Doom Xbox One/PS4/PC Multiplayer Alpha Test Dates Revealed

After opening sign-ups last week, Bethesda on Thursday announced that the multiplayer closed alpha testing period for the new Doom will begin this coming Friday, October 23 across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The testing period opens at 12:01 EDT and runs through Sunday, October 25, at 11:59 PM EDT.

As announced previously, alpha testers will get to play 6v6 team deathmatch games on a map called Heatwave. The alpha will let you try out six weapons and two pieces of equipment (see them here), while you can also either choose a pre-set loadout or build your own. In addition, there are multiple "game-changer" items on the map, which Bethesda has outlined in a blog post. As written by Bethesda, these are:

• The Demon Rune, which can turn the tide of a battle by transforming a player into a bad-ass Revenant fully loaded with dual rocket launchers and a jetpack.
• The Gauss Cannon, a high-powered weapon that can destroy a foe in a single blast.
• Power-ups like Quad Damage and Invisibility – you can guess what each of these does.

Watch the video above to learn more and see some gameplay footage.

As revealed during QuakeCon's opening ceremony in July, the alpha is a separate test from the beta, the latter of which will be open to those who preordered Wolfenstein: The New Order. Dates for the beta have not been announced. The alpha, meanwhile, is described as "a series of development-driven tests designed to stress test the game's dedicated server infrastructure in a real-world consumer environment."

Everyone who preordered Wolfenstein: The New Order will get into the Doom beta, but only a limited pool of people will get into the alpha. Everyone who has already redeemed a Doom beta code is entered for a chance to get into the alpha. In addition, if you bought a digital copy of The New Order before May 26, 2014, you may be selected for alpha access.

More details about the Doom alpha are available through this FAQ. The Doom beta will begin in 2016, while the full game is also slated for launch that year across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.