H1Z1 Open Beta is Now Live on PS4!

Today is the day – H1Z1 is launching in Open Beta for PlayStation 4! Our team has been working hard to bring you the classic battle royale experience built with console in mind, and we’re so excited to be able to finally share it with you. First things first – we want to say a HUGE thank you! Whether you helped us Closed Beta test and provided invaluable feedback, pre-ordered in preparation for the big day, or simply shared your hype, YOU were instrumental in the process of bringing H1Z1 to PS4.

If you played in the Closed Beta or watched some of the gameplay videos, you may have noticed that H1Z1 on PS4 is a bit different than what is on the PC. We wanted to give you something new and create a different kind of battle royale experience for the console - so, we drilled down to the core of battle royale and focused on making the game fast, fun, and frantic. The faster-moving gas, more vehicle spawns, and mass airdrops were designed to keep pushing you towards the action.

Additionally, we knew we had to make some tweaks to the UI and controls so that it was familiar and intuitive for PS4 players. This includes things like a radial weapon menu, grab-and-go equipment system, and no inventory management.

So when you jump in today, give us your feedback on the new console-specific design. We know some PC players will have to get used to not finding AKs and ARs lying around, but chasing airdrops (and hoping no one else is going after the same one) is part of the thrill! You may also want to check out more tips from the team here.

Upcoming Features

Let’s talk a bit about what’s coming up next for H1Z1 on PS4 - launching in Open Beta means we’re still squashing bugs and collecting copious amount of player feedback. During Closed Beta testing, we identified several performance issues we are still working to address, specifically as it relates to team modes. With today’s Open Beta launch, Solos, Fives, and Combat Training will be unlocked for play all day, with Duos to unlock later this week once we’ve implemented and tested additional performance improvements. We’ll need your help once Duos unlocks to let us know your results!

In addition, here are some other near-term features we’re working on (more than a few of these are based directly on feedback we received during Closed Beta testing):

• Revive - Currently, Duos and Fives matches have no revive mechanic for picking your teammates back up once they’ve been hurt, which can be a bit punishing for new players. We’re working on bringing a console-specific version of the PC revive mechanic to the PS4.
• Aim acceleration - Currently when you move your joystick, the speed at which your character moves and responds is a linear acceleration, which led to some feedback that movement and aiming don’t feel very responsive (this caused some players to crank their sensitivity all the way up). We’re working to implement a non-linear (curve) solution now, similar to other shooter games, to give you that more responsive feeling.
• Grenade throwing and responsiveness - Thanks to players who shared their feedback on bugs during Closed Beta testing, we’ve worked to resolve many of the “sticking” issues with grenades. We’re not done yet though, and we will be continuing to improve this system during Open Beta.
• Frame rate improvements - This is an important one, and we pushed an update during Closed Beta to help address issues seen particularly in team modes. We are continuing to work on even further optimization to bring you a better experience on both the PS4 and PS4 Pro, which is why we’re currently stress-testing Solos and Fives and opening Duos later this week with additional improvements.
• Swap weapon slot - We’re working to provide a way for players to swap a weapon into their preferred slot location - for example, when you pick up a shotgun and it defaults to your left slot, we want to allow you to be able to move it into your bottom slot. Keep in mind that this will still require you to have the slot unlocked/open in order to move a weapon there (you’ll need to have looted the correct backpack already in order to access those slots).
• Multiple controller layouts - We’re working to support several different preset controller layouts so you can pick which one fits your playstyle best!
• EMP Grenade - Too many players left in cars? Not if the EMP Grenade has anything to say about it...once implemented, this new throwable will shut down cars within its radius for a short time.
• Air Strike Grenade - Dropping this throwable will call in an air strike at its location for maximum destruction - don’t stand near the flare!

We’ll be bringing you along during Open Beta to help us test the above features and more, so stay tuned as we provide updates on the latest developments. As always, your feedback is crucial to our team as we work towards our full launch later this year.

Without further ado, welcome to H1Z1’s Open Beta on PlayStation 4 - we’ll see you in The Arena!