Interpreting your test results
Poki's tests give you two kinds of signal: qualitative (watching real players) and quantitative (measuring many players). Knowing which tool answers which question is what makes iteration fast.
Qualitative: playtest recordings
Playtest videos answer why. Watch where players hesitate, misread controls, or quit; check the console output for errors on devices you don't own. Ten recordings won't give you statistics, but they'll show you the exact moment your onboarding loses someone, which no metric can.
Quantitative: fit tests
Player fit tests answer how much: the playtime histogram across 500 players shows whether interest holds. Web fit tests answer how it competes: CTR, time on page, and conversion to play, scored against category averages with around 10,000 players.
Reading the combination
| Signal | Likely cause | Where to act |
|---|---|---|
| Players quit in the first minute (recordings) and the histogram leans left | Onboarding or loading | Easy access |
| Healthy start, drop-off mid-histogram | Content depth or missing hook | Engagement |
| Good playtime, low CTR in web fit | Thumbnail | Game thumbnail |
| Good CTR, low conversion to play | File size and load speed | File size & loading |
| Players arrive and convert, but leave quickly | Thumbnail overpromises, or early difficulty wall | Thumbnail honesty, difficulty tuning |
What "good" looks like
In general, 65%+ conversion to play and 5+ minutes average playtime (10+ for management and simulation games) are the base numbers to aim for. If you're not seeing those numbers yet, iterating is the way to go.
If your game doesn't pass
Not passing a stage isn't a verdict on your game. It's data. Here's what each result means and where to focus next.
Below the bar on a web fit metric
| Weak metric | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Click-through rate | Your thumbnail. Revisit the thumbnail best practices and consider a fresh take. (Thumbnail guide coming in Build & optimize.) |
| Average playtime | Engagement. Go back to playtesting and player fit tests to find where interest fades, then rework the loop or the content. |
| Conversion to play | Speed. Shrink your file size, shorten loading, and make onboarding snappy. Getting players into gameplay fast is everything here. |
Reading your C2P
C2P measures how many players who open your game reach the first gameplayStart() event, so it's a direct read on loading and onboarding. Say your game converts 55% of players overall, but only 47% on mobile: that gap points to mobile loading and onboarding as the likely culprit, since less than half your players drop off before ever experiencing the game. This could also reflect device performance so it’s worth checking for potential optimizations as well.
Compare your desktop and mobile C2P in the dashboard to find where the problem lives, then work the easy access guide for loading and onboarding fixes. Unity games carry extra build weight, which is why they typically land around 60 to 65% even when well optimized; our Unity notes cover size reduction. Whatever the engine, C2P feeds directly into traffic recommendations, so it's one of the most valuable stats to improve.
Quality, originality, or content reasons
Metrics aren't the whole story. Games can also be declined in the final review when:
- Originality and craft fall short. We look for original games with a clear sense of human creativity, polish, and authorship. Using AI and other tools to accelerate development is fine; games that feel heavily tool-assisted or rapidly assembled are not. Downloaded templates and repackaged APKs don't qualify as original work.
- Content conflicts with our guidelines. Poki has to feel safe and comfortable for a wide audience and for the advertisers every game depends on. We avoid anything even slightly shocking, and we deliberately err on the safe side. The line can feel unclear at times; honestly, sometimes it is for us too. Read the full content and player safety policy.
- The portfolio is covered. Sometimes a good game overlaps too much with what's already on Poki in its categories.
Iteration is key
Every test is free and repeatable. Look at your weakest metric, make one focused change, and test again. Playtests and player fit tests are always available to check your changes before committing to another web fit test.
And if this particular game isn't a fit: keep the risks low, don't over-invest, and bring us the next idea. Plenty of Poki success stories didn't pass on the first try.