What makes a good bug report?

Three things: clear reproduction steps, a clear expected-versus-actual statement, and relevant context. Reproduction steps, clear, numbered steps that reliably trigger the bug, are the most valuable part, because being able to reproduce a bug is usually most of the battle in fixing it, and steps let whoever fixes it see the bug themselves. Stating what you expected to happen versus what actually happened defines the bug precisely, so the reader understands the actual problem rather than guessing what 'broken' means to you. And providing context, device, OS, game version, settings, and what you were doing before the bug, gives the often-decisive detail for reproducing and diagnosing, especially for device- or state-specific bugs that don't reproduce everywhere. A report with these lets someone reproduce and fix the bug without coming back to you for more information, while a vague report (it's broken, it crashed sometimes) wastes time on both sides as the fixer tries to extract the details that should have been there from the start.

Why are reproduction steps important in a bug report?

Because being able to reproduce a bug is usually the hardest and most important part of fixing it, so reproduction steps are what make a report actionable. When someone can reliably reproduce a bug, they can observe it directly, inspect the state when it happens, test hypotheses, and confirm a fix works, all the things that make a bug fixable. Without reproduction steps, the fixer has to guess how to trigger the bug, which can take far longer than the actual fix or make the bug effectively impossible to address, a report that says only 'the game crashed' gives no way to see the crash and is often un-actionable. Clear, numbered steps that reliably trigger the bug hand the fixer the reproduction, turning a mysterious report into one they can act on immediately. This is why reproduction steps are the single most valuable element of a bug report, and why bugs that can't be reproduced from the report are so much harder to fix. For crashes specifically, automatically captured breadcrumbs and stack traces can substitute for or complement written reproduction steps, showing the path to the crash and where it occurred even when the reporter can't articulate exact steps.

What context should I include in a bug report?

Include the context that helps reproduce and diagnose the bug, primarily the device and OS (since many bugs are device- or OS-specific), the game version or build (so the fixer knows which build had the bug and can tell regressions from old issues), relevant settings or configuration, and what you were doing leading up to the bug (the state and actions before it occurred). For crashes, a stack trace or error message is invaluable if available. This context is often the key to reproducing a bug that doesn't happen everywhere, a bug that only occurs on a certain device, at a certain setting, or after a certain sequence is impossible to reproduce without knowing those conditions, so including them can be the difference between a fixable and an unfixable report. The goal is to give the fixer everything they'd need to recreate the conditions of the bug. For crashes specifically, automatic crash capture records much of this context, device, OS, version, breadcrumbs, automatically, so reporters don't have to provide it, but for manually written reports, including this context deliberately is what makes the report actionable, since the fixer can't reproduce or diagnose what they don't know about the conditions.

Best Practices for Writing Bug Reports

Quick answer: Include clear reproduction steps, state expected versus actual, and provide context like device, version, and what led up to it. A good report lets someone reproduce and fix without coming back to you.

A good bug report gets a bug fixed fast; a vague one (it's broken) wastes everyone's time. Here are the best practices for writing bug reports.

Include Clear Reproduction Steps

The most valuable part of a bug report is how to reproduce it, so include clear, numbered steps that reliably trigger the bug. Reproduction steps let whoever fixes it see the bug themselves, which is usually the hardest part of fixing, so clear steps turn a mysterious report into an actionable one.

Bugnet captures breadcrumbs leading to a crash, which complement written reproduction steps. Clear reproduction steps are the single most valuable element of a bug report, since being able to reproduce a bug is most of the battle in fixing it.

State What You Expected Versus What Happened

A report needs to make clear why something is a bug, so state what you expected to happen and what actually happened. The gap between expected and actual defines the bug precisely, so whoever reads it understands the problem rather than guessing what 'wrong' means to you.

Clear expected-versus-actual framing defines the bug unambiguously. Stating both is what separates a report that communicates the actual problem from one that just says something is wrong without explaining what correct would look like.

Provide Context Like Device, Version, and What Led Up to It

Many bugs are context-dependent, so provide the context: device, OS, game version, settings, and what you were doing before the bug. This context is often the key to reproducing and diagnosing the bug, especially for device- or state-specific issues that don't reproduce everywhere.

Bugnet captures device, version, and breadcrumb context automatically with crashes, reducing what reporters must provide. So practice writing bug reports by including clear reproduction steps, stating expected versus actual, and providing context, making each report actionable enough to fix without a round-trip.

Include clear reproduction steps, state expected versus actual, and provide context like device, version, and what led up to it. A good report lets someone reproduce and fix the bug without coming back to you.