Types of Game Testing - Soak Testing

Soaking, in the context of video games, typically involves leaving the game running for a period of hours or days in various modes of operation, such as idling, paused, or at the title screen. This test requires no user interaction beyond initial setup, and is therefore usually managed by lead testers. The purpose of soaking is to detect the presence of memory leaks or rounding errors that manifest over time, resulting in system instability or odd game behavior. Soak tests are one of the checked requirements for first-party compliance and must be performed on every title. Because it requires no user interaction, soaking is also a euphemism for employees shirking their duties (i.e. not playing the game).