Halo Infinite was originally supposed to launch alongside the Xbox Series X when the console hit store shelves last November, but following in the footsteps of Cyberpunk 2077 (and what feels like half of every AAA game that comes out these days), it was later delayed to some nebulous time in 2021. But the wait is finally over, kind of, with news that an invite-only multiplayer beta will be kicking off tomorrow and lasting until August 1st.
Unfortunately, that invite-only wrinkle means that you, specifically, might not be able to play the game quite yet. But don’t worry, this is still just a beta, so the experience will be pretty limited. The idea is less to provide a full taste of the game and more to test specific features.
For this test, the gameplay focus is on team fights against bots in big arena maps, plus on a tutorial system called The Academy. The devs at 343 Industries will also be giving beta testers a taste of the UI and Battle Pass system, plus the web, iOS and Android “Waypoint” apps.
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To be considered for an invite, you need to register for the Halo Insider program over on the Halo site. If you’re looking to play on PC, you’ll also need to share your DxDiag (basically a diagnostics report of how well your PC runs DirectX) with the Halo site and connect your Steam account to it.
As for the single player game, which will focus on expansive, open-world style levels, we still don’t know when we can expect previews to start dropping. But with the multiplayer being developed as a standalone, free-to-play experience, there’s still a lot to dive into here. Bots (or computer controlled players) are a franchise first, as is the new Battle Pass system. And unlike other Battle Passes in similar games, these won’t expire.
But even if you weren’t invited to the beta test, you can still download the new Halo Waypoint app ahead of time for when the full game eventually comes to the public.
