Betatesting

Betatesting is the stage in game development where the game players are playing the game for the purpose of finding and reporting bugs and balance issues. Depending on the game and developer, betatesting is something open or closed.

Methods of Betatesting
Different methods would work better than others based on where the game is on development cycle.

Bug Report Testing
Sometimes game testers are hired to spend time to play through the game and file bug reports whenever they encounter them. Their job is often to try to find ways to "break the game" to the best of their ability. When a bug is found, the game tester submits a form detailing each step taken up until the encountered bug.

Metrics Testing
In open Betatesting involving multiplayer focused games, the developers usually have developed an extensive metrics system that tracks the statistics of how the players play. By using this method, they can find unbalanced weapons or exploits to correct before the actual game is released.