Back 4 Blood‘s early access and open beta dates are fast approaching, and Turtle Rock is making sure fans of the upcoming zombie shooter are prepped and ready to go when the big day rolls around. Beginning August 5th, anyone who has already secured their copy will have free rein to jump in and explore everything the spiritual successor to Valve’s Left 4 Dead has to offer, including the flagship 4-player co-op mode and Swarm.

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The latter of these, as you might suspect, changes up the usual flow of gameplay by throwing PvP elements into the mix. Anyone not on the survivors’ team will be tasked with taking direct control of various monsters with the sole aim of eliminating any humans yet to be infected by the undead horde. Both playlists will feature account progression in the form of unlockable cards, which can be used to bolster abilities, even promoting traditional RPG archetypes such as medic, tank and support.

The full experience will be available on whichever method of play you choose, of course, though it’s folks on PC who will have access to additional options to heighten the action.

As showcased in the new trailer above, desktop users will have the choice of slaying zombies with an uncapped frame rate as well as cutting edge Nvidia DLSS tech. Ultra-wide and multi-monitor support are guaranteed, too, and anyone with friends on platforms different to their own can rest assured that no compromises will be necessary thanks to the inclusion of cross-play.

Back 4 Blood launches October 12th for Xbox One, Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and PC and, assuming nothing changes between now and then, will be free of pay-to-win purchases.