King of Fighters XV open beta: Schedule, modes, how to access, and more

Fighting game fans have enjoyed an incredibly exciting 2021 with titles such as Guilty Gear: Strive, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, and Melty Blood: Type Lumina gracing the FGC, with The King of Fighters XV looking to continue the trend as we roll into 2022.

Originally intended to release in late 2021, KOF XV will now launch on 14th February. SNK has decided to give fans their first taste of gameplay, and the online will function with the upcoming open beta.

Let's not beat around the bush and tell you everything you need to know about The King of Fighters XV open beta.

KOF XV open beta - Schedule

Unveiled during the latest 27th October State of Play, The King of Fighters XV open beta will arrive on 19th November. Here are the official dates:

• Begins: November 19 at 7PM PST / 3AM BST (4AM CET) / 12PM JST
• Ends: November 22 at 6:59AM PST / 2:59PM BST (3:59PM CET) / 11:59PM JST

KOF XV open beta - Modes and characters

The beta will feature both online and offline modes, for a total of four modes available. These are:

• Casual Match (Online)
• Room Match (Online)
• Training (Offline)
• Versus (Offline)

Room Match, which is essentially a lobby system, will feature the Draft VS mode, in which players cannot select the same characters as their opponents.

Speaking of characters, there will be a total of eight fighters to choose from, including newcomer Dolores and familiar faces like Kyo Kusanagi.

• Dolores
• Shun'ei
• Yashiro
• Shermie
• Chris
• Kyo Kusanagi
• Iori Yagami
• Chizuru Kagura

KOF XV open beta - How to access

For PS4 and PS5 players trying to download the beta from their consoles, simply head to the store and look for The King of Fighters 15 Standard Edition, scroll down and you'll see the option to download the beta.

【KOF XV】
The pre-download Open Beta Test version of KOF XV has now begun!

-Download Method
Please download the test version from the PS4/PS5 THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Standard Edition store page.

For more about this test:https://t.co/fKegpxMt0J#KOF15 #kofxvobt #kof15obt pic.twitter.com/SFDgUvIHBr

— SNK GLOBAL (@SNKPofficial) November 17, 2021

Will the KOF XV open beta be on Xbox?

Despite the game coming out on Microsoft consoles, we have no confirmation whether Xbox fans will get to experience a preview of KOF XV. Once again, we'll keep you posted.

• Read more: Warner accidentally confirms Multiversus by striking YouTube leaks

For more on all things fighting games, check out our dedicated section filled with news, tier lists, tournament results, and more.

Featured image courtesy of SNK.