As Halo Infinite's multiplayer technical preview will only have a few hundred thousand players part of it, developer 343 Industries has scheduled specific playtimes when players can gather to maximize matchmaking potential. The majority of the closed playtest will be held over the weekend, so the times should be accommodating to most players' schedules and allow for some flexibility.
The Halo Infinite multiplyer technical preview will largely feature bots in it in addition to human players, and the primary mode being tested is 4v4 Team Slayer (the Halo series' name for team deathmatch). One team will consist of real players and the other team will be exclusively comprised of bots. The developer teased that proper PvP could be added in prior to the first technical preview's end, but it's not a guarantee. Regardless, there will still be matchmaking in place to make sure all players have enough teammates for PvE matches.
In an extensive blog post from 343 Industries, the developer noted that the optimal times to play will be between 12 - 2 PM PDT/3 - 5 PM EDT and 7 - 9 PM PDT/10 PM - 12 AM EDT. The Halo Infinite technical test begins today, July 29 and will wrap up at 10 AM PDT/1 PM EDT on Monday. This means selected players will have a bit of extra playtime early next week if they weren't able to get their fill over the weekend. 343 also stresses that this seminal playtest is one of the first of several gameplay previews planned before launch, and Halo Infinite tests in the coming months will be conducted on a larger scale.
As the latest entry in Xbox's flagship FPS series, Halo Infinite is one of the most widely anticipated releases of 2021. Considering the franchise's most recent entries being called by middling by some critics and players, 343 seems keen on getting the first-ever free-to-play Halo multiplayer experience right. These Halo Infinite technical previews will hopefully give the multiplayer development team all the insights it needs to provide a smooth launch - and hopefully make any minor course corrections as needed according to player feedback. At this point, most (if not all) of the game's content is likely locked in place for release, but 343 can likely begin to incorporate players' suggestions closer to launch than if it were to offer only a major pre-release open beta thanks to these playtests.
Leading into the multiplayer technical preview, 343 Industries released footage of Halo Infinite on Xbox One. That's a testament to the fact that the tests will be used to see how the game runs on a very diverse group of hardware ranging, from the 2013 console to a wide array of PC builds. With luck, 343 can make good use of all this data in order to shape Halo Infinite and it's free-to-play multiplayer into an enduring entry in the franchise.
Halo Infinite will be available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC in 2021.
Source: 343 Industries