Doom beta codes will be handed out at GameStop this weekend

Doom 4

The Doom multiplayer beta, as you may be aware, begins at 10 pm ET on March 31. The good news is, that's only two sleeps away! The bad news is that it's restricted to people who preordered Wolfenstein: The New Order, or purchased it digitally prior to May 26, 2014. Or is it?

Here's a little tidbit in the Doom Multiplayer Closed Beta FAQ that you might find interesting: “Starting April 1 at 6pm ET, visit your local GameStop or EB Games (Canada) to receive a free Doom Closed Beta access code. Codes will be distributed through April 3.”

I honestly don't know if this is new information, or if we just missed it because there's no mention of the offer in the FAQ for the UK that we've looked at previously. Either way, the thing to focus on here is that if you have a GameStop or EB nearby, you can pop in over the weekend and snag access to the beta.

The FAQ doesn't dig down into details, but I would guess that the offer is “while supplies last,” and that the absence of anything similar on the UK side means it's only available in North America. I've reached to Bethesda to confirm and will update when I hear one way or the other.

Thanks, Blues.

Update: Bethesda has confirmed that other retailers outside of North America will be handing out codes, "in limited quantities," as well. A list of retailers wasn't provided, however, so you'll just have to take a shot with your favorite local seller and hope for the best. If you have luck, let us know in the comments.

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.