Regular readers of our gaming coverage will know we are excited about Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones here at Readwrite. We had it as one of the games we were most looking forward to at the turn of the year, and now it is finally on the horizon, nothing has happened to dampen that level of enthusiasm.

Now Ubisoft has announced in a new dev blog that an open beta will take place between 8-11 February and you will be able to join in the fun via the Epic Game Store (with Ubisoft Connect) and on the Xbox and the PS5. The game will be crossplay between all platforms and you will be able to download it in advance via a pre-load option from February 6th.

More good news (although slightly unusual too) is that the servers will not be wiped after the beta and that any progressions you make here will carry over to the actual game when it launches later on in February.

Skull and Bones Open Beta information

Access: open to everyone

Platforms: PC (Ubisoft Connect & Epic Games Store), PS5, Xbox series X|S

Preload: 6th February 2024, 1AM (PT) / 6th February 2024, 10AM (CET) / 6th February 2024, 8PM (AET)

Start: 7th February 2024, 6PM (PT) / 8th February 2024, 3AM (CET) / 8th February 2024, 1PM (AET)

End: 11th February 2024, 3PM (PT) / 12th February 2024, 12AM (CET) / 12th February 2024, 10AM (AET)

Infamy Cap: Tier 6 Rank 1 | Brigand

Cross-progression & Cross-play enabled.

Progression carried over at launch.

How to play the Skul and Bones Open Beta

Once the beta goes live, if you are playing on PC you will find it under the Free Games section of the Epic Games Store.

Xbox and PS5 owners will have to search for Skull and Bones in their respective online stores.

Where is the Skull and Bones Open Beta set?

Located within the Red Isle is the pirate den of Sainte-Anne. This Den is a safe zone where you can interact with other players, craft your ships, weapons, and equipmen. You’ll be able to access your warehouse to store loot, repair your ship, sell the commodities you liberated from rich merchants, and more says Ubisoft.

Skull and Bones Year 1 Roadmap

Ubisoft also released a video highlighting some of the things we can expect during Year 1 of the game.

We can’t wait.

Paul McNally

Gaming Editor

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title published by IDG Media. Having spent time as Head of Communications at a professional sports club and working for high-profile charities such as the National Literacy Trust, he returned as Managing Editor in charge of large US-based technology websites in 2020. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine, PlayStation Pro, Amiga Action, Mega Action, ST Action, GQ, Loaded, and the The Mirror. He has also hosted panels at retro-gaming conventions and can regularly be found guesting on gaming podcasts and Twitch shows. He is obsessed with 3D printing and has worked with several major brands in the past to create content Believing that the reader deserves actually to enjoy what they are reading is a big part of Paul’s ethos when it comes to gaming journalism, elevating the sites he works on above the norm. Reach out on X.

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