Craft-your-own-guns shooter United 1944 is having a three-day playtest that's live right now

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The beta test will include a brand new map and game mode.

The WW2 shooter United 1944 struck me as a potentially interesting twist on the genre when I first heard about it back in March. Shooting enemies and capturing control points are mixed with exploration, scavenging, and crafting: You start the game "literally with nothing," and must dig up resources and plans so you can assemble weapons, fortifications, traps, and other items that will enable you to start fighting in earnest.

This weekend, you can see how all of that comes together yourself in an open playtest that's now underway. Just pop around to Steam, click the "request access" button, and (hopefully) you'll be off—developer Novarama said that requesting access doesn't guarantee you'll get in, but I got access right away.

The playtest will include an all-new map set in France along with a "revamped and improved" version of the North Africa map from the previous closed beta test, and will feature a new game mode called Survivor, which forgoes team-based gameplay in favor of solo or squad-based action. The new beta also offers an improved day/night cycle with better nighttime visibility, better player movement, a pair of new machine guns, and various quality of life changes.

Unlike the previous beta, which was on an intermittent schedule, this one will run uninterrupted until 12:00 am PT on October 1. To stay on top of what's happening during (and after) the playtest, you can also join the official United 1944 Discord server.

(Image credit: Novarama)
Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

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.