Destiny 2 Beta Release Date, Start Time, Download Size, and More

Destiny 2 is the sequel to 2014’s shared-world sci-fi shooter Destiny, which sold over $500 million in pre-orders and day one sales globally. Destiny 2 will be out for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6. The Destiny 2 beta is playable from July 18, depending on the platform and whether you've pre-ordered a copy. Here’s everything you need to know about the Destiny 2 beta. 


How to access the Destiny 2 beta

If you pre-ordered Destiny 2 digitally via the PlayStation Network or Xbox Store, all you’ll need to do is download the Destiny 2 beta when it shows up in your library. But if you bought the game via other retailers such Amazon, Flipkart, Games The Shop, or an offline store, you’ll get a nine digit code from the retailer that you’ll then have to redeem on Bungie’s website. Once you do that, you can choose which platform to play it on, after which you'll be able to access the beta. This information comes from Bungie's own forums. So if you bought the game from an outlet other than the Xbox or PlayStation Store, keep a watch on your Bungie website account.

At the time of posting this story, several Indian retailers have told Gadgets 360 that Destiny 2 beta redemption codes have not been given by the game's distributor World Wide CD ROM. The date at which they would be distributed to pre-order customers is unknown.

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Destiny 2 beta preload time

The Destiny 2 beta can be downloaded from 10am PT on July 13 (10:30pm IST, July 13) on the PS4, five days before it begins on July 18.

You don’t need to pre-order Destiny 2 to play the beta
Pre-ordering Destiny 2 lets you play the Destiny 2 beta from July 18 for the PS4 and July 19 for the Xbox One, but you can play it for free from July 21 onwards on both platforms. It should be available for download on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Store on the day itself.

Destiny 2 beta - no PS Plus or Xbox Live required

Yes, you read right. The Destiny 2 beta won't need PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) or an Xbox Live subscription to play it, much like the Destiny 1 beta. Bungie confirmed this on its website. You will however, need either for the full game when it hits in September though.

Destiny 2 beta PS4 and Xbox One release date

PS4 and PS4 Pro owners get the Destiny 2 beta first as a part of publisher Activision’s marketing deal with Sony for the game. What this means is if you have a PS4 or PS4 Pro, you can play Destiny 2 from July 18, a full day ahead of those on Xbox One. If you haven't pre-ordered Destiny 2, you can play the beta from July 21.

Destiny 2 beta download size

The Destiny 2 beta download size is 12.596GB on the PS4 and 12.83GB on the Xbox One. With Destiny 2 being a 68GB download on either console, it’s safe to say that the Destiny 2 beta download size would be bigger than the Destiny 1 beta, which clocked in at 12.63GB on the Xbox One, and 14.3GB on the PS4. 


What time does the Destiny 2 beta start?

Destiny 2 beta – PS4 start times
Pre-order early access: 10:00am PT July 18 (10:30pm IST, July 18)
General access: 10:00am PT July 21 (10:30pm IST, July 21) 


Destiny 2 beta – Xbox One start times
Pre-order early access: 10:00am PT July 19 (10:30pm IST, July 19)
General access: 10:00am PT July 21 (10:30pm IST, July 21)

When does the Destiny 2 beta end?
No concrete information has been given as to when the Destiny 2 beta would exactly end. We do know that it scheduled to be over sometime on July 23. With that said, the first Destiny saw its beta extended and expanded, we could see the same here. 


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Destiny 2 beta PC release date

Despite developer Bungie making a big deal of Destiny 2 coming to the PC, there’s no concrete release date for it just yet. Rather, simply a vague late August release window. 


Destiny 2 beta - what to expect
The Destiny 2 beta will focus on campaign, co-operative, and competitive experiences. These include:

• Homecoming: the opening mission and cinematics from Destiny 2’s Red War story campaign, which was shown off during the Destiny 2 gameplay reveal.
• Countdown: battle other players in a brand new Crucible multiplayer mode. Attack or defend on a new map custom-built to support this new game type.
• Control: this mode in Destiny 2’s Crucible has you controlling zones on a map much like the original.
• The Inverted Spire strike: this co-op mission has you and two friends attack the Vex - one of the game’s cyborg races on Nessus, a lush Vex world.
• New subclasses: new fighting styles for each Class will be available. These include the Dawnblade Warlock, Arcstrider Hunter, or Sentinel Titan.

Are you playing the Destiny 2 beta? Or has the first game done enough to keep you from bothering? Let us know via the comments.