Dead or Alive 6 beta open this weekend for all PlayStation Plus members

Dead or Alive 6 just kicked off a weekend-long open beta - this weekend, to be exact - exclusive to those with a PlayStation Plus subscription. It can be a bit jarring when an open beta is suddenly announced at what feels like the eleventh hour, but who can complain over the chance for a free demo? From now until January 14 at 7am PT / 10am ET, you can mix it up in the ring of Team Ninja's flashy 3D fighting game and try out a new character among the small open beta roster of fan favorites.

As is standard for fighting game betas, you'll only have access to Online Versus mode, with the option to play as Kasumi, Ayane, Hayate, Hayabusa, or newcomer Diego, a rugged brawler from the New York City streets. If you're a PlayStation Plus member, you can install the beta via the PlayStation Store and jump in straight away. Only one stage is available this weekend - the DOA Colosseum, featuring electrified ring ropes - but the final game will have all kinds of over-the-top hazards near the ring, included kraken tentacles and rampaging dinosaurs straight out of Jurassic Park. You can get a glimpse of such fantastical stage hazards in the trailer below: 

During and shortly after the open beta period, Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo are also receiving player feedback via a survey page, which will stay live until January 19 to give people time to collect and submit their thoughts. This open beta is be a PlayStation Plus exclusive, but the full version of Dead or Alive 6 is coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 1. While the beta content is obviously a tiny fraction of the finished product, it should give prospective fighters a good sense of the hard-hitting, sidestep-heavy brawls that Dead or Alive 6 has to offer.

If you need more incentive to subscribe, check out all the PlayStation Plus free games that members get each month.