Savage, nightmarish monsters roam the Louisiana swamps, and you are part of a group of rugged bounty hunters bound to rid the world of their ghastly presence. Banish these creatures from our world, and you will be paid generously—and given the chance to buy more gruesome and powerful weapons. Fail, and death will strip you of both character and gear. Your experience, however, remains in your pool of hunters—called your Bloodline—always.

Hunt’s competitive, match-based gameplay mixes PvP and PvE elements to create a uniquely tense experience where your life, your character, and your gear are always on the line. At the beginning of each match, up to five teams of two set out to track their monstrous targets. Once they’ve found and defeated one of these they will receive a bounty—and instantly become a target for every other Hunter left on the map. If you don’t watch your back, you’ll find a knife in it, and your last memory will be of another team of Hunters walking away with your prize. The higher the risk, the higher the reward–but a single mistake could cost you everything.

Crytek revealed today that PC players will be able to play Hunt: Showdown during multiple Closed Alpha testing phases this winter. This news comes just one month after Crytek announced that Hunt will be released on Steam Early Access.

 “Closed Alpha will be our first chance to get player feedback, and we are really excited to see how they will interact with the game,” explained Hunt: Showdown’s Producer Fatih Özbayram. “After initial tests with a very limited amount of players we are planning to invite more and more testers with each phase. This is the first step in building a close relationship with our community and integrating their feedback into our development process, something we plan on continuing—and intensifying—during Early Access.”

To apply for a chance to join the Hunt: Showdown Closed Alpha tests, visit the official website or sign up for the newsletter here for more information. Randomly selected players will be informed by email.

Even in death, you will be able to progress among the ranks of Hunters via your Bloodline. Though one character may die, their experience will be transferred to your Bloodline, where it can be applied your other Hunters. If you make it off of the map alive, you will be able to use the money and experience you earn to kit out new Hunters and prepare for the next match. If you die, you lose everything but your experience.

Dark Sight allows Hunters to see into the veil between worlds, making that which cannot be seen by mortal eyes visible to those who have been initiated. Use Dark Sight when you are tracking monsters, and a ghostly light will guide you toward your next target. Dark Sight also marks players carrying a bounty, making them more vulnerable to ambush while trying to escape.