Video Game Addiction Test (IGDS9-SF)
A confidential self-check built on the IGDS9-SF, the nine-item research scale that maps directly onto the DSM-5 criteria for internet gaming disorder. Get an instant, plain-language result with an honest read on what the science can and cannot say, plus a professional PDF report you can keep or bring to a therapist. Loving games is not the problem; losing the rest of your life to them is the question.
Video Game Addiction Test (IGDS9-SF) is a free, confidential 9-question self-assessment, based on the validated IGDS9-SF. It takes about 4 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 4 interpretation bands plus a downloadable PDF report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
Nine criteria, not a number of hours
Hours played is a poor measure of a gaming problem. Plenty of people game heavily and stay healthy, and some people unravel on modest hours. The IGDS9-SF instead checks the nine warning signs psychiatry actually uses, over the past 12 months.
The nine DSM-5 criteria
Each item maps to one criterion for internet gaming disorder: preoccupation, withdrawal, tolerance, loss of control, loss of other interests, continuing despite problems, deception, escape, and jeopardizing relationships or opportunities.
Compulsion and craving
Whether gaming dominates your thoughts, whether cutting back makes you irritable or low, whether you need ever more of it to feel satisfied, and whether attempts to control it keep failing.
What gaming is costing you
Lost hobbies, strained relationships, hiding how much you play, gaming to escape difficult feelings, and risks to school, work, or the people who matter to you.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Validated IGDS9-SF items | Rarely | Yes, all 9 items |
| Mapped to DSM-5 criteria | No | Yes, one item per criterion |
| Honest about cutoffs | Invented thresholds | Yes, clearly explained |
| Compulsion vs life-impact breakdown | No | Yes, both shown |
| Non-judgmental, gamer-literate tone | Often alarmist | Yes, throughout |
| Downloadable PDF report | No | Yes, branded & shareable |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–36 in total. Your result falls into one of 4 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–9 | Healthy engagement | Your answers suggest gaming is a hobby you control, not the other way around. The context below is still a useful read. |
| 10–18 | Some strain showing | Your answers suggest gaming is mostly working for you, with a few warning signs starting to flicker. This is a good moment to notice them. |
| 19–26 | Elevated warning signs | Your answers suggest gaming is pushing back when you try to control it and is starting to cost you elsewhere. This is common and very workable, and it is worth acting on now. |
| 27–36 | High range | Your answers place you in the range research associates with disordered gaming. That can be uncomfortable to read, and it is also the point where getting support genuinely changes things. |
Methodology & sources
The nine questions reproduce the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale - Short-Form (IGDS9-SF), developed by Pontes and Griffiths (2015) and now one of the most widely used research measures of problematic gaming. Each item corresponds to one of the nine criteria the DSM-5 lists for internet gaming disorder, a condition flagged for further study rather than an established diagnosis, and the same territory covered by gaming disorder in the WHO's ICD-11. Items ask about the past 12 months. The original scale rates each item from 1 (never) to 5 (very often) for totals of 9 to 45; our engine uses the same five anchors scored 0 to 4, so totals run 0 to 36. The information is identical, only shifted down by nine points, and any published cutoff can be converted by subtracting nine.
One thing we will be straight about: there is no single agreed IGDS9-SF cutoff for disordered gaming. Research has used a range of thresholds, and the strictest, endorsing every criterion at the highest frequency levels, corresponds to roughly 27 or more on our 0 to 36 scoring (36 or more on the original). Our bands are therefore educational guides, not diagnostic lines: lower totals suggest healthy engagement, middle totals suggest strain worth watching, and high totals overlap the range research associates with disordered gaming. This test is for education and self-reflection. Only a licensed clinician can assess whether gaming has become a clinical problem.
References
- Pontes HM, Griffiths MD. Measuring DSM-5 internet gaming disorder: development and validation of a short psychometric scale. Comput Human Behav. 2015;45:137–143. doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.12.006
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed., Text Revision. Washington, DC: APA; 2022.
- World Health Organization. International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11). Geneva: WHO; 2022. icd.who.int/
- Stevens MWR, Dorstyn D, Delfabbro PH, King DL. Global prevalence of gaming disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2021;55(6):553–568. doi.org/10.1177/0004867420962851
Video Game Addiction Test (IGDS9-SF) FAQ
Is video game addiction a real diagnosis?
Partially, and honestly, the field is still settling it. The DSM-5 lists internet gaming disorder as a condition for further study, not an established diagnosis, while the WHO's ICD-11 does include gaming disorder as a diagnosable condition. What researchers agree on is that a small minority of players develop a pattern of impaired control and real-life harm that looks and behaves like other addictions, and that it responds to treatment.
How many hours of gaming is too much?
There is no magic number, and hours alone are a poor measure. Someone can play 30 hours a week around a full life and be fine, while someone else can be in trouble at half that. What matters is control, and cost: can you stop when you need to, and is gaming displacing sleep, work, relationships, or things you used to love? That is what this test measures instead of hours.
What score on this test means addiction?
No score on any self-report scale can diagnose you, and we will not pretend otherwise. Research on the IGDS9-SF has used a range of cutoffs rather than one agreed line, with the strictest thresholds sitting near the top of the scale. Treat your band as a structured reflection on the nine warning signs, and treat a high result as a good reason to talk to a professional, not as a verdict.
How is this different from the internet addiction test?
Scope. Our internet addiction test, built on Young's IAT, covers problematic online use as a whole: browsing, streaming, social feeds, everything. This test zooms in on gaming specifically, using the criteria psychiatry developed for it. If your pull is more toward endless scrolling than play sessions, the internet addiction test or our phone addiction test will fit your situation better.
Is the test really confidential?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server, never stored, and never linked to you. No account is needed, and the optional PDF is generated on your own device.
What if my result is high?
It is workable, and you do not have to give up games forever to fix it. Effective approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy adapted for gaming, rebuilding offline activities that used to matter, and addressing what the gaming is soothing, which is often stress, loneliness, anxiety, or low mood. A therapist who understands behavioral addictions can help with the whole picture.