After several months of fist-flying hype, Guilty Gear Strive is now nearing its long-awaited release date, with Arc System Works ringing in the latest iteration with an ample open beta period. This past February saw PlayStation owners greeted with a featureful initial test session, but it appears ‘Strive’ is planning to double up before the final product with the announcement of a second open beta.

Announced on the Arc System Works website, the new open beta test was confirmed for PS4 and PS5, with the session starting May 13th (8am PST) and lasting until May 16th (8am PST). Similar to the previous beta, Versus, Tutorial, and Training modes will be playable alongside online matchmaking with cross-play across PS4 and PS5. This new test will also notably see the playable debut of all 15 base characters following the official additions of Anji Mito and I-No earlier this year.

Additional details on the Guilty Gear Strive site add a bit more details for those curious about the new beta, with a network connection said to be required “even when playing offline modes.” In addition to several network and balance tweaks from the first time around, the second session was also assured to utilize rollback-style netcode to ensure a gameplay experience “similar to local play even when online.” The good news is that PlayStation Plus would not be required to take part in the second open beta.

Over the last few months, Guilty Gear Strive has been assembling quite the excitement as its top-notch fighting gameplay and formidable roster took shape through various reveals from Arc System Works. However, while the title was initially set to arrive earlier this month, feedback from the first open beta convinced the developer to push back the awaited release in order to accommodate player feedback and bolster the online experience. While not the final product, this next beta offers the first taste of the improved experience expected for launch.

?Face meet Guitar?#INo #GuiltyGearStrive pic.twitter.com/HMQIn1OZ5D

— ArcSystemWorks ➡️ #GuiltyGearStrive 06.11.21 (@ArcSystemWorksU) March 15, 2021

Guilty Gear Strive releases for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on June 11th.

What do you think? Are you excited about the release of Guilty Gear Strive? Which character is shaping up to be your favorite so far? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more pre-release headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

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