100-player WW2 FPS Enlisted begins open beta in April

The World War 2 multiplayer shooter Enlisted, announced way back in 2016 as a 100-player game that will focus on historical recreations over "sports-like competitions," is finally headed to open beta. Publisher Gaijin Entertainment announced today that the large-scale FPS will finish closed beta testing and open its doors to everyone on April 8.

The launch of the open beta will see the Invasion of Normandy and Battle for Moscow campaigns currently available in the closed beta test expanded with new and more accurately modelled weapons and vehicles like the Browning M1918A2 machine gun and FG 42 II assault rifle, P-38J fighter, German Pz.IV H. tank, Soviet RM-50 mortar, and more. Other changes coming in the open beta include new campaign missions, enhanced soldier AI, weapon and vehicle balance changes, and adjustments to the size of squads in certain roles: Sniper squads, for instance, will always be smaller than assault squads, reflecting their quieter, more precise approach to warfare.

The open beta will also kick off the updated rewards and progression system announced last week, which will be based around a Battle Pass that offers specific rewards along free and optional premium tracks. "Battle Tasks," which will not have time limits, will provide another avenue for rewards: There will be "a few dozen" tasks to complete when the open beta goes live, and more will be added as it progresses. Gaijin said the changes will help ease the game away from the “random mechanics” of the current reward system. 

One thing that won't be available after the open beta begins are the Founder's Packs, which offer exclusive US, Soviet, and German squads, as well as access to the closed beta. It's probably a bit late to get too hung up on that now, but if you do happen to want one (or are simply curious about what you're missing out on), you'll want to make the move fairly quickly.

To find out more about Enlisted—and, when the time comes, play the open beta—head over to enlisted.net.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.