Durchspielen

Durchspielen is a German verb formed with the prefix durch- attached to spielen (to play). It generally means to play something from start to finish, to run through all parts, or to complete a game, scenario, or program without skipping significant segments. The prefix durch- conveys thoroughness or completion.

In everyday use, durchspielen is most common in the context of games and media: das Spiel durchspielen means to finish a game; ein Level durchspielen means to complete a level; a game or cinematic experience can be described as durchgespielt after finishing it. In the past tense the participle is durchgespielt: Ich habe das Spiel durchgespielt. The phrase can also be used with scenes or sequences, as in eine Szene durchspielen to run a scene through from beginning to end.

Beyond gaming, durchspielen can refer to run-throughs in theater, film, or music, where a piece or performance is rehearsed from start to finish, often without interruptions, to test pacing and cohesion. The noun form das Durchspielen denotes the act or process of going through something completely, for example, “ein Durchspielen des Stücks.”

Grammar note: Durchspielen is a separable verb; in present tense you typically say Ich spiele das Spiel durch. In the perfect tense it appears as Ich habe das Spiel durchgespielt.

Related concepts include durchlaufen, which can mean to go through or to run through more generally, including physical passage or repeated trials, depending on context.