After being announced back in 2017, Anno 1800, Blue Byte"s latest in the business management / city building hybrid series was shooting towards a February 26, 2019 release date. This was still the case back when details about the closed beta (held January 31-February 4) were shared. Later, the studio revealed that 1800"s release date would be pushed back to April 16 for "additional polish and tuning". As part of the polishing phase, there"s an open beta being held this weekend (April 12-14).
Similar to the closed beta, folks who are interested in trying out the game can preload (in other words, install) the title before the start of the test period. In fact, you should be able to load up the game onto your system right now, with the actual open beta kicking off according to these times:
Keep in mind that because of the Epic Games Store exclusivity deal past April 16, only those running Epic"s launcher or Uplay will be able to preload Anno 1800. Steam owners will still get the game on their desired platform if they placed a pre-order before the game"s launch date, but they can"t participate in the open beta.
Although the test period requires a constant internet connection, the final product won"t. You"ll still be able to play offline, if you wish. Beyond the always online nature, there are other limitations like citizen progression being capped off at tier 3 - of the five available -, but on the flip side, there"s access to the multiplayer mode and the complete first act of the story-based campaign.
It goes without saying that because of the cap on citizen progression, you will not be able to carry over your saved games from the beta to Anno 1800"s final release.
Speaking of final, here are the system requirements, for those who might"ve missed them:
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Unlike the closed beta, no registration through Anno Union is required for this one. As a reward for participating, you get an exclusive "Chess Table" decorative element that can be claimed from the Ubisoft Club after launch.
Source: Ubisoft, Anno Union