Just Volleyball Playtest: What It Was

The just volleyball playtest was a free public test that opened on September 23, 2026 through a separate Steam app. It is not the same thing as the October Next Fest demo, and it is not the full game. The playtest app is still listed on Steam, but the test itself is effectively over: the developer has moved on to the launch build, and the demo window has closed.

How the playtest worked

On September 23, the developer posted "Public Playtest NOW!!!" on the Steam news feed. The post pointed players at a free app, separate from the main store page, that could be installed and launched like a game. There was no key, no sign-up, and no NDAs. That is the simplest kind of playtest to run on Steam: publish a build as a free app, ask people to play, and read the feedback.

The playtest app has its own store entry (app 5037230). It is not the demo, which was a Next Fest build published later, and it is not the full game (app 5037200). The three apps can coexist in a Steam library, which is why players sometimes see two entries and assume one is a beta key.

The test ran long enough to overlap with the demo announcement. The September build was rougher; the October demo was the version shown to Next Fest players and to press. Rock Paper Shotgun's hands-on, published October 20, describes the demo build rather than the September playtest, so do not treat its details as a description of the first test.

What the playtest was for

A public playtest at this stage does three jobs:

1. Server load. An arcade volleyball game lives or dies on online matches. A free test is the cheapest way to see how lobbies behave when dozens of players join at once.
2. Mechanics feedback. The cursor-aiming system is unusual. The developer needed to know whether new players understood that the cursor, not the player's facing, controls the ball.
3. Bug discovery. Crashes, desyncs, and input edge cases are easier to find when hundreds of players are trying to break the build.

The timing supports that reading. The playtest opened about six weeks before the planned November 4 launch. That is late enough that the core game was feature-complete, but early enough to fix the worst issues before the demo and launch. The October tutorial update, which added dashing and mouse-wheel zoom, is the kind of change that comes from watching new players struggle.

Playtest vs demo vs full game

The important distinction is access. The playtest was open to anyone while it ran; the demo was open to anyone during Next Fest; the full game will require a purchase. None of them share a save in a way you can rely on, although the developer says demo levels and saves carry into the full game.

If you are looking at your library and seeing an app you cannot launch, check which of the three it is. A playtest entry that says "No servers available" is not a broken purchase; it is a test build that has been retired.

Is the playtest still running?

No. The developer's focus moved to the Next Fest demo in mid-October, and the October 31 announcement is about the launch build clearing Steam review. There has been no announcement of a new playtest window. The app remains visible because Steam does not always remove free test apps immediately, but visibility is not the same as an active server.

The practical test is simple: install the app and try to join a match. If there are no lobbies and no news post, the test is over. Do not buy a "playtest key" from a third party. The test was free, and there is no legitimate key market for it.

What the playtest revealed about the game

Community discussion from the playtest and demo period points to a few consistent lessons:

• The cursor is the skill ceiling. New players move their character toward the ball and wonder why the pass goes nowhere. Experienced players move the cursor first and the character second.
• Serving is a timing check. The toss and the contact are separate inputs. Mashing the serve button does not produce a consistent float serve.
• Diving is a commitment. The dive covers ground but costs stamina and leaves you on the floor. Spamming it is worse than taking a bad angle.
• Team size changes the game. 1v1 is a duel; 6v6 is a coverage puzzle. The same mechanics feel completely different depending on how many bodies are on the court.

Those lessons are not patch notes. They are the kind of thing a playtest surfaces when hundreds of players hit the same wall. The beginner guide turns them into a practice plan.

How to give useful feedback if another test opens

The developer reads the Steam forum and the Discord. If a new playtest appears, the feedback that helps is specific and reproducible:

• Build number and mode. "6v6, build 0.9.5, EU server" is useful. "It feels bad" is not.
• Input sequence. What did you press, in what order, and what did you expect? A clip is better than a paragraph.
• Frequency. One weird bounce is noise; the same bounce in five matches is a bug.
• Hardware. GPU, OS, and whether you were on Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Performance reports without hardware are hard to action.

Do not report balance opinions as bugs. "Spikes are too strong" is a design argument; "the ball clips through the block on the left antenna" is a bug. Both are worth posting, but they belong in different threads.

What to do instead of waiting for a test

The playtest is over and the demo is gone, so the next practical step is preparation. Read the controls guide, learn the three-touch rule in the how to play guide, and decide which mode you want to learn first. The game modes guide ranks 1v1 through 6v6 by how forgiving they are for a new player.

If you want to be notified about a future test, join the official Discord. The developer posts there before Steam announcements, and the community is large enough that a new app usually gets noticed within minutes. The invite and channel list are in the Discord guide.

FAQ

Is the just volleyball playtest still available?

The app is still listed, but the test is over. There are no active servers or new builds.

Was the playtest free?

Yes. It was a free public test with no key or sign-up.

Is the playtest the same as the demo?

No. The playtest was the September build; the demo was the October Next Fest build. They are separate Steam apps.

Does playtest progress carry over?

The developer has only commented on demo progress carrying over. Do not assume playtest saves transfer.

Can I still get a playtest key?

There is no legitimate key. The test was open to everyone while it ran.

Further reading

• just volleyball on Steam
• just volleyball Steam discussions

Official source: Public Playtest NOW!!! on the just volleyball Steam news feed.