Microsoft announces that the Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta will begin on April 18th and run until May 1st, but doesn't reveal what the beta will include.

Xbox One owners that can't wait until the end of this year to play Gears of War 4 are in luck. Microsoft has announced that the Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta will begin on April 18th, and effectively end on May 1st.

This long Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta will be split into two phases. The first phase begins April 18th and ends on April 24th. For this phase, players must play Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on either Xbox One or PC by April 11th at 11pm Pacific, which will make them eligible for the early access codes that Microsoft will be sending out. Following the conclusion of the first phase, Gears of War 4 will have an open beta from April 25th to May 1st.

Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't revealed exactly what will be included in the beta. However, it seems reasonable to assume that the previously announced Gears of War 4 multiplayer playable characters will be included at the very least, as well as some characters that haven't been discussed yet in order to flesh out the Swarm ranks.

With the beta beginning next month, Microsoft will probably announce additional details soon. In the meantime, the company has also announced a PAX East panel called "Out of the Shadows: Gears of War Multiplayer with The Coalition," which will take place on April 24th at 10:30am Eastern. The presentation will be streamed live on the Gears of War Twitch channel, and those in attendance at PAX East will have a chance to participate in the multiplayer.

Perhaps one of the most interesting takeaways from this beta announcement by Microsoft is the fact that players can qualify by playing Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on PC. With a number of Xbox One exclusives now confirmed for PC, including Quantum Break from Remedy, maybe this is an indication that the possible Gears of War 4 PC version will be announced sooner rather than later.

Microsoft hosting a Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta next month should give fans hope that the game will have no problem meeting its 2016 release deadline. With so many game delays plaguing the industry lately, it's refreshing to see games like Gears of War 4 and Fallout 4 announced and released without being delayed multiple times. In any case, we'll find out next month if the Gears of War 4 multiplayer component lives up to the hype.

Will you be participating in the Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta? What would you like to see from it? Do you think Gears of War 4 will end up being ported to PC before it's all said and done? Leave us your thoughts on Gears of War 4 and its upcoming multiplayer beta in the comments below.

Gears of War 4 will be available later this year, exclusively for Xbox One.

Source: GameSpot