If you’ve been gearing up for the release of Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 on PC, there’s some great news for you. Focus Home Interactive and Tindalos Interactive announced that there will be two playable beta tests ahead of the upcoming January 24th, 2019 release date.

The bad news is that the only way to participate in the beta tests is if you pre-order the game. If you’re a newcomer you get a 10% off discount and access to the first and second beta tests, the first of which starts in early December later this year, and the second test that will get underway in early January ahead of the launch of the game at the end of January. For returning players who already own a copy of the original Battlefleet Gothic Armada, they too will gain access to both betas, but instead of getting 10% off they’ll get a 25% off bonus.

During the first beta you’ll gain access to all 12 playable factions, along with the multiplayer progression system, the ability to load custom games, partake in 2-vs-2 and 1-vs-1 matches, as well as go up against the AI.

The first beta phase will be themed around Tindalos gathering feedback and suggestions from the community, as well as monitoring progression rates and unlocks.

The second beta test will include everything from the first beta, but with a few added patches and improvements that were developed between the beta releases. You’ll also gain access to the first few hours of the single-player campaign, including the tutorial and the set up for the narrative across two of the three campaigns.

In addition to announcing the betas and the release date, Tindalos and Focus Home also released a new cinematic trailer covering the various playable factions in the game.

Over on the Steam community thread there’s a developer blog that outlines the pros and cons of each of the factions and what you can expect from each group.

For more info on Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2, you can visit the official website.