Firefall enters open beta in July

After an extended closed beta period, Red 5 will be inviting you to help squash bugs with the open beta of Firefall, the free-to-play MMO shooter, due to kick off July 9th. You'll even get to choose the method with which you dispatch these unwanted critters: be it fastidiously filed reports targeting development issues, or jetpacks and plasma weapons chewing through the in-game beasties. Personally I know which sounds more fun. I do love intense form-filling action.

The open beta will release with item store and all, making this one of those 'soft launch' deals. Red 5 will continue to add content after the release, including "episodic story campaign, more dynamic missions, world events, and open world PvP."

For those in the closed beta, those tests will continue up until the open launch. Future updates promise battleframe crafting additions, new Chosen battle instances, a "Power Level" system for cities, and Melding exploration.

For more on Firefall, you can read our preview here . Trailer below.

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.