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The PC beta build of Street Fighter V is now available to pre-load on Steam, publisher Capcom has announced, ahead of the live stress tests that will commence officially on Friday.

Fans eager to play the next-generation brawler will need to download the beta client, which is a shade lighter than 2GB, according to the game's dedicated Steam page.

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Street Fighter V Gameplay - Karin Vs. Cammy

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The beta test is scheduled to begin at 9am Pacific Time (5pm UK) on Friday, stretching to Sunday at 4pm Pacific (Midnight UK), though there will be some scheduled downtime in the interim. A full schedule can be found below.

Capcom is running the beta on PlayStation 4 and PC simultaneously, and wants to test how the network can handle the game's cross-platform multiplayer. The only way to play the beta is to pre-order the game.

Characters available to play include series mainstays Ken and Vega, as well as R. Mika, the female wrestler who was first introduced in Street Fighter Alpha 3. All-new characters will also be playable, such as Necalli, and Rashid from the outset, with newcomer Karin coming later.

The Street Fighter V beta will include ranked matchmaking, leaderboards that combine PS4 and PC players, and the option to search for players and see their profiles.

Capcom also reminded players that, because it's a beta, they might encounter bugs and other issues. The publisher said it will use this information to "help ensure the final product is as optimized as possible."

Players will hope this beta runs more smoothly than the first one in July, which faced server problems so serious it had to be delayed. That beta was held only on PS4.

Street Fighter V does not currently have a confirmed release date, but Capcom has said that the game will be out during its current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2016. The game is never coming to Xbox One.

The complete Street Fighter V beta schedule is below.

10/21/15 18:00 PST (10/22 02:00 BST/10:00 JST) – The second SFV beta begins for PS4 users. Characters available: Ken, Necalli, Vega, R. Mika.
10/22/15 14:00 PST (22:00 BST/ 10/23 06:00 JST) – Servers down for scheduled maintenance for 12 hours.
10/23/15 02:00 PST (10:00 BST/18:00 JST) – Servers back online. Rashid unlocked.
10/23/15 09:00 PST (17:00 BST/ 10/24 01:00 JST) – The second SFV beta begins for both PC and PS4 users (cross-platform play).
10/23/15 17:00 PST (10/24 01:00 BST/09:00 JST) – Karin unlocked.
10/24/15 04:00 PST (12:00 BST/20:00 JST) – Servers down for scheduled maintenance for 10 hours.
10/24/15 14:00 PST (22:00 BST/ 10/25 06:00 JST) – Servers back online.
10/25/15 16:00 PST (10/26 0:00 BST/ 08:00 JST) – Beta 2 concludes.