Halo 5 Multiplayer Beta Available Today

Did you buy November's Halo: The Master Chief Collection? If so, beginning today, you can start playing the multiplayer beta for 2015 Xbox One game Halo 5: Guardians. The beta will be available to download starting at 9 AM Pacific / 12 Noon Eastern, according to a tweet from the official Halo Twitter account.

Though the Halo 5 beta doesn't officially become available until later today, some fans on Reddit have discovered a workaround that they say lets you get in right now. Just access the Halo Channel, watch all the Halo: Nightfall episodes (you can fast-forward), and then select a Nightfall armor reward for Halo 5, which will then reportedly take you to a download store where Halo 5's beta is available.

The Halo 5 beta was previously available only for Xbox One Preview Program members. Being a member of that program (which is invite-only) or owning a copy of The Master Chief Collection are the only two ways to get into the Halo 5 beta as of right now.

The three-week trial runs through January 18. For more, check out GameSpot's video preview above.