(Update) King of Fighters XV open beta kicks off November 19, download now live on PlayStation

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[Update: A reminder for KoF fans that the beta kicks later this afternoon. The client is now available to download from the PlayStation Store. There is a separate client for PS4 and PS5, though crossplay will be available.]

For fans of the mighty King of Fighters franchise, (which, of course, includes yer boy), this weekend will be a pretty big one, as SNK launches the open beta of the next entry in this legendary franchise, The King of Fighters XV. The beta goes live on PlayStation platforms from November 19, and is available to pre-load now in both its PS4 and PS5 iterations.

The King of Fighters XV open beta will offer up offline Vs. Training, and Tutorial modes, as well as online lobby matches and unranked Vs. battles. Players will be able to select from a limited roster of characters which includes Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Shun’ei, Chizuru Kagura, Yashiro Nanakase, Chris, Shermie, and the super sexy newcomer, Dolores. There’s no sign of my main gal Leona. But that’s cool. All in good time. Crossplay between PS4 and PS5 platforms will also be live.

For North American players, the open beta kicks off Friday, November 19 at 19:00 PT / 22:00 ET and will run until Monday, November 22 at 07:00 PT / 10:00. For European sluggers, the KoF XV beta goes live on Saturday, November 20 at 04:00 CET until Monday, November 22 at 16:00 CET. During this time, online connectivity might be sporadic as SNK monitors game stability and tests for bugs and glitches across the board. I won’t pretend that SNK and myself are not still embroiled in a pretty hefty lovers’ tiff. But I’m interested to see what the new release brings, and so I’ll see you in the ring.

The King of Fighters XV launches February 17, 2022 on PlayStation, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.