The hotly anticipated third person shooter/ MMO The Division is almost here but before the live game hits shelves, anyone who pre-ordered will be able to get a little taster with the beta which starts this week on the 28^th. When the beta goes live, players will have a limited amount of time to take in as much of the game as they can. The betas end will mark the last time you’ll be able to experience the game until its official launch on March 8^th, so let’s get prepared.

How do I get into the Beta – You can get yourself into the beta by pre-ordering a copy of the Division. If you’re buying through an online store like Steam, or the in console store for your PS4 and Xbox One, you’ll be flagged for Beta access automatically.

If you pre-ordered a physical copy from a store you should receive a receipt with a beta access code on it you can input to queue up the beta download.

If you don’t want to purchase a copy of the game but still would like to get into the beta, you can keep an eye on the official Division twitter, where they said they will be giving away beta codes during the week leading up to the beta.

Be sure to check your game inventory 48 hours before the beta starts. That’s when you’ll be able to start the download of the game. The Division comes in at a whopping 26 GB, so the sooner you get that started the better.

Create your Uplay account – You’ll need a Uplay account to take part in the beta. If you don’t have one, you’ll be prompted to make one on the games login screen but it’s much easier to just go ahead and make one on the Uplay website and use it to login when the beta starts.

When can I play – The beta becomes available to play on January 28^th for Xbox One pre-orders and the 29^th for PS4 and PC. You’ll have until midnight of January 31^st to play the game.

The game becomes available for download 48 hours before your Beta start date.

What to expect during the Beta – It looks like you’ll be limited to certain portions of the game during the beta, as is usually the case. This beta is being billed as a test of the game’s server stability and class balance, so expect to be able to take part in the games large open world pvp areas called Dark Zones, and maybe some of the end game activities that require groups of players to complete.

You should also expect glitches and downtime. In my experience as a beta tester there still hasn’t been a game that didn’t at least have a few server issues during its beta testing, so don’t go in expecting a flawless experience.