Forza Motorsport 6: Apex Open Beta Races For Windows 10 Checkered Flag Finish Next Week
A couple of months ago, Microsoft revealed that it would begin making a far greater push into gaming on Windows 10, and was planning to do that by merging the Xbox and PC worlds. At that time, the company promised that PC gamers would finally be able to play Forza on the platform of their choice, with a special Windows 10 version called Forza Motorsport 6: Apex.
Since that announcement, quite a bit has happened. Despite Tim Sweeney's absolute distaste of UWP, Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform, we saw the introduction of Killer Instinct last month, and Rocket League becoming playable against PC and PlayStation 4 gamers on the Xbox One version. The way Microsoft is handling this melding of two worlds might not be ideal, but it's definitely something few of us would have expected to see happen.
If you're a racing genre fan, then you've probably been waiting for Microsoft to reveal more about Apex, and fortunately, that wait is over. Through a new blog post, Microsoft has announced that the game will become available on May 5th as an open beta. Based on the wording, it doesn't seem like we'll see the "final" release of the game until the fall, as we're promised updates all throughout the summer.
Apex isn't going to be as complete a game as Forza 6 for the Xbox One, but it's still going to pack quite a punch for being free. It can also one-up the Xbox One version in a number of ways, by supporting DirectX 12, and of course much higher resolutions than the Xbox One can provide. For those who like to collect achievements, you'll be happy to know that Apex will include 1,000 Gamerscore points, just like the Xbox One version of the game.
Once complete, Apex will feature 63 vehicles that we'll be able to race through six locations - each of which will include weather variants. The main mode of the game will be a "Showcase Tour", where you'll be able to race through 12 events to prove your worth.
If you're interested in joining the beta, be sure to check out the Windows Store on the 5th and grab the download.
