New Details Arrive Ahead of The Division Beta Release

With The Division release date drawing ever closer, video game developer Ubisoft is finally shifting everything into high gear. Earlier this week the company released a new trailer designed to show off the game’s role-playing mechanics and story. Today the company revealed the official The Division beta release date. Shocking everyone, the online test of the game kicks off in just a few weeks.

Ubisoft revealed details about The Division beta release in updates to the game’s website. The Division is a shooter that also doubles as a role-playing game. In the game, a disaster on Black Friday causes the collapse of the American government. Members of a part of the United States military are ordered by the President of the United States to save whatever is left. The game is set in New York City after the crisis has practically cleared out the entire metropolis.

Officially, The Division beta release happens on January 29th. Players will be able to experience the game’s weaponry, weather and other mechanics for themselves before the final version of the game launches on March 8th. Microsoft and Ubisoft have teamed up to promote The Division Beta in a big way. Xbox One owners will be allowed into the test session a full day before players on other systems. That’s good news for Xbox One owners, that are on the fence about the ambitious shooter.

Unfortunately, there’s some bad news too. The Division beta is open only in the sense that anyone can absolutely apply to get in. Unfortunately, potential players will need an access code that unlocks the download. Ubisoft is letting users register to receive a code now, but the only way to get one for sure is to pre-order a copy of the game at a participating retailer. To be clear, The Division beta release isn’t just for users with Xbox One and PS4 gaming consoles. It’s also coming to PCs running Microsoft’s Windows operating system too.

Those that want as much time with The Division will want to move quickly once the beta arrives. Ubisoft says that it plans to wrap up The Division beta on January 31st, less than a week after it began. That’s a pretty short amount of time to experience what the game has to offer, but Ubisoft has confirmed that what users see in the beta won’t be completely indicative of what they’ll get when the final game arrives anyway. The company is holding some things back until the final version arrives.

Anyone that purchases directly from Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Amazon, Target, GameStop, Steam Xbox Live or the PlayStation Store should get a beta code when hey place their pre-order. A standard copy of the game costs $60.

In the FAQ accompanying the update to the website for The Division Ubisoft shares some need to know details about the beta.

Read: Epic New Trailer Arrives Teasing The Division Release

First, players will be able to capture and share video and screenshots from The Division beta. The game’s FAQ doesn’t include a mention of any non-disclosure agreements of any kind. That’s different from The Division alpha, which did prohibit players from capturing media and sharing it with their friends.

Beta participants will be able to invite their friends into the test run of the game once they’ve made it in. Ubisoft says that it may have special in-game rewards for those that participate in the beta. Gamers won’t absolutely need an Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus account to download and participate in the beta, but they will need Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus for some of the content that the beta contains. The company says that it plans to clarify that sometime before the beta kicks off.

Finally, participants in The Division beta will need a Uplay account to unlock the code that lets them into the beta. UPlay accounts are absolutely free.