Set on an alien planet in the distant future, gamers hunt their prey in adrenaline-pumping 4v1 matches. Players experience Evolve as a first-person shooter when playing cooperatively as the four hunters, while they control the monster in the third-person perspective, providing a gameplay experience unique to Evolve.

Play as the Monster to use savage abilities and an animalistic sense to kill your human enemies, or choose one of four Hunter classes (Trapper, Support, Assault and Medic) and team up to take down the beast on the planet Shear, where flora and fauna act as an adversary to Hunter and Monster alike. Evolve includes three Monsters, 12 Hunters, 16 maps, and four game modes: Hunt, Nest, Rescue, and Defend.

The Open Beta test for Evolve is coming to Xbox One, January 15 – 19, 2015.

During the Xbox One Open Beta, fans can play Evolve’s “Hunt” game mode with access to the first two monsters (Goliath and Kraken) and first eight hunters (Markov, Maggie, Val, Hank, Hyde, Griffin, Lazarus, and Bucket) across all 12 maps that support “Hunt” and are included at the time of launch. That is eight more maps than people played during the Big Alpha!

Starting on January 17th players can get their hands on “Evacuation” for the first time! “Evacuation” is Evolve’s dynamic campaign that combines the full array of maps and modes in a unique experience that is different every time you play. Additionally, any Hunter and Monster characters you unlock while playing the Xbox One Open Beta will carry over when the game launches!

15th-19th, Xbox One Open Beta players can play “Hunt” with the first two Monsters and first eight Hunters. Starting on January 17th, Xbox One Open Beta players can also play “Evacuation,” Evolve’s dynamic campaign. And remember: all Monster and Hunter characters unlocked during the Xbox One Open Beta carry over when Evolve launches on February 10th!

PC Players: Starting January 16th, we’ll be holding a smaller closed technical test on PC. If you were invited to the Big Alpha on PC, you will have access to these closed technical tests as well. And if you already own Left 4 Dead or BioShock Infinite in your Steam library you can participate in the closed technical test, which is limited in scope and will not include Evacuation or have Hunter and Monster unlocks carry over to Evolve’s launch.

PS4 Players: Starting January 17th, we’ll be holding a smaller closed technical test on PS4. Were you invited to the Big Alpha? If so, check your email, and you can participate in the closed technical test, which is limited in scope and will not include Evacuation or have Hunter and Monster unlocks carry over to Evolve’s launch. You will need a PlayStation Plus membership to play.

The third playable Monster character is a small, terrifying, stealthy assassin that is quick in her movements and has two exceptionally long blades to deal damage up close. Despite having the least amount of health and armor among Evolve’s Monsters, Wraith’s quick, warping movements allow her to dart around during battle to avoid taking damage.

• Warp Blast allows Wraith to travel almost instantly to a target and create an explosion wherever she lands, dealing damage to everything around her.
• Her Decoy ability spawns a dangerous clone of herself that attacks targets while distracting the Hunters. With the Decoy deployed, Wraith becomes invisible and the Decoy can be used strategically to escape from combat or allow the player to re-position themselves for surprise attacks.
• Abduction steals hunters away from their teammates. During an abduction attack, Wraith travels large distances, grabs the target, and returns to her original location all within the blink of an eye.
• Supernova creates a large arena for Wraith to fight in. Inside the Supernova, Wraith becomes a frenzied melee beast of pure energy as her scythe-like blades cut down just about anything in their path. If Wraith leaves the Supernova area, she returns to her normal state.

Unlike Goliath with his buckets of health and armor, you don’t want to wade into open combat as Wraith. A good Wraith player darts in-and-out from the shadows, disorienting foes with ability combos, and picking apart the team, separating the Hunters from each other. Because of her powers and her unique movement, Wraith is the hardest Monster to hit – and track. That also means she requires a lot more finesse to control.

But if the Hunters connect, they can drop Wraith like a scaly, slimy sack of potatoes. Wraith has the least health and armor out of all the Monsters. In that respect, it was a deliberate move on Turtle Rock’s part to make Wraith the third Monster to unlock.

Every character, every map, and every mode in Evolve can be experienced entirely offline as a solo player competing against computer-controlled opponents. Whether playing as the Monster, or hot-swapping between an entire team of four Hunters, Evolve’s unique blend of 4v1 gameplay is particularly enjoyable alone when playing the dynamic campaign, Evacuation, which combines the full array of maps and modes into a highly replayable experience.

There’s nothing wrong with being a little anti-social – you’re busy! – and being able to go solo “was always a part of the plan”, according to Turtle Rock Studios’ Chris Ashton. “Playing Evolve competitively, against other players online, can be a lot of pressure. We wanted to make sure anyone could play the whole game, including Evacuation, alone with or against the AI and it’s still fun.”

After all, it’s not too dissimilar from Turtle Rock’s philosophy when they created Left4 Dead, which was completely playable solo thanks to AI-controlled bots. Ashton adds, “Rather than splitting our focus and crafting a different version of Evolve for solo, we focused on making sure that the solo game would stay true to what Evolve was always meant to be. In our minds, even if a bot is driving the Monster or the Hunters, it’s still the same great game.”

Ashton points out that solo mode opens up some cool opportunities such as choosing your specific bot opponents and having full control over what missions you play in Evacuation, but there is something undeniably cool about bot swapping. If you’re playing on an Xbox One, for example, the D-pad is your quick-select. Tap in one of four directions and you’re instantly in control of a different Hunter.

Go on and set the traps, then switch over to Assault to press the attack. Then jump into Hank’s shoes and shield the medic. Beyond that, no more waiting for someone to come save you from the jaws of a MegaMouth (or some carnivorous plant you accidentally walked into). And no more sitting by, spectating, while waiting on the drop ship. It’s all you.

Evolve is available for pre-order at participating retailers. Those who pre-order the game from participating retailers will be rewarded with the Monster Expansion Pack, which includes the Savage Goliath skin at launch and a new monster character as soon as it becomes available after Evolve is released.