Wasteland 2 beta now available to Kickstarter backers

Are you ready to roll around in a big puddle of nuclear radiation? Well good/too bad, because InXile's RPG sequel is ready to unleash its fallout (that's lower case) all over the hard-drives of its Kickstarter backers. But with "beta" having been obfuscated into a near-meaningless term, what does this one entail? Brian Fargo explains that "95% of the game's underpinnings" are complete, but stresses that there's still plenty of work remaining before a full release.

"Now," he tells backers , "is the stage of development where the magic happens. With most of the mechanical issues behind us, now we can really start digging deep into the game and finding ways of taking it from good to great. No amount of prepping and planning can replace old-fashioned hands-on playing, testing and iteration time, which is why we are so grateful to have you, our backers, help us hone this process like never before."

"All the game's major systems are now implemented, which allows us to expedite the amount of depth, fun and subtlety that gets in, but this is an ambitious game both in terms of scale and the amount of reactivity we have planned, so please don't forget that we are not complete, and that there are still a host of issues that need to be addressed."

For a run down of those issues, head over to the Kickstarter update. Or, if you pledged for beta access, head over to your Ranger Center log-in page to download it.

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.