IGD-20 — Internet Gaming Disorder Test

The Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD-20) is a validated, 20-item psychometric instrument designed to measure the presence and severity of problematic…

Questions: 20
Duration: 7 min
Original title: IGD-20 — Internet Gaming Disorder Test
Adaptation: IGD-20 — Internet Gaming Disorder Test
Authors: Pontes, H. M., Király, O., Demetrovics, Z., & Griffiths, M. D.
Created: 2014

The Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD-20) is a validated, 20-item psychometric instrument designed to measure the presence and severity of problematic gaming behaviors in adolescents and adults. It aligns directly with the nine Internet Gaming Disorder criteria proposed in Section III of the DSM-5.

Rather than merely capturing total time spent playing, the IGD-20 maps the psychological and functional impact of gaming across six core components of behavioral addiction: salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict, and relapse. This dimensional approach provides clinicians with a nuanced profile of the patient's engagement with gaming, distinguishing highly engaged but functional players from those experiencing significant distress and functional impairment.

As a standardized and repeatable measure, the IGD-20 offers a reliable baseline at intake and serves as a sensitive tool to monitor changes in symptomatology over the course of treatment, helping clinicians track exactly which domains—such as interpersonal conflict or mood dysregulation—are shifting.

Example result

Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.

Overall score

60/ 100

The IGD-20 is a 20-item self-report questionnaire assessing Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as defined in Section III of the DSM-5. It is based on Griffiths (2005) six-component model of addiction—salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict, and relapse—and provides an objective measure of the severity of problematic online gaming in adolescents and adults. The scale consists of 20 items divided into six components based on Griffiths' six-component model of addiction and assesses problematic online gaming (Internet Gaming Disorder).

20–70

Below the disorder threshold

71–100

Probable Internet gaming disorder

Below the empirical cutoff of 71. The study suggests, for these gamers, an analysis of the dimensional profile (high conflict, withdrawal, relapse = highly engaged at-risk gamers).

Scoring

Sum of items (total score) + subscale sums, total score ranging from 20 to 100, each item is scored on a 5-point scale (from 1 to 5).

Withdrawal symptoms

10/ 15

Unpleasant symptoms upon cessation or when unable to game.

items 4, 10, 16

généralemixed · community sample · 16–58 years · n = 1003 · Pontes et al. (2014)

315

M = 6.2 ± 2.6

Relapse

6/ 15

Failed attempts to reduce or control gaming time.

items 6, 12, 18

généralemixed · community sample · online gamers (85.2% male), recruited via 52 gaming forums, 57 countries · n = 1003 · 2014 · Pontes et al. (2014)

315

M = 7.1 ± 2.5

Conflict

17/ 25

Negative impact of gaming on relationships, education, work, or other activities.

items 5, 11, 17, 19, 20

généralemixed · community sample · online gamers (85.2% male), recruited via 52 gaming forums, 57 countries · n = 1003 · 2014 · Pontes et al. (2014)

525

M = 10.9 ± 4.1

Salience

6/ 15

Dominant role taken by gaming in thoughts and daily life.

items 1, 7, 13

généralemixed · community sample · online gamers (85.2% male), recruited via 52 gaming forums, 57 countries · n = 1003 · 2014 · Pontes et al. (2014)

315

M = 8.4 ± 2.8

Tolerance

12/ 15

Need to increase gaming time to achieve the same effect.

items 3, 9, 15

généralemixed · community sample · 16–58 years · n = 1003 · Pontes et al. (2014)

315

M = 6.9 ± 2.6

Mood modification

9/ 15

Use of gaming to alter emotional state.

items 2, 8, 14

généralemixed · community sample · online gamers (85.2% male), recruited via 52 gaming forums, 57 countries · n = 1003 · 2014 · Pontes et al. (2014)

315

M = 9.2 ± 2.9

Have your patient take this test

Assign it in one click: your patient answers on their phone, you receive the score and its interpretation.

Assign this test to a patient

What the test measures

The IGD-20 operationalizes the criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder across six distinct behavioral addiction dimensions:

Salience: The degree to which gaming dominates the individual's thoughts, feelings, and daily behavior, becoming their primary focus.
Mood Modification: The use of gaming as a primary, maladaptive coping strategy to self-soothe, escape, or regulate aversive emotional states.
Tolerance: The increasing need to spend more time gaming to achieve the same psychological or emotional effect.
Withdrawal Symptoms: Negative emotional states, such as irritability or anxiety, experienced when gaming is abruptly reduced or prohibited.
Conflict: The interpersonal and functional consequences of gaming, including damaged relationships, compromised occupational or educational functioning, and deception.
Relapse: The inability to voluntarily control, reduce, or stop gaming despite repeated efforts, maintaining the core avoidance loop.

