Closed beta testing has officially commenced for the free-to-play version of Relic Entertainment's hit real-time strategy game Company of Heroes. Early access is currently limited to a few lucky community members, but come next Monday, 20,000 keys will be available through FilePlanet.com. While that may sound like a lot, we're guessing they'll disappear quick, so don't hesitate to claim yours.
The Company of Heroes Online beta will feature two factions, the Allies and Axis, which both have three divisions offering varied play styles. Players can choose from 17 different multiplayer maps split between 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 modes, and there's also free access to the CoH single player campaign.
In a true free-to-play fashion, the game will be at least partially funded by microtransactions, where players can purchase in-game upgrades or items instead of grinding for them. System requirements seem modest, demanding only a Pentium 4 2GHz, 1GB of RAM, and a Radeon 9500/GeForce FX 5200 or better.