You can play Steelrising’s first two levels right now – but there’s a catch

As promised, Steelrising developer Spiders has launched the game's closed beta. The beta is a pre-order bonus for buying either of the game's editions early, and sadly isn't available in any other way.

The Steelrising beta went live just a few minutes ago, and will continue to be available all the way until September 7, one day before the full game's worldwide release.

As you'd expect, the content of this beta is limited. You'll have access to the game's first two levels, available to play as many times as you want. You'll also find a couple of weapons to help you in your journey, and you'll even be able to tinker with builds.

Beta progress does not carry over to the full game, however, so think of it as more of a demo that'll help you get familiar with the game's combat and setting. And you're probably going to need it, because Steelrising has Nioh and Souls combat in its DNA.

When James played it, he found its mechanics compelling, despite its dervative nature, though the question remains whether it can maitain your interest over the game's entire runtime.

Steelrising is one of 2022's games we're not very sure of, but are willing to give a chance in this quiet year. Spiders typically delivers interesting games, even if they tend to be more janky than some can tolerate.

If you'd rather wait for reviews, Steelrising launches September 8 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.