This instrument is validated for use with adolescent and adult populations engaging in any form of digital gaming.

When and why to use it

Clinicians typically administer the IGD-20 to structure behavioral assessment and monitor clinical progress:

Intake baseline: To establish the severity of gaming-related impairment beyond a mere estimate of screen time, separating high engagement from clinical dysfunction.
Psychoeducation and parental support: To help caregivers structure screen addiction reduction plans based on objective behavioral criteria rather than subjective frustration.
Monitoring change: To evaluate treatment response over time, tracking specific improvements using a structured progress check-in and measuring how effectively the patient can build new habits away from the screen.
Differential exploration: To clarify if gaming is a primary addictive disorder or secondary to other challenges, such as ADHD, where establishing functional executive scaffolds might be the primary therapeutic target.

A validated score grounds the clinical conversation in standardized data, offering a clearer picture of addiction severity than clinical impression or self-reported hours played alone.

Clinical library

750+ clinical tools

A library built with and for clinicians, ready to use in session and extend between appointments.

Access all the tools

Several resource types

Psychoeducation handouts

Understand at a glance

Interactive exercises

To do and fill in

Interactive programs

A structured path

Audios

Meditation and relaxation

Psychometric tests

Automatic scoring

The questions

These questions relate to your gaming activity during the past 12 months. By "gaming activity", we mean any gaming-related activity that was played on either a computer/laptop, gaming console, and/or any other kind of device, online and/or offline. For each statement, please indicate the degree to which you agree or disagree.
1. I often lose sleep because of long gaming sessions.
This item evaluates the direct impact of gaming on basic biological rhythms and sleep hygiene.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
2. I never play games to feel better.
This reverse-scored item explores whether gaming serves as a primary emotion regulation tool.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
3. I have significantly increased my playing time this year.
This item assesses behavioral tolerance by checking if the time required to feel satisfied has grown.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
4. When I'm not playing, I feel more irritable.
This item probes for psychological withdrawal symptoms manifesting as mood dysregulation when offline.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
5. I have lost interest in other hobbies because of gaming.
This item measures the narrowing of the individual's behavioral repertoire and loss of alternative interests.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
6. I would like to stop playing, but it's difficult.
This item evaluates the subjective loss of control and the difficulty of initiating behavioral change.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
7. I regularly think about my next gaming session when I'm not playing.
This item captures cognitive salience and the preoccupation with gaming during offline hours.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
8. I play to feel better.
This item directly assesses the reliance on gaming to manage or suppress negative affect.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
9. I need to spend more time playing.
This item reflects the subjective compulsion to extend gaming duration to fulfill an escalating urge.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
10. I feel sad if I can't play.
This item identifies depressive affect emerging as a withdrawal symptom when access is blocked.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
11. I have lied to family members because of the time I spend gaming.
This item addresses the behavioral conflict and deception used to hide the extent of the gaming behavior.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
12. I don't think I could stop playing.
This item assesses the perceived inability to abstain entirely, indicating severe psychological dependence.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
13. I think gaming is the most time-consuming activity in my life.
This item measures behavioral salience by evaluating the proportion of time gaming consumes relative to other life areas.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
14. I play to forget about my worries.
This item highlights the use of gaming as an experiential avoidance strategy to escape daily stressors.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
15. I often think that a whole day is not enough to do everything I need to do in the game.
This item captures the distortion of time perception and the insatiable nature of the gaming engagement.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
16. I tend to get anxious if I can't play for some reason.
This item evaluates anxiety as a distinct withdrawal response to the unavailability of the gaming environment.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
17. I think gaming has jeopardized my relationship with my partner.
This item measures severe interpersonal conflict and the jeopardizing of significant intimate relationships.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
18. I often try to play less but find that I can't.
This item identifies the cycle of relapse and the failure of past attempts to self-regulate gaming habits.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
19. I know that my main daily activity (work, education, home, etc.) has not been affected by gaming.
This reverse-scored item assesses the preservation or impairment of primary occupational and educational functioning.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
20. I believe gaming negatively affects important areas of my life.
This item captures the individual's overall insight into the pervasive negative impact gaming has on their life.
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree