Titanfall beta starts Friday

The titan wars are upon us.

Microsoft, publisher Electronic Arts, and developer Respawn are working together to launch a beta test of the hotly anticipated shooter Titanfall. The testing version of the game will go live this Friday, and players can take it for a spin while Respawn checks to make sure its servers and technology can handle the stress.

You can sign up for the beta right now. It is open to gamers on both PC and Xbox One, and it will include three modes and a handful of maps.

Titanfall is the first game from Respawn. It has foot soldiers fighting on the same battlefield as huge robots called titans. Players can call in their own titans and either pilot them or instruct them to follow like a sentry. The title only has online multiplayer, and it is one of the first big games for Xbox One owners since the console launched in November. EA also plans to release Titanfall on PC and Xbox One on March 11 and Xbox 360 later in March.

Microsoft locked down exclusivity for the game, so no PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 version is in the works — although, Respawn said a Mac port is possible down the line.