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Black Mirror
Playtest
Directed by
Dan Trachtenberg
TV-MA
S3 • E2
Oct 20, 2016
58m
8.0
Add Show to Watchlist
An American traveler short on cash signs up to test a revolutionary new gaming system, only to discover the thrills are a little too real.
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Where to Watch Playtest
Netflix
Subscription
Netflix Basic with Ads
Subscription
Amazon Video
Buy $1.99
Apple TV
Buy $1.99
Cast of Playtest
Wyatt Russell
Cooper Redfield
Hannah John-Kamen
Sonja
Wunmi Mosaku
Katie
Ken Yamamura
Shou Saito
Elizabeth Moynihan
Cooper's Mum
Jamie Paul
Rick Peters
Jessica Neil
Scared Girl on Plane
Jade Francine
Pub Local (uncredited)
Alessandro Neri
Tourist (uncredited)
Deborah Rock
Airline Passenger (uncredited)
James Tufnell
Lab Technician (uncredited)
Dan Trachtenberg
Director
Charlie Brooker
Writer
Laurie Borg
Producer
Playtest Ratings & Reviews
Tyler S
May 17, 2025
👍👍 8/10
Slashfilm
Jacob Hall
Ultimately, all of those scares climax with an ending that is inscrutable in the best possible ways.
Collider
Aubrey Page
Trachtenberg seems aware of the deeply silly nature of this cautionary tech fable, eventually cashing in on a kitschy, pseudo-Twilight Zone kicker that might feel like cheating - that is, if the journey to "Playtest's" ending wasn't quite so fun.
Hollywood Reporter
Jackie Strause
With its extra twisty ending, "Playtest" pulls on the heartstrings. The horror romp warns of the near-future dangers of virtual and augmented reality, and the story's protagonist is a likable character - a rarity in the Black Mirror world.
The Young Folks
Gary Shannon
Playtest ultimately feels awkwardly crafted. Subplots are left unresolved, the side characters and corporate mischief-implications are completely undeveloped.
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Charles Mudede
This one could have had a decent Twilight Zone vibe, because it had good scares, but that actor ruins everything.
Paste Magazine
Roxanne Sancto
Playtest is the perfect fusion of Brooker's fascination with the human condition and director Dan Trachtenberg's knack for psychological horror, served with all the ingredients necessary for another night of blood-curdling nightmares.
El Pais (Spain)
Eneko Ruiz Jimenez
A unsettling story that takes advantage of psychological terror, with the occasional scare included. [Full Review in Spanish]
The Mary Sue
Charline Jao
There's a lot of self-awareness in its use of jump scares and tropes that also make this episode hilarious. Playtest is a fun episode.
Uproxx
Alan Sepinwall
This one leans very heavily on Wyatt Russell's sheer charisma and likability to work.
Collider
Adam Chitwood
It's a genuinely terrifying video game-centric episode that revolves around a new survival horror game, and with this conceit Trachtenberg basically gets the opportunity to make a horror film -- and it's a damn good one at that.
Guardian
Sam Wollaston
Nosedive feels bigger and more cinematic... than previous Black Mirror episodes. It looks and sounds beautiful.
The Atlantic
David Sims
[Shut Up and Dance] stood out more for its presentation and mood than its actual plotting.
Nerdist
Matthew Hart
Playtest,... is an especially creepy episode of Black Mirror revolving around a video game.
Vox
Alex Abad-Santos
[It] is the most optimistic view of humankind that Black Mirror has ever shown, featuring humans who actually seem like decent people -- something that's often in short supply on Black Mirror.
Daily Telegraph (UK)
Rebecca Hawkes
Playtest is happy to swap deeper probing for a succession of clever shocks, and a bitterly funny... punchline of an ending. The result is an episode that is gripping but not enduringly frightening; a nightmare that won't linger too long after you wake up.
Digital Spy
Alex Mullane
[It's] the most visceral and intense episode Black Mirror has ever done, Playtest is an exhilarating and exhausting experience. [It's an] hour a slickness that's impressive, and the CGI and effects are fantastic throughout.
Esquire Magazine
Corey Atad
The real problem with "Playtest" is that it never amounts to much more than a critique of the technology itself.
Entertainment Weekly
Chancellor Agard
While I didn't think the episode was one of Black Mirror's strongest, it does feature one of the show's most viscerally disturbing scenes; plus, it felt like something that grew out of several of creator Charlie Brooker's passions.
AV Club
Zack Handlen
Cooper's time in the spooky mansion does a great job of building tension with a lot of slow, quiet scenes.
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Black Mirror: Playtest
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