Titanfall Beta Ends Tonight, Test Patch Might Add Extra Hours

Respawn plans to end the Titanfall beta on Xbox One and PC today. However, we could get a few more hours with the multiplayer shooter than expected.

The official shutdown time for Titanfall's beta is 6pm PST (9pm EST). Jon Shiring, a programmer for Respawn, says that they may test a patch at that time.

Shiring said in a follow-up tweet that if the patch is successful, players will be allowed to play for a "few extra hours." If the patch doesn't work, the beta will be shut down for good and we'll have to wait until next month to play more of the game. Keep those fingers crossed, Pilots.

Titanfall's beta started on Valentine's Day with a limited pool of players. On Sunday, they announced that they were switching the test to an open beta so they could stress-test the servers. Any interested Xbox One player could download the beta and jump in. The PC test is open to anyone who registered before sign-ups closed on Friday afternoon. Respawn also decided to extend the test by a day.

The beta allows you to play two maps with the Last Titan Standing, Attrition and Hardpoint Domination modes. Last Titan Standing is a best-of-five series of rounds with no respawns in which every player starts in a Titan. Attrition is basically Team Deathmatch, with both squads trying to rack up as many player and A.I. kills as possible. Hardpoint Domination is a battle for control of three bases.

While the test only features a fraction of the modes and maps available in the full game, it offers enough of the core experience to give you an understanding of what Titanfall's all about. By completing objectives and killing enemies, you earn new gear, abilities and short-term bonuses called burn cards. You can then customize your loadout for your character and titan using the unlocks you've acquired.

Some have argued that the Titanfall beta was actually a demo. It's true that the beta was very polished and was released in hopes of stirring up sales. Still, Respawn was definitely using it as a test for their game as well. Shiring said that the stress test helped them find a number of issues before launch day. If developers and players are both benefiting from the beta/demo, I don't really care what they call it.