Overwatch PC Beta Now Open to Many More Players (for a Limited Time)

Because there simply aren't enough betas to play this month, Blizzard has chosen to host one last beta test weekend for the PC version of Overwatch. The event is now underway, meaning the pool of players with access to the beta has been greatly expanded--but only for 36 hours.

A closed PC beta has been going on for months (save for a period of time when it was offline from December through February), and this event expands on that. It's unclear exactly how many people will be allowed in; Blizzard recently said it would open the beta to "a much larger number of players in the Americas, Europe, and Asia gameplay regions for another round of stress testing." It's the second time it's held one of these beta test weekends, and it'll also be the last, as an open beta is coming up in early May ahead of the full game's release.

Battle.net members who have opted in for beta access should have received an email overnight notifying them they're now in the beta. You can also determine if you're in by opening the Battle.net launcher (download it here if you don't already have it) and seeing if you're able to install the beta. Alternatively, you can look to see if an Overwatch beta license is listed in the Your Game Accounts section of the account management area on the Battle.net website.

If you did get in, you'll have access to all 21 characters and three maps: Route 66, Nepal, and Hanamura. Blizzard is hoping to receive feedback regarding how the game runs for players, how its servers are holding up, and "other game-impacting problems." It warns that there could be downtime or other issues that crop up as one of its goals "is to push [its] hardware to the limit."

One important note for those in Europe and Asia: Blizzard says you need to set your region to Americas regardless of where you're located. You can do this from the Overwatch tab of the Battle.net launcher.

You'll have a limited amount of time to play the game, as the beta weekend runs from now until 9 PM PDT on Saturday, April 16. After that, you'll lose access to the game until the open beta kicks off on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on May 5 (or May 3 if you get early access by preordering). The full game is due out on May 24.