Sony Opens Up the Concord Early Access Beta to All PS Plus Members [IGN]

Sony has opened up the Concord early access beta to all PlayStation Plus members.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Alice Labrecque, communications manager at developer Firewalk, revealed details on the pre-download, when the servers go live, as well as PC system requirements for the team-based multiplayer shooter.

The Concord early access beta runs from tomorrow, July 12 to July 14, with the open beta running from July 18 to July 21. PlayStation Plus members need only look for the option to download and play the early access beta when they boot up their PS5.

Here are the global release times for Concord’s early access beta across PlayStation 5 and PC:

July 12

• 10am PDT
• 1pm EDT
• 2pm BRT
• 6pm BST
• 7pm CEST

July 13

• 2am JST
• 2am KST
• 3am AEST

If you are playing on a PS5 you can pre-download the Concord beta starting today, Thursday, July 11 from 10am PDT.

Pre-ordering any edition of Concord grants you access to the beta early access weekend, as well as four extra codes you can share with friends so you can squad up with your own crew and take on rival crews together. Extra codes will be for the same platform you pre-ordered on.

Meanwhile, the Concord open beta runs from Thursday, July 18, at 10am PDT to Sunday, July 21. You can pre-download on PS5 starting Wednesday, July 17 at 10am PDT.

Labrecque said during the early access beta and open beta, all 16 of the launch Freegunners (player characters) will be unlocked and available to play and customize. “Whether you want to snipe from afar, lock down an area, provide support for your teammates, or… just dive head-first into the fight, our roster of Freegunners has something for everyone,” Labrecque said.

Here’s what you can play in the Concord early access weekend:

• Four maps: Freewater, Star Chamber, Water Hazard, Shock Risk
• Three modes: Cargo Run, Clash Point, Trophy Hunt
• All 16 Freegunners

The open beta weekend includes all early access content plus new map Bone Mines and mode Area Control.

It’s worth noting early access and open beta progress carries over between the weekends, but progress from either beta will not carry over to the official launch on August 23. There’s full crossplay across PS5 and PC.

As for rewards, you get the Frog Weapon Charm (Frog stands for “From Orbit to Ground” and is the name of the Northstar’s drop ship), a Star Flare Icon, and Business Card for taking part.

And finally, here are the Concord beta PC specs:

The Concord beta will also support:

• 4K
• Ultrawide 21:9
• Uncapped framerate
• KBM and DualSense Controller Support
• Custom Key Mapping
• FSR 3
• DLSS 3.7

Last month, Sony said Concord’s $39.99 price point “provides the full experience.” Following Concord’s divisive reveal during Sony’s State of Play showcase in May, some had wondered whether the live service hero shooter would release in free-to-play form. Confirming Concord launches in both physical and digital standard editions for $39.99 / £34.99 / €39.99, Pam Piscitello, director of marketing and operations at developer Firewalk, said in a post on the PlayStation Blog that this full experience includes all 16 playable characters (called Freegunners in-game), 12 maps set on various worlds, and six team-based modes. This will expand shortly after launch with regular, post-launch updates for all players at no additional cost, Piscitello added.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.