The Division 2 open beta dates, start times, and what you'll get to play

Update: The Division 2 open beta can now be preloaded, with it launching tomorrow, March 1. It's hard to miss if you've already got Uplay up. Just click on 'The Division 2 open beta' tab on the top bar and click 'preload now'. Just make sure you've got 45 GB or more free.

You'll get a bit more to play with than what was available in The Division 2's private beta. The level cap has been increased to 8, and there will be an additional early game mission, for a total of three main missions. There will also be five side missions, a Dark Zone, a PvP skirmish mode, plus open world exploration in the available portion of the map. There will also be access to an additional skill in the open beta, the Chem Launcher, which uses riot foam and explosive vapor.

The open beta will also include access to level 30 characters and one endgame mission, which gives players a chance to try out the three agent specializations and meet the powerful new invading faction: the Black Tusk. Here are more details from Ubisoft.

As for when it begins, check out the preload times, start times, and end times below. You can also take a look at what our Division 2 performance analysis showed us about the kind of hardware you'll need to run it.

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.