Halo Infinite multiplayer technical preview starts Thursday

Players are just a day away from testing Halo Infinite’s multiplayer themselves, 343 Industries revealed on Twitter. From July 29 to Aug. 1, a group of select players will get the chance to engage in some arena-based combat. The studio will reveal more details and show off some of the preview via its Twitch and YouTube channels this Thursday.

This technical preview doesn’t appear to include any actual PvP, and will instead focus on Arena games featuring four human players against four AI bots in the game’s classic Slayer mode. Players will also be able to test three arenas, some academy weapon drills — which act as individual weapon tutorials — and various menu performance. 343 promises to keep things interesting if the preview goes well, updating the offering with “greater challenge and variety” over the course of the preview. A future preview will focus on more traditional PVP modes and the fan-favorite Big Team Battle.

This multiplayer technical preview is specifically for Halo Insiders, 343’s name for players who create an account on its website and opt into certain information campaigns. Players who want to play in this preview (and any future previews) need to register to become a Halo Insider and opt into emails — the studio offered a complete list of instructions in last week’s blog. It’s worth noting that Halo Insider registration does not guarantee one a spot in this preview or the next.

The Halo Infinite team also dropped some info on what this weekend’s technical preview is all about. First, it dropped the usual preview language on Insiders — namely that this is a technical preview, designed to test the game and potentially break it. Then, the studio listed out various areas it’s looking for feedback via player surveys, forum threads on Halo Waypoint, and social media.

For this preview, the team is looking for player information on maps and modes, academy weapon drills, menus, the battle pass, the UI, and core gameplay. Some of those categories are pretty broad, but this is the first time that a large-scale group will be playing Halo Infinite ahead of its launch later this year, so 343 doesn’t have specific community pain points to look out for yet. In this message, the studio pointed out that it won’t be able to change everything players want ahead of the game’s release date — which remains unknown — and that some changes will need to appear on the game’s post-launch roadmap.

Halo Infinite will launch on Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X this holiday.