Everything You Need to Know About the 'Destiny 2' Beta

After the worldwide gameplay reveal of Destiny 2 and the gameplay revealed as part of E3 2017, the big question on many fans’ minds is obvious:

When is the Destiny 2 beta?

This article is updated as more information about the Destiny 2 beta is released, and the original was published on June 6, 2017.

Since the initial cinematic trailer debuted, Bungie has promised early beta access to anyone who pre-orders the game.

The release schedule for Destiny 2 is unfolding just like the original.

The Open Beta Early Access for those that pre-order for PlayStation 4 will kick off on July 18. Pre-order beta for Xbox One will start the following day, July 18. An open beta then starts for all potential players on July 21 for both systems with the entire beta ending on July 23. PC gamers — who already have to endure an October 24 release date for the game as opposed to September 6 on consoles — will have some kind of beta in “late August.”

Much like Bungie’s previous daily cycles that it used for the first Destiny game, all updates go live at 1 p.m. Eastern daily when they do the daily refresh. On each of the above dates, expect that to be when each beta goes live.

Check out the official beta trailer right here, which confirms that the beta will include the first story mission, a co-op strike, and competitive multiplayer:

The first Destiny game was officially announced alongside the PlayStation 4 on February 20, 2013. A closed alpha test then ran June 12-16 in 2014 before the PS4 public beta ran from July 17-27 in 2014, with the Xbox version starting a few days later — so this schedule for the Destiny 2 beta will sync up almost exactly.

After the original Destiny was released September 9, 2014, regular expansions and updates followed, some of which focused on the anniversary of the game’s release.

“Destiny Year 1, 2, and 3” was the terminology used by both Bungie and the broader Destiny community to demarcate the differences in Bungie’s annual development cycle.

Significant updates and events occurred right around the anniversary of the game’s release each year. In a sense, Destiny 2 will represent what might as well be called “Destiny Year 4.” But Year 4 will bring a lot more than just a raised light level or new weapons.

On June 6, we predicted the date for the Destiny 2 beta would follow the same schedule as Destiny 1 — and it will to a tea. Announced at E3 2017 during the Sony conference on June 12, the Destiny 2 beta was confirmed for mid-July.

So we’ll see you July 18, 2017 for the Open Beta Early Access on PS4 and again when the game releases on September 6, 2017.