H1Z1 will launch its open beta on PlayStation 4 at 11am today, allowing players to try out the popular PC game on console for free.
H1Z1 will launch its open beta on PlayStation 4 at 11am today, allowing players to try out the popular PC game on console for free.
For the past few weeks, Daybreak Games has been testing H1Z1 on PS4 through its closed beta in both the North America and Europe regions. The closed beta ended at 2am CT on May 21 as the developers prepared for the open beta launch.
The open beta will not require PlayStation Plus or any key, and it will be free to play. Additionally, no player will have any advantage in character progression upon launch—all character leveling from the closed beta will be reset before the open beta’s start time.
Daybreak is saying Combat Training, Solos, Duos, and Fives will all be available when the open beta begins, and that there are no designated play times for certain game modes like there was in the closed beta.
PS4 players will not be able to play H1Z1 with their PC friends, or transfer items from their PC account, according to a post on the H1Z1 website.
“H1Z1 on PS4 was built specifically with console in mind and has some unique differences from the PC version,” Daybreak said. “So cross-play and item transfers are not supported.”
Daybreak Games’ creation saw a lot of success last year, with the game reaching its all-time high of 150,000 concurrent players in July 2017, according to Steam Charts. Unfortunately, the game’s playerbase faded due to the growing popularity of fellow battle royale games PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite: Battle Royale.
With two giant competitors, the game’s playerbase steadily decreased and settled into the slot as the third most popular in the genre. H1Z1 will look to regain some of its popularity with an expansion to console, and this open beta is a big step toward that goal.
