You'll be able to play Sea of Thieves *before* you pay thanks to a new, closed beta heading our way at the end of the month.

Rare made the announcement on the Xbox Wire website, confirming that the beta - which promises "a full five days of sailing, shanties and shenanigans" - will run from 12pm noon on January 24, 2018, until 8am on January 29, 2018 (UK time). If you're worried about spoiling the game for yourself, don't be. According to Xbox, this is a slice of the game created specifically for the beta.

"We’ve crafted a bespoke experience for Closed Beta players that offers a true taste of the pirate life and a great chance to get your sea legs ahead of March 20!" explains Xbox. "We won’t be testing the full game during this Closed Beta phase: we want to keep a good selection of things up our sleeves for players to discover at launch. So get your calendars out and get those dates pencilled in!"

To be able to play, you must have joined up the Sea of Thieves Insider Programmer prior to Christmas. If you missed out and are still keen, though, you can still access it if you pre-order the full game (although don't forget you'll need Xbox Live to play online, too). And unlike other betas, this one isn't secretive, so expect to see lots of videos, clips, and screenshots by the end of the month!

'- By Vikki Blake @_vixx'

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