don’t always require thousands of players. Some studies need just 50-100 players to validate basic infrastructure or test specific server functions early in development. We scale the test size to match your validation needs.
Case Studies: Real-Life Applications
Due to confidentiality agreements and NDAs, we can’t name specific games for some examples, but we can share how we structured these tests and the results they delivered.
1) Helping Sloclap Organize Stress Tests for Rematch
Challenge: The team wanted to find out how the game’s infrastructure holds up under high load before the game’s official release.
Approach:
- Organized a series of progressive stress tests, starting with 1,000 concurrent players and completing the fourth test with 10,000+
- 45,000+ Steam keys were distributed through our platform, making it easy to track which players redeemed keys and how many were left unused
- Our team handled organization and moderation, ensuring all rules were followed and questions were answered
- Sloclap’s team was present to help with technical elements and observe the tests directly
Results: The tests helped the team at Sloclap make critical infrastructure changes before Rematch’s release while simultaneously building hype and engaging their community. This contributed to a successful launch, with Rematch being nominated for Best Sports Game at The Game Awards 2025 and winning Sports Game of the Year at the D.I.C.E. Awards 2025.
2) Large-Scale MMO Stress Test Series
Challenge: Client needed to validate server capacity as their near-complete game approached launch.
Approach:
- Progressive testing: 500 players to 1,000 players then 2,000 players over 3 months
- Each round validated matchmaking performance and server stability at higher loads
- Used tests to polish minor UX aspects, but focused primarily on infrastructure validation
Results: Successfully identified server capacity limits and optimization opportunities at each stage. Client launched with confidence their infrastructure could handle launch day loads.
3) Parallel Development Capacity Testing
Challenge: Client wanted to develop game and server infrastructure simultaneously, testing capacity before gameplay was finalized.
Approach:
- Used basic Unreal template connected to their server architecture
- Started with 50 players for 30 minutes, then 100 players
- Goal: Determine optimal instance size (how many players per match their servers could handle)
Results: Determined 80 players per instance was optimal, with ability to run multiple instances simultaneously. Server architecture validated before significant game development investment.
Need Help Organizing a Longitudinal Study?
If you’re launching a multiplayer or MMO game, stress testing ensures your infrastructure won’t fail when players actually show up. Don’t let server crashes or performance issues ruin your launch.
Our team handles the entire stress test process, from recruiting hundreds or thousands of players across the right regions and specs to executing the test with live moderation.
Contact us to discuss your server validation needs and design a stress test that gives you launch-day confidence.
