"Beta" games have been recently opened to the whole BGA community. A game available under the "Beta" status:
~~ is now visible to every player on BGA;
~~ can be played by the whole community in "simple" mode ("arena" and "tournament" competitive modes are not yet available in beta as the game may still contain some bugs);
~~ is listed on the "games" page in a dedicated "Beta games" category;
~~ is clearly flagged with a "Beta" label.
If you find a bug, or want to suggest an improvement for a "Beta" game, please report it in our bug tracking system.
Here is a quick Q&A to sum up the BGA game development cycle:
~~ Q: When does a developer start a new project on BGA studio? A: Whenever they want! (just please ask studio@boardgamearena.com if you are unsure about the license or if you need image assets)
~~ Q: When does a a project move from the studio to "Alpha"? A: When the developer thinks it's ready!
~~ Q: When does a project move from "Alpha" to "Beta"? A: When the BGA reviewers and the publisher/designer think it's ready!
~~ Q: When is a project announced on the BGA social media (and on the front page for outstanding projects) to graduate from "Beta"? A: When the BGA team thinks it's a good idea AND when there is some space available on BGA communication channels!
The goal of this process is to allow new games to reach a larger player audience as soon as they match the requested quality, and to benefit later from some added visibility through an announcement for an extra boost.