Arkheron opens crossplay beta across PC, Xbox, and PS5 on September 25

Bonfire Studios' team PvP enters a new closed test this weekend, bringing PC and console players together in the same match for the first time.

Bonfire Studios, the studio founded by Blizzard veteran Rob Pardo (whose résumé includes StarCraft and World of Warcraft), has set September 25 as the date for Arkheron's next closed beta. This time the test runs with full crossplay across PC via Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5, putting console and PC players in the same lobby for the first time since testing began.

For anyone unfamiliar, Arkheron is a team PvP game with no fixed classes. Each player shapes their own build mid match by looting Relics and items that change abilities and playstyle as the team climbs the Tower, a dark and slightly surreal setting that anchors the whole experience. The idea is that your loadout evolves with whatever loot you find, so in theory no two runs should feel exactly alike.

The test weekend includes two modes. Spires is the more direct 3v3 format, team against team in quick matches, and it runs 24/7 for the whole beta. Ascension is the big one, 45 players split into 15 teams of three fighting over territory while a closing storm forces the action, but it only runs during scheduled windows by region. In Brazil, Ascension goes live at 7 PM local time on the 25th.

Anyone who wants in needs to sign up directly on the official site, arkheron.com, and participants earn exclusive cosmetic rewards, including a themed skin, a banner, and a few extra items. Bonfire also confirmed it retuned the controls specifically for controller players, since this is the first test where consoles are properly open (the earlier beta, back in July, was mostly limited to PC and Xbox Insiders members).

It's worth reading this jump as a sign the game is maturing fast. Going from a PC/Insiders only test to a full three platform crossplay weekend usually means a full launch isn't that far off, even without an official date locked in yet. Having Rob Pardo's name attached raises expectations on its own, but the loot driven PvP space is already pretty crowded these days, so the real question is whether Arkheron's no-fixed-classes system will be enough to stand out once the game moves past testing for good.