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GAMEPERF03-BP02 Test performance and scalability of game servers - Games Industry Lens
Implementation guidance

GAMEPERF03-BP02 Test performance and scalability of game servers

To test the performance and scalability of your game servers, implement a robust testing framework using the Amazon GameLift features and the GameLift Testing Toolkit.

Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established: High

Implementation guidance

Key practices include:

Iterative testing

Use an Amazon GameLift Anywhere fleet to create a cloud-based hosted environment where you can iteratively build and test game components. This environment should mirror real-world hosting conditions, enabling realistic performance and scalability testing.

Game server integration testing

Test the integration of your game server with the Amazon GameLift server SDK, including starting new game sessions and tracking game session events using AWS CLI or GameLift Testing Toolkit. This verifies that the game server functions correctly within the GameLift environment.

Use the GameLift Testing Toolkit to automate testing and gather detailed performance metrics. The toolkit allows you to visualize GameLift infrastructure, launch virtual players for load testing, and iterate on FlexMatch rule sets with the FlexMatch simulator. It is particularly useful for scaling ECS Fargate tasks, which simulate player sessions by creating numerous concurrent game sessions to stress test the server infrastructure.

Scalability testing

Experiment with game session queue designs, multi-location fleets, Spot and On-Demand fleets, and multiple instance types. Test game session placement options, latency policies, and fleet prioritization settings. Configure capacity scaling to meet player demand and validate that the system can handle the expected load under different conditions.

Implementation steps

  • Use Amazon GameLift Anywhere to set up a realistic test environment for iterative performance and scalability testing.

  • Test game server integration with the GameLift server SDK, facilitating correct session management and event tracking within the GameLift environment.

  • Perform scalability testing with the GameLift Testing Toolkit, simulating player load, testing session queues, and validating fleet scaling, latency policies, and prioritization settings.