How to get in the Overwatch, Battleborn, Doom, and Gears of War 4 open betas

It’s spring, which means you should clean out your garage, mow your lawn, and make sure your online multiplayer video game is going to work when it ships.

Four major video games are getting live multiplayer tests between April and May across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, and this is a great opportunity for you to try them out. Publishers run these trials, which developers refer to as “beta tests,” to see how their games perform in real-world circumstances. The studios can then use the data they get to make tweaks to their gameplay and to their network infrastructure to ensure the most ideal scenario for a smooth launch. Of course, most games still end up crashing due to players overloading the servers when they debut, but at least they’re trying. But betas aren’t only information-gathering exercises, publishers have started using them as marketing tools to generate awareness about upcoming releases in an attempt to capture as much money in the $99.3 billion gaming industry as possible.