The tutorial_begin and tutorial_complete events
tutorial_begin and tutorial_complete are a paired set of GA4 recommended gaming events that bracket onboarding. You fire tutorial_begin when a player starts the tutorial and tutorial_complete when they finish. The ratio between them is a direct onboarding-completion metric — one of the strongest early predictors of whether new players stick around, making this pair central to retention analysis.
What this means
tutorial_begin and tutorial_complete are GA4 recommended gaming events that mark the start and end of onboarding. Neither requires parameters, though you may add context. Together they form the simplest, most important funnel for a new-player experience.
Onboarding completion is widely treated as a leading retention indicator, which is why GA4 provides dedicated events for it.
Onboarding funnel
Completion rate is tutorial_complete divided by tutorial_begin. A large drop means the tutorial loses players before they reach the core loop. If you instrument intermediate steps with custom events, you can locate the exact moment of abandonment and fix it, improving downstream retention.
- tutorial_begin: onboarding starts
- tutorial_complete: onboarding finishes
- Completion rate is a leading retention signal
How it appears in analytics and logs
A gap between tutorial_begin and tutorial_complete means players abandon onboarding — an early, high-impact churn point.
Diagnostic use case
Measure onboarding completion by comparing tutorial_begin and tutorial_complete, and pinpoint early drop-off.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID can record onboarding events first-party so tutorial completion is measurable without cross-site identifiers.
Common mistakes
- Firing tutorial_complete without a matching tutorial_begin.
- Skipping tutorial events for non-game onboarding flows.
- Adding PII to optional tutorial parameters.
Privacy and accuracy notes
These events carry no required PII; they mark onboarding steps, not identity. Keep parameters person-free. Educational, not legal advice.
Related pages
- The level_start event
level_start is part of GA4's recommended events for games. You fire it when a player begins a level or stage, passing a level_name parameter. Paired with level_end, it lets you measure how many players start versus finish each level — the core of game progression and difficulty analysis. Like all recommended events, its documented name plugs into GA4's gaming-oriented reporting.
- The first_visit event and new users
The first_visit event is fired the first time a user opens your site in a browser. It is how GA4 distinguishes new users from returning ones: the presence of a first_visit defines a new user. Because it depends on a stored marker, clearing cookies or using a fresh browser makes the same person look new — a limitation worth understanding before trusting new-user counts.
- The sign_up event
sign_up is a GA4 recommended event that fires when a visitor creates an account. It carries a method parameter naming the registration mechanism, such as 'Google', 'email', or 'Apple'. It is a key activation event for products with accounts, marking the move from anonymous visitor to registered user — distinct from logging in, which returning users do repeatedly.
- Event Explorer
Build an onboarding funnel.
Sources and verification notes
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.