The Halo Infinite beta is live with Big Team Battle

What you need to know

• The Halo Infinite beta test happening this weekend is now live on Xbox and PC.
• This test primarily focuses on Big Team Battle PvP, although access to Arena PvP is also unlocked.
• Matchmaking will only be active between the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET on Oct. 1-3.
• Between matchmaking times, players can enjoy Weapon Drills and Training Mode.

Halo developer 343 Industries has officially pushed the Halo Infinite beta live once more, with the test primarily focusing on Halo Infinite's new 12v12 iteration of Halo's classic Big Team Battle mode. The beta runs from now until the morning of Oct. 4.

Like previous Big Team Battle experiences, Halo Infinite Big Team Battle will allow players to utilize a wide variety of weapons, vehicles, and equipment pieces as they duke it out with the opposing team on spacious maps. Unlike previous versions of Big Team Battle, Halo Infinite's iteration of the game mode has dynamic spawns that drop more powerful vehicles into the map as the match progresses. Halo Infinite's 12v12 player count is also larger than the traditional 8v8 format, which will no doubt make matches feel more action-heavy. The map that Big Team Battle is available on is Fragmentation, which appears to be similar to Valhalla from Halo 3 and 4.

For the duration of the test, 4v4 Arena PvP will also be available on four maps: Live Fire, Recharge, Bazaar, and Behemoth. Halo Infinite Arena offers a tighter and more structured experience compared to the open and "sloppy" nature of Big Team Battle, giving players a decent variety of content to enjoy during the beta. Like the previous Halo Infinite beta schedule, matchmaking servers will only be available at the specific hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET on Oct. 1-3. Between matchmaking sessions, players can access Weapon Drills and the Training Mode that allows players to practice against bots.

Compared to the previous weekend's beta test, all Xbox players can download the Halo Infinite beta instead of only Halo Insiders. The beta build is available to download from the Xbox Insider Hub. There currently isn't a similar avenue for non-Halo Insiders to get access to the beta on PC, but 343 Industries may introduce one.