> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rafflex.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rafflex.io/instant-win-games/test-a-game-type.md).

# Preview a Game

Use the Game Preview page to play any instant win game with sample tickets, check it on desktop and mobile, and fine tune your artwork and sounds before customers see it. Nothing is entered and no win

Before you launch a competition with an instant win game, it is well worth seeing exactly how the game looks and plays. The **Game Preview** page lets you do that in a couple of clicks, straight from the competition in your admin panel.

The preview plays the real game, styled with your site's own colours and fonts, using a handful of sample tickets. You can change the game type, swap artwork and sounds, watch the result update straight away, and save when you are happy.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Previewing is completely safe.** No order is placed, no tickets are entered, no instant win prize is used up, no winner is created, no email is sent and nobody is charged. Only you (and other admins) can see the preview. Your customers never will.
{% endhint %}

***

### Before you start

You need two things in place before the **Preview Game** button appears:

* **The competition must be saved.** The button only shows on a competition that already exists, so if you are creating a new one, click **Create** first and then carry on from the competition's edit page.
* **An interactive game must be selected.** Choose any game in the **Game Type** dropdown. **Standard** and **Sequential Tickets** have no game to play, so the button is hidden while either of those is selected.

You do not need to have added your [instant win prizes](/create-your-first-raffle/add-instant-wins.md) yet. If the competition has none, the preview fills in some made up sample prizes so you can still see the game in action. Your real prizes are used as soon as you add them.

***

### Open the Game Preview

1. In the admin panel, click **Competitions** in the left-hand menu.
2. Click **Edit** next to the competition you want to preview.
3. Save any changes you have made to the competition form by clicking **Save changes** at the bottom.
4. In the right-hand column, choose a game in the **Game Type** dropdown (at the top of the column).
5. Click the **Preview Game** button directly underneath the dropdown. If you hover over it first, you will see "Try the game with your custom artwork and sounds before customers see it".

The **Game Preview** page opens with the game you picked already selected, even if you have not saved that choice yet.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Save the competition form first.** The **Preview Game** button takes you to a new page, so any unsaved changes on the competition form (a new description or price, for example) are lost when you click it. The only exception is the **Game Type** you just picked, which is carried over to the preview for you.
{% endhint %}

***

### A tour of the Game Preview page

The page heading is **Game Preview**, with the competition's name underneath. In the top right there is a **Back to competition** button that returns you to the competition's edit page.

On a computer the page is split into two halves. On a phone or small screen, the settings come first and the preview sits underneath.

#### Game Settings (left)

The **Game Settings** card holds everything you can change. Its description reads "Changes show in the preview straight away. Save when you're happy with them."

* **Game Type.** Switch between any of the interactive games to compare them. Only games that have something to play are listed, so **Standard** and **Sequential Tickets** are not offered here.
* **The game's own settings.** Underneath, you see the same artwork, sound and colour options as on the competition form, in a panel named after the game (for example **Plinko Settings** or **Spin The Wheel Settings**). Each game's page explains every option. See the [Instant Win Games overview](/instant-win-games/instant-win-games.md) for the full list.
* **No settings to show?** Some games have no custom artwork or sounds. For those you will see "This game has no custom artwork or sounds. It uses your instant win prizes." instead.

Below the card is the **Save** button.

#### Live Preview (right)

The **Live Preview** panel plays the game exactly as a customer would see it on their order page. Next to the title it reminds you that it uses "sample tickets, nothing is entered".

In the top right of the panel there are three small buttons:

| Button                           | What it does                                                                                          |
| -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Desktop** (monitor icon)       | Shows the game at full width, as it appears on a computer. This is the default.                       |
| **Mobile** (phone icon)          | Shows the game inside a phone sized frame, so you can check it fits and reads well on a small screen. |
| **Replay** (circular arrow icon) | Restarts the game from the beginning so you can play it again.                                        |

{% hint style="info" %}
Hover over any of the three buttons to see its name. A small green dot next to **Live Preview** pulses while the game is loading.
{% endhint %}

***

### What the sample tickets show

So that you can see both outcomes, the preview always plays **six sample tickets**, and **two of them win**.

* **If the competition has instant win prizes**, the two winning sample tickets show your first two prizes, in the order you have arranged them. If you only have one prize, both winning tickets show that prize.
* **If it has none yet**, made up prizes such as "£1,000 Cash" and "iPhone 16 Pro" are used instead.
* **The other four tickets** are losing tickets, so you can check how a loss looks too.

