The free-to-play multiplayer beta for “Halo Infinite” is now available on Xbox and PC, Microsoft announced during a live stream celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Xbox console. The surprise launch comes well in advance of the full game’s Dec. 8 release date.

In a longer version of the announcement, head of creative on “Halo Infinite” Joseph Staten revealed that the beta includes all of the maps and modes that will be available on day one of the game’s launch. All player progress made in the beta will carry over to the full release, Staten wrote in a company blog post, including unlocks made as part of the season one battle pass, which will run until May 2022 — a change from the team’s previous plan to roll out a new season every three months.

“Importantly, with the Season 1 extension, we aren’t just stretching-out our original Season 1 plan,” Staten wrote. “We took this opportunity to add additional events, customization items and other content to Season 1 to make it an even richer experience from start to finish.”

The game’s multiplayer beta is available through Xbox Game Pass and the Microsoft Store for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, as well as on PC via Steam, the Microsoft Store and Xbox app. It’s also coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming “starting later today” on Monday, according to a news bulletin from Xbox senior communications manager Will Tuttle.

The release marks a profound turnaround in “Halo: Infinite’s” fortunes from just one year ago. In 2020, the game was delayed from the holiday season by almost a year. It was originally intended to launch alongside the newest Xbox consoles, the Series X and Series S. After one public demonstration, the title was widely lambasted by fans for lackluster graphics.

In September and October, however, 343 Industries, the game’s developer, launched a series of multiplayer test flights to gauge the capabilities of the game’s online infrastructure. Those tests were tremendously reassuring for fans of the series. The game ran well, and, more importantly, it was a fun throwback to older, beloved Halo titles.

Excitement around the announcement drove users to test out “Halo Infinite’s” beta en masse, where a number of them met a blue screen error when trying to load it.

Now, the 2021 holiday release schedule looks a lot like it might have a decade prior, with “Battlefield 2042,” “Call of Duty: Vanguard” and “Halo: Infinite” competing for the attention of first-person shooter players.