VALORANT’s closed beta is now live

The closed beta for one of the most highly-anticipated games of 2020 has officially started.

VALORANT is a competitive five-vs-five character-based first-person shooter created by Riot Games, the developers of League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, and Teamfight Tactics.

It includes nine playable “agents,” each with four unique abilities. Gunplay, aim, and precision, however, are at the heart of VALORANT, with Riot taking inspiration from games like Blizzard’s Overwatch and Valve’s Counter-Strike.

The beta will last for an indefinite period, or up until the game releases this summer. Additional regions, including Asia and South America, will go online as soon as possible, according to Riot.

At the moment, a reported 50,000 keys have been handed out ahead of the beta. This number, though, is expected to grow today and increase in the weeks to come with Riot and select Twitch streamers offering viewers the opportunity to access the beta.

Related: Riot is still “pretty optimistic” about VALORANT launching this summer, expects beta to be “bumpier than usual”

To take part in the closed beta, players can register for a Riot account, link their account to a Twitch account, and watch specific VALORANT closed beta streams highlighted on the platform.

The number of beta keys has yet to be revealed, but it’s expected to be in the hundreds of thousands and should rise steadily in time for the game’s launch. 

The time frame for the closed beta in regions outside of North America and Europe is unknown at this point in time. Riot has been forced to delay the beta process due to the COVID-19 pandemic.