Teamfight Tactics open beta goes live in North America tomorrow

After a week on the League of Legends PBE, the Dota Auto Chess-inspired Teamfight Tactics will go into full open beta tomorrow, June 26, for players in North America.

Teamfight Tactics is a standalone "autobattler" mode in which eight players assemble and upgrade teams of fighters chosen from a randomized pool, and then turn them loose in AI-controlled fights to the finish. It sounds a bit like chess, although a closer analogy (that I can't claim credit for making) is the holographic fighting game from Star Wars that the Wiki says is called Dejarik.

Fortunately, we don't have to rely on analogies to get a grasp of what Teamfight Tactics is all about, because we've played it. It's not without issues, but this is also based on the still-ongoing beta period, when bugs, glitches, and balance issues are to be expected. And despite that, "it's fantastic fun," we wrote. "Teamfight needs work, but it's already a struggle worth enjoying, complex and satisfying."

Teamfight Tactics, like League of Legends itself, will be free to play. If you have access to the League PBE, you can still jump into the beta right now. If not, the doors will open for everyone tomorrow at 10 am PT/1 am ET, at na.leagueoflegends.com. (The link will go live when the beta begins.) The full beta rollout schedule, subject to change as necessary, is available here.