Dawn Of War 3 Open Beta Begins Today

Dawn of War III, the latest game in the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, launches April 27, but fans will have a chance to try it out for free this weekend.

An open beta starts today, April 21, at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET/6 PM BST, ending at the same time on Monday, April 24. Included in the beta is access to all three of the game's factions--Space Marines, Eldar, and Orks--and a limited selection of elite heroes for each. The trial is multiplayer only, and you'll have access to three maps and all three match sizes: 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3.

Additionally, you'll be able to try out six doctrines per faction. Doctrines allow you to give your army abilities such as a health regeneration or taunts, altering the way it fights.

You can sign up to the open beta here, or take a look at a full match of gameplay here. Developer Relic Entertainment warns that any progress made in the beta will not carry over into the final game.

Relic has also released a new trailer to celebrate the game's upcoming launch--check it out above.

Reviews for the new strategy title recently went live, and the reception from critics has been positive. In our review, we said the RTS game "builds and maintains an organic tension that yields huge pay-offs ... there's nothing else quite like it." Take a look at our full Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III review for more.