What's the difference between a bug and a crash?

A bug is any incorrect or unintended behavior, from a cosmetic glitch to wrong game logic to a crash. A crash is a specific, severe kind of bug where the game stops running entirely (closes, freezes, or terminates). So all crashes are bugs, but most bugs aren't crashes, a crash is the high-severity end of the bug spectrum, usually worth prioritizing because it ends the player's session.

Is a crash worse than a regular bug?

Usually yes. A crash ends the player's session and often loses progress, making it among the worst experiences a player can have and a leading driver of churn and bad reviews. Most non-crash bugs (cosmetic glitches, minor logic errors) are less severe. That's why crashes typically deserve priority, though a non-crash bug that loses saves or blocks all progress can be just as severe, so weigh severity, not just whether it's technically a crash.

Are all crashes bugs?

Yes, a crash is a type of bug, specifically a severe one where the game stops running. But not all bugs are crashes; most bugs are lesser defects that make the game behave incorrectly without stopping it. The relationship is that crashes are a subset of bugs, the high-severity end, which is why they're often captured and handled distinctly (automatically, with stack traces) and prioritized accordingly.

Bug vs Crash: What's the Difference?

Quick answer: A crash is a specific, severe kind of bug where the game stops running entirely; a bug is any incorrect behavior, from a cosmetic glitch to a crash. All crashes are bugs, but most bugs aren't crashes.

People use 'bug' and 'crash' loosely, but they're not the same: a crash is one severe type of bug. Understanding the relationship helps you triage and communicate clearly. Here's the difference and why it matters.

What a Bug Is

A bug is any behavior in your game that's incorrect or unintended, anything from a misaligned UI element to wrong damage numbers to a softlock. 'Bug' is the broad umbrella term covering every kind of defect, regardless of severity. Most bugs don't stop the game; they just make it behave wrongly in some way.

Bugs span a huge range of severity, a typo and a save-corrupting defect are both bugs. That's why 'bug' alone isn't enough to prioritize; you need to know what kind. Bugnet captures both crashes and player-reported bugs, helping you see the full range and sort by impact.

What a Crash Is

A crash is a specific, severe kind of bug: the game stops running entirely, it closes, freezes unrecoverably, or terminates. A crash is among the worst things a player can experience, because it ends their session and often loses progress. All crashes are bugs, but they're the high-severity end of the spectrum.

Because crashes are so severe and produce a clear technical signature (a stack trace), they're handled distinctly. Bugnet captures crashes automatically with stack traces and groups them by signature, treating them with the priority their severity warrants, distinct from lesser bugs.

Why the Distinction Matters

The distinction matters for prioritization and handling. Crashes are usually your highest-severity bugs, ending sessions and driving churn and bad reviews, so they typically deserve priority over cosmetic bugs. And crashes are captured differently (automatically, with stack traces) than general bugs (often player-reported).

Bugnet handles both, automatic crash capture for crashes and in-game reporting for other bugs, then ranks everything by impact. So treat crashes as the severe subset of bugs they are: all crashes are bugs, most bugs aren't crashes, and crashes usually warrant priority because of their severity.

A crash is a severe kind of bug where the game stops running; a bug is any incorrect behavior. All crashes are bugs, most bugs aren't crashes, and crashes usually warrant priority due to severity.