How to play the Legends of Runeterra open beta

Riot Games have announced details of the next beta test for their upcoming digital card game Legends of Runeterra.

Legends of Runeterra is a card game based on the League of Legends universe in a similar manner to the way Blizzard’s Hearthstone is set in the Warcraft universe – although there are some significant differences between the two as games.

The game was one of many new titles unveiled by Riot as part of the League of Legends 10-year anniversary celebrations in October 2019, although it was the first that players got a chance to experience first-hand, with a limited beta taking place in October and another in November.

Now, however, Riot are opening up the game to anyone who wishes to try it out with an open beta. The beta will also be offering features that haven’t been seen yet, including the very first ranked play season – which will last all the way until launch – a friends list, challenge-a-friend functionality, and the first new boards and guardians.

• Read more: League of Legends reveals epic 2020 cinematic with remix

The beta patch will also include updates to more than 20 cards, including a major update to Anivia, so those who have played before would do well to check that their tried and tested strategies still work as expected.

Here’s everything you need to know to get into the Legends of Runeterra open beta.

When is the next Legends of Runeterra beta?

The open beta will officially launch on January 24, but those who have played in the beta or pre-registered for the first two tests will get access a day early, from 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST / 7 PM GMT.

If you haven’t already pre-registered, however, you can still do so to get early access, so long as you register by January 20. To do so, head to the Legends of Runeterra site and either create a Riot Account, or sign in with your existing one.

The beta will run all the way up until the game launches, which Riot state will be “later this year” – although they haven’t yet announced a specific date.

How to play the Legends of Runeterra beta

Unlike the previous testing periods, which required players to have access to a League of Legends PBE account and hope that they were one of the registered players chosen for a spot, this time the beta is open to everyone.

• Read more: Major changes to LCS 2020 schedule and playoffs format

In order to get access, you simply need to go to the Legends of Runeterra website and click “Pre-Register to Play.” If you have a Riot Account – which you will do if you’ve ever played League of Legends or Teamfight Tactics – you can sign up with that. If not, you’ll have to make a new one.

Those that played during the previous betas will find their accounts have been reset for the open one, but there will be no further resets prior to launch. Any content earned during it will carry over to the live game, so if you’re planning on playing Legends of Runeterra, it’s worth jumping in as soon as possible.