'Guilty Gear Strive' Open Beta: Schedule, How To Download, Characters And Game Modes

A few days ago, Arc System Works began uploading the videos that introduced most of the characters that will be in "Guilty Gear Strive." Shortly after, leaked match videos started to crop up online, ahead of the scheduled open beta test this week. Gamers speculated that the clips were taken from top-level players, fighting game community personalities and other influencers.

Those who preordered their copies of the game online were also given early access to its demo. As of writing, players on PS4 and PS5 can already download the beta client from the PlayStation Store. EventHubs notes that the testing period is scheduled to run until 9:59 a.m. ET on Feb. 21. Arc System Works did not indicate if there will be any maintenance throughout the beta period.

For those who are having a hard time downloading "Guilty Gear Strive" from Sony's platform, they can access the website version of the PlayStation Store and add the item to the library. Afterward, they should turn on the PS5 or PS4 and download it directly to the system.

Other game modes will be available outside of online matches. There are 13 playable characters in the game, including Axl, Ky, Sol, Zato-1, Millia, Chipp, Potemkin, May, Ramlethal, Leo, Faust, Giovanna and Nagoriyuki. The latter two are newcomers to the franchise.

Although the 14th character, Anji Mito, was recently revealed, he is reportedly not available during the "Guilty Gear Strive" open beta. Meanwhile, Arc System Works is yet to announce the final character in the roster.

Unlike its predecessor, the "Guilty Gear Xrd" series, "Guilty Gear Strive" will be using rollback netcode for online matches. Most fighting games have regularly used delay-based systems, which have been criticized for their effects on the overall gameplay. As pointed out by Polygon, "the game delays both players' inputs by a few frames" to compensate for the inherent lag brought about by unpredictable internet speeds.

So far, professional players who have tried the rollback netcode for "Guilty Gear Strive" have positive feedback, with some of them saying that it "may be the smoothest online play they've ever experienced in a fighting game." It remains to be seen, however, if the rest of the people who try it will have similar impressions.

"Guilty Gear Strive" launches for the PS4, PS5 and Windows PC on April 9, 2021, while preorders for digital versions are now available.