[Q]: When will the Closed Beta be running?

[A]: The Closed Beta will open at 12pm GMT on Wednesday 24th January and will run until 8am GMT on Monday 29th January. For those in other time zones, this works out as:

• Eastern Standard Time (EST):
  7am on Wednesday 24th January to 3am on Monday 29th January
• Central Standard Time (CST):
  6am on Wednesday 24th January to 2am on Monday 29th January
• Pacific Standard Time (PST):
  4am on Wednesday 24th January to 12am on Monday 29th January
• Central European Time (CET):
  1pm on Wednesday 24th January to 9am on Monday 29th January

[Q]: How can I get access to the Closed Beta?

[A]: The Closed Beta will be accessible to eligible players who joined the Sea of Thieves Insider Programme before December 1st 2017 or who have pre-ordered the game.

If you pre-ordered the game through the Xbox or Windows Store, the game will appear in your games library 24 hours before the Closed Beta begins. You will need to download and install it.

If you pre-ordered the game through a retailer, you will need to redeem the code for the Black Dog cosmetic pack. Once you have done this, the game will appear in your games library 24 hours before the Closed Beta begins. You will need to download and install the game.

If you haven’t pre-ordered the game yet but you want to get into the Closed Beta, you can pre-order Sea of Thieves here.