Warhammer: Vermintide 2 beta extended, 10,000 more keys available

Fatshark held a closed beta for the upcoming co-op rat-battler Warhammer: Vermintide 2 over the weekend, and apparently it quite well. So well, in fact, that the studio has decided to extend it by another 24 hours, and is giving away keys to the first 10,000 people who ask for one.

"It’s been an amazing weekend, with millions and millions of Chaos and Skaven enemies eliminated," Fatshark CEO Martin Wahlund said. "We are also very appreciative that media and influencers have taken the game to a large audience around the world."

The beta will be extended until 9 am PT/12 pm ET on February 27, and keys are available at vermintide2beta.com. Players with existing keys will continue to have access through the extension. A separate, "preorder exclusive" beta test will begin on Wednesday.

We spoke with Fatshark about how Vermintide 2 manages to stay true to the first game while delivering new ideas and experiences last weekend at the PC Gamer Weekender. Catch the conversation below.

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.