Ever since it was officially announced at the 2020 Game Awards, fans have been looking forward to knocking some zombies around in Back 4 Blood. Luckily for anyone anticipating the Left 4 Dead spiritual successor, the open Beta is starting today and anyone can access it without having to pay anything upfront.
The Back 4 Blood Beta will be happening in two parts: the first is an Early Access Beta that requires a code to participate in and the second Beta is one open to everyone. The Early Access stage of the Beta opens today, August 5, and runs until Monday, August 9. Although it takes a little bit of effort, securing a code for the Early Access Beta isn't too complicated and anyone can get one.
How to Play the Early Access Back 4 Blood Beta
Getting into the Early Access portion of the Back 4 Blood Beta can be achieved in one of two ways. Those looking to get straight to it and play the game as soon as it goes live at 12 PM CST simply need to preorder a copy of Back 4 Blood on their preferred system. After preordering the game, an email will be sent with a redemption code in it granting access to the Early Access Beta.
The problem that some may run into is that preordering the game obviously costs money; however, some retailers don't charge for preorders until the game ships. Online storefronts such as Best Buy and Amazon are safe bets, but other retailers will work as well. Just make sure to cancel the preorder if paying full price for the game when it releases.
The other way to get a code for the Early Acces Beta is by watching one full hour of official Back 4 Blood Twitch streams once the Beta goes live. To do this, link a Twitch account to a Warner Bros. Games account through the Warner Bros. Games website and watch a Back 4 Blood streamer who has Twitch drops turned on.
After watching for at least 60 minutes, a redemption code will be sent to the linked account that can be used in the player's preferred online console store. This route will get the player into the Beta a least one hour after it opens, but it's a way of getting in that doesn't require a credit card, so it's possibly a simpler option for some.
How to Access the Second Back 4 Blood Open Beta
Getting into the second open Beta for Back 4 Blood is much simpler than getting into the Early Access Beta.
All that's required is an internet connection and it can be downloaded for free as soon as it goes live on August 12 at 12 PM PST. The Beta will run until August 16 and will be accessible through the player's preferred console storefront for no charge.
Back 4 Blood releases on October 12 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Source: Warner Bros. Games
