KartRider Drifts into Second Beta
Following an initial closed beta in December 2019, upcoming PC and Xbox One free-to-play racing game KartRider: Drift has announced an additional closed beta starting June 3, packed with plenty of new content.
Although KartRider may not be a household name among us Western folks, the series is popular across Asian regions, contributing to over 300 million PC players worldwide since 2004.
KartRider: Drift will mark the franchise’s first major appearance in the West, featuring crossplay multiplayer between PC and Xbox One players. While the beta trailer doesn’t show off heaps of gameplay, KartRider: Drift looks like a slick, bright and colourful arcade racer with plenty of character and kart customisation.
According to a recent press release, KartRider: Drift’s second closed beta will include many changes from December 2019’s build. This includes improved racing physics, matchmaking improvements, more karts and tracks, and single-player mode called ‘Racing School’ aimed at improving racing skills. Additionally, a new character named Diz is included, plus more cosmetics to dress characters up in.
As an incentive to participate in the closed beta, there’s the chance to win prizes from HyperX, ViewSonic and DXRacer, in addition to in-game rewards of karts and items just for logging in during the beta period.
If you’re keen to check out KartRider: Drift’s closed beta, you can register via the website for the chance to join in. Successful registrants will receive an email granting access to pre-download the game from midday on June 2. For those who took part in December, you’ll be automatically included.
KartRider: Drift’s second closed beta will go live from 9:00 AM AEST June 4, until 11:00 PM June 10. Currently, no official launch date is set for the full release beyond the 2019 reveal trailer’s ‘2020’ statement.
We’ll be keen to see if KartRider: Drift can stack up alongside the Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing juggernauts, and how the free-to-play model is structured.
*If you would like to win a Beta code for KartRider Drift on the Xbox or PC, simply send us a tweet with the #KartRiderP2 hashtag and tell us which gaming character you would like to see make an appearance in KartRider Drift and why. We have 18 codes to giveaway. Winners will be messaged on Twitter, Tuesday the 2nd of June.
