XDefiant's First Closed Beta Test Is Now Live For Select PC Players

The first closed beta test for XDefiant, Ubisoft's new free-to-play shooter set in the Tom Clancy universe, is currently live on PC. Invites went out to select PC players in the US and Canada earlier this week, and players will need to use the Ubisoft Connect client to participate.

Though the official XDefiant Twitter account has shown brief clips of gameplay from the closed beta, the test itself is under a non-disclosure agreement, meaning players who do get the chance to play early will not be able to share screenshots, videos, or streams of the game in-action. Ubisoft released a preview video of two arena maps playable in the test, Emporium and Air & Space, last week.

It seems players are currently experiencing error messages that may impact load times for those looking to get into a match. Ubisoft says it will provide more updates soon. Though this first test is only for PC players, later tests will be available for players on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and the game is slated to support cross-play at launch. The full game will also release on streaming platforms like Google Stadia and Amazon Luna.

XDefiant looks to include fast-paced action and weapon customization reminiscent to that of Call of Duty along with faction-based abilities. Players can choose to join different four different in-game factions, each pulled from other Ubisoft Tom Clancy games like Splinter Cell, The Division, and more recent Ghost Recon titles like Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Each faction is based around different archetypes, like assault, support, and tank. The developer has said more factions, including ones beyond the current Tom Clancy game universe, could also be in the cards.

Ubisoft's new live service shooter isn't the only upcoming FPS currently looking for player feedback. Battlefield 2042's closed technical test went live this week (also under NDA), while players of Halo Infinite's recent technical test could stream the game to their heart's content.