The Gears of War E-Day open beta is kicking off soon, and just as players were ready to hop into a good few days of Horde, The Coalition has announced that PvP versus will also be present in the test, albeit for a limited time.

This announcement came via the official Gears of War X account, which wrote that the PvP versus modes will be available starting this weekend, during the early access period of the open beta. It also clarified that the expected horde mode will also be available.

To lay this out plainly, the open beta starts on the 6th August for early access players (those who have pre-ordered the game). The first two days will still be without PvP versus, with the mode being introduced starting on 8th August.

The beta will then stop when the weekend ends, kicking up one more time on the 13th and running until the 17th. This second wave for the beta will be open for everyone, regardless of whether they pre-ordered or not. The official FAQ page for the beta says that both periods will feature the same content, so it’s expected that PvP versus will be present next week, too.

For those who partake, the beta will have some unlockable rewards for the full game when it releases later this, including a range of customisation options. The PvP versus mode has been an enticing mystery for Gears fans, who have been demanding some hands-on time with the mode for a little while.

It comes soon after early impressions for the horde mode went public. The mode looks really interesting, though it left us with plenty of unanswered questions to ponder.