Trials Rising release date announced, closed beta coming in September

Ubisoft has announced that a closed beta for Trials Rising, the latest addition to the 2.5D motocross racing/platformer series, will run from September 13-16, ahead of a release scheduled for February 12.  

Trials Rising riders will compete for fame and glory in exotic locales including "eminently rideable versions of the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China." New "Stadium Finals" events will feature three-heat competitions between eight players, with competitors eliminated in each round until only one remains. Leaderboards will notify you when a friend beats your high score, and you can also ride with your pals on tandem bikes—two players controlling one bike, which I'm sure will go smoothly—in local co-op play. 

If you want to give the beta a shot, you can sign up for access at ubisoft.com. If you're already sold, you can preorder the game, in either a standard or a Gold edition that comes with the expansion pass, at the Ubisoft Store. And if you have no idea what Trials Rising is and want to lay eyes on some gameplay before you commit yourself either way, Ubisoft has a Let's Play video for your viewing pleasure down below. 

Andy Chalk

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.