For those of us waiting in excitement for Overwatch to arrive late this May there is a piece of news that going to set your hype gauge past it’s limit. On May 5th to the 9th Overwatch is having a free open beta!
PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will all be hosting open Beta’s for players to experience Overwatch before release, and the best part? There is no payment required, this is a free beta test! Just follow the directions on the Overwatch site which will guide you on how to install it on your system.
There is an early access for May 3rd for those who have pre-ordered or pre-purchased the game on the site. You’ll be given a download code and have two extra days on the beta and if you order the game before April 29th you still apply, so if you really can’t wait? Pre-purchase and get into the action even sooner!
All 21 heroes will be playable and 4 different game modes will be split on 12 maps. Assault, Escort, Control and Escort/Assault Hybrid are the 4 playable game modes to choose from. Not every map will allow every game mode however, each of the 4 game modes will be playable on 3 out of the 12 maps in order to experience all game modes and all environments they’ve been spread out equally.
As for beta play itself? It’ll be twelve players to a map with 6 on 6 action; on Xbox One an Xbox Gold account is required for the beta and at launch, but PS4 owners will only need a PlayStation Plus account for the launch and not for the beta.
The May 24th release is quickly approaching, so make sure to reset that hype gauge after the 9th because it’s got to have room for when the game is actually launched!