Heuristic evaluations help assess how playable, learnable, and enjoyable a game is without requiring live user testing. They are typically conducted using a set of UX principles, such as Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics.
Pick what to review - this could be a full game build, a specific feature (like onboarding), or just the UI.
Choose heuristics to review
Play and evaluate - Reviewers (usually UX researchers or designers) play through the game or prototype and look for places where the experience violates any of the heuristics.
Log issues - include the heuristic, a short description, and severity.
Share findings - organize results with suggestions for improvement.
Visibility of System Status
The game should keep players informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within a reasonable time.
Match Between System and the Real World
Use familiar language, concepts, and metaphors that match player expectations and genre conventions.
User Control and Freedom
Players should be able to undo actions or exit out of unintended states easily (e.g., skip cutscenes, back out of menus).
Consistency and Standards
Follow platform and genre conventions so players don’t have to guess what things mean or how they work.
Error Prevention
Design systems to prevent errors before they occur (e.g., confirmation before deleting saved games).
Recognition Rather Than Recall
Reduce memory load by keeping options, instructions, and controls visible or easily accessible.
Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
Let experienced players speed up interactions (e.g., keyboard shortcuts, skipping tutorials) while still supporting beginners.
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
UI should be clean and not overloaded with irrelevant information—especially important during onboarding and tutorials.
Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors
Provide clear, human-readable error messages and recovery options (e.g., in inventory systems or multiplayer connectivity).
Help and Documentation
While it's better if players don’t need instructions, accessible and searchable help (like a pause menu with controls) is important.
Korhonen, Hannu, Marko Montola, and Juha Arrasvuori. "Understanding Playability Heuristics for Mobile Games." Proceedings of the MobileHCI 2006 Workshop on Mobile Gaming, 2006, pp. 9–12.
Schell, Jesse. The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses. 3rd ed., CRC Press, 2019.
Desurvire, Heather, and Charlotte Wiberg. “Game Usability Heuristics (PLAY) for Evaluating and Designing Better Games: The Next Iteration.” Online Communities and Social Computing, edited by A. A. Ozok and P. Zaphiris, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 5621, Springer, 2009, pp. 557–566.