{% hint style="info" %}
The sample tickets are only there to show off the game. They are not real ticket numbers, they never go into your competition, and the mix of wins and losses does not reflect your real odds.
{% endhint %}

***

### Make changes and save

1. Change the **Game Type** or any of the game's settings in the **Game Settings** card. Upload a new image or sound, pick a colour, or switch an option on or off.
2. Watch the **Live Preview** reload with your changes. Click **Replay** to play it through again.
3. Switch to **Mobile** to check it on a small screen, then back to **Desktop**.
4. When you are happy, click **Save**. You will see "Saving…" for a moment, then a green "Game settings saved" message.
5. Click **Back to competition** to return to the competition.

**Save** stores the game type and that game's settings on the competition. Nothing else on the competition is changed.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Saving can change the competition's game type.** If you pick a different game in the preview to the one the competition is saved with, the subheading under **Game Preview** changes to warn you, for example "Saving will change this competition's game type from Spin The Wheel." If the competition is already live, customers will see the new game from then on, including when they reopen an earlier order.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="danger" %}
**Leaving without saving throws your changes away.** Anything you upload or change in the preview is only kept once you click **Save**. If you click **Back to competition** or close the page first, the competition keeps its previous game and settings.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**Have the competition open in another browser tab?** Refresh that tab after saving in the preview. If you click **Save changes** on an older copy of the form, it could put the previous game settings back.
{% endhint %}

***

### Troubleshooting

**I cannot see the Preview Game button.** Check that the competition has been saved at least once, and that the **Game Type** is set to a game rather than **Standard** or **Sequential Tickets**.

**The preview shows sample prizes instead of mine.** The competition does not have any instant win prizes yet. [Add your instant wins](/create-your-first-raffle/add-instant-wins.md), then open the preview again.

**My new image or sound is not showing.** Give the preview a moment to reload after the upload finishes, then click **Replay**. If it still does not appear, check the file type and size against the guidance on that game's page.

**The preview looks different on my live site.** The preview shows the game on its own, without your site's header, footer and the rest of the order page, but it uses the same colours and fonts. Make sure you clicked **Save**, as the live site only uses saved settings.

***

### Optional: a full test order on your own site

The Game Preview is the quickest way to check a game, and for most people it is all you need. If you would also like to see the whole journey (the competition page, basket, checkout and the **Order Successful!** page), you can place a free test order on a competition that only you can see.

1. **Create a new competition** by following [Create a Competition](/create-your-first-raffle/create-a-competition.md). Give it a clear title such as "TEST, do not publish" so you can spot it later.
2. **Leave it inactive.** Do **not** switch on the **Active** toggle. Customers cannot see or buy an inactive competition, but you can, because you are logged in as an admin.
3. **Set the Price to 0.** A free competition charges nothing and sends nothing to your [payment gateway](/getting-started/payment-gateway.md). Free competitions also need a **Max per user** figure, so fill that in.
4. **Give it plenty of tickets.** Set **Max tickets** to a large number, such as 10,000. Do this before you add any instant wins, because you cannot reduce **Max tickets** once a competition has instant wins.
5. **Choose the game** you want to test in the **Game Type** dropdown, then click **Create**.
6. **Add a single instant win** with just **one** winning ticket. See [Add Instant Wins](/create-your-first-raffle/add-instant-wins.md). The game only appears once the competition has at least one instant win, and keeping it to a single winning ticket among lots of tickets makes it very unlikely you will win during testing.
7. **Open the competition on your site.** At the top of the competition's edit page, click the **Preview** button (it is labelled **View** on active competitions).
8. **Add a ticket to your basket and check out.** Once the order completes, the game plays on the **Order Successful!** page just as it would for a customer.

You do not need to place a new order every time you change the game. Make your change in the admin panel and save it, then reopen the order from **My Orders** in your account (or refresh the **Order Successful!** page). The game plays again with your latest saved design. The result of your tickets stays the same for that order.

{% hint style="danger" %}
**Delete your test competition when you are finished.** Go to **Competitions**, find the test competition in the list and click **Delete**. Never switch on the **Active** toggle for a test competition. See [Managing Competitions](/create-your-first-raffle/managing-competitions.md) if you need help.
{% endhint %}

***

### Related pages

* [Instant Win Games overview](/instant-win-games/instant-win-games.md)
* [Create a Competition](/create-your-first-raffle/create-a-competition.md)
* [Add Instant Wins](/create-your-first-raffle/add-instant-wins.md)