Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin open beta now live on Xbox

Players on Xbox Series X|S who want to play Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin early, can now download the open beta from the Xbox Store.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin is a RTS game from Frontier Developments, and sees us leading one of four factions based on Games Workshop's tabletop game to victory. It's launching on Xbox Series X|S later this year, but you can give its 1v1 multiplayer mode a go during the open beta, which is live today, July 7, until July 10.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin open beta

During the open beta, you'll be able to take the Stormcast Eternals and Orruk Kruleboyz into the game's online, cross-platform multiplayer against one other player or AI. You act as a commander of your faction and will need to "engage in a brutal tug-of-war for control of the map," which requires you to gather resources, summon additional troops, capture Victory Points, and more. It sounds very Dawn of War to us, and that is no bad thing!

This beta will also give us a chance to try out Frontier's DirectStep control scheme, which is designed to offer "rapid-fire movement orders, instant cycling between squads, and flexible command of the battlefield on a controller." Additionally, you'll be able to play using a mouse and keyboard on Xbox if you'd prefer.

A second open beta is planned to arrive later this summer, so maybe we'll have a chance to check out the two other factions then — both of which are yet to be revealed. When Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin launches on Xbox Series X|S later this year, it will offer a "cinematic single-player campaign," as well as 1v1 and 2v2 competitive multiplayer modes.

Xbox Series X|S

Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.