Blizzard Entertainment shut down the Overwatch closed beta exactly one week ago, but now the game is set to return tonight as the open beta for fans who pre-ordered the game will kick off at 4:00pm PDT.

Of course, given Blizzard’s history, there is a strong possibility that the game servers might be so swamped in the first day or so of the open beta that the game might not even be playable at first. This likely explains why the first two days of the beta will be only be available to users who pre-ordered the game before becoming fully open on the evening of May 4.

Hopefully, this will give the studio a chance to fully prepare for the massive influx of players that will be hammering the game servers when Overwatch goes live on May 24.

If you already pre-ordered the game before April 29, you should have received an early access code either from Blizzard or from the retailer who sold you the game.

If you are a PC user, simply log in to Battle.net and enter your code at battle.net/code. Once that is done, you should be able to install Overwatch through the Battle.net launcher and begin playing as soon as the beta goes live.

If you are and Xbox One or PlayStation 4 user, you will need to search for the Overwatch open beta on the Xbox One store or the PlayStation 4 store in order to download the beta client.

According to Blizzard, the PC download will be 6.5GB while the console downloads will be 11GB. An Xbox Live Gold membership is required to play the Open Beta, and Blizzard said that while a PlayStation Plus membership is not required for the current beta, it will be required for the final release.

Unlike the stress test weekends during the Overwatch closed beta, the open beta will essentially offer everything that will be available in the final release.

This includes all game modes and maps, so you won’t be stuck playing the same three maps over and over again like before. Open Beta participants will also get the chance to try out the game’s Weekly Brawls, which offer unique match rules such as only allowing certain heroes or making abilities and ultimates recharge faster.

Image credit: Overwatch courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.