Skull and Bones open beta announced to tide you over until release

Ubisoft has announced an open beta for Skull and Bones.

The studio's long-in-the-works pirate game has had quite a troubled development, which has resulted in several delays over the last few years. However, it now seems like Skull and Bones is really, actually, finally going to happen.

Following a closed beta last month, the studio has now announced an open beta, which will run between 8th and 12th February for those of us in the UK, across PC (Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store), PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Preloads kick off on 6th February.

"Be ready to raise the anchor and test your mettle," Ubisoft proclaimed. "Explore the Red Isle, Coast of Africa, Open Seas as well as the East Indies during this open beta to meet the different factions present in-game and face them peacefully or turn against them in combat."

Those who opt into the beta will be able to complete campaign contracts up to a mission known as 'Exterminate the Rat'. As mentioned above, there will be the opportunity to explore parts of Skull and Bones' world outside of this contract progression lock, although progression will be capped at the rank of Brigand (Tiers 6 rank 1).

"But do go off the beaten path and forge your own pirate adventure! Once you have reached the Brigand rank, your Infamy rank will remain at that level, but you are free to keep on playing to your heart's content for the rest of the duration of the Open Beta," Ubisoft said. "You'll have plenty of loot to hunt down, silver to gain, and activities to complete. Make full use of your Logbook and the Journal in the Map tab to pin and track activities!"

Other activities include side contracts, repeatable contracts, bounty contracts and world events. If you are keen to give the beta a go, here is how to go about setting it all up:

• If you are playing on Ubisoft Connect or Epic Games Store, you will be able to access the Open Beta directly from your launcher under the "free games" section.

• If you are playing on Xbox Series X/S or PS5, you can find the build to install by searching for "Skull and Bones" in your console store or by selecting the correct platform on the skull and bones open beta page.

Below are the PC requirements for Skull and Bones beta, if you want to seas the day and set sail on your computer.

Those who take part will also be able to unlock a set of exclusive rewards for use on Skull and Bones' launch, including ship cosmetics and a pet lemur known as Cookie.

Additionally, any progress earned during the beta will carry over to the game's full release (which is 16th February).

Ubisoft has also released a video detailing its Skull and Bones roadmap for the first year. This will see bombastic pirate lord battles and limited time events introduced to the game. You can hear more in the video above.

For a full rundown of all the other games releasing this year, be sure to check out Eurogamer's 2024 video game release schedule.