Overwatch doesn’t release until May 24, and its open beta doesn’t kick off until May 5, but for those eager to try Blizzard’s upcoming hero shooter, you may still have a chance to wet your appetite.
Starting tomorrow, April 14, Blizzard will start flagging accounts for beta access in preparation for a stress test that begins on Friday, April 15 at 9 AM PST, and ends at 9 PM PST the next day. Those who are chosen will find that they can finally click on that grayed out install button for Overwatch on their Battle.net home screen that has been teasing them for months.
The stress test will allow players to play as all 21 heroes in Overwatch, but only on the Hanamura, Route 66 and Nepal Maps. Stress test players will also be unable to play in the newly added Weekly Brawl and competitive modes.
Blizzard says that that they are particularly interested in technical feedback from users in the stress test, such as how the game runs on the player’s system, critical bug reporst and other game-impacting problems.
“One of our goals is to push our hardware to the limit, so don’t be surprised if you experience performance issues or run into unexpected downtime—that’s all part of the process,” said Blizzard in their statement regarding the stress test.
Overwatch reopened their closed beta in early February, and it has been going strong ever since. The game has changed a lot over the last few months, adding new maps, modes, plenty of balance changes, interface improvements and is ultimately starting to take the shape of the game that will release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on May 24.
