NCsoft’s Time Takers starts closed beta on Steam for players in the Americas

NCsoft and Mistil Games have started the closed beta for Time Takers, the new team-based survival shooter, with the first playtest live now on Steam. This beta runs as a series of scheduled tests through March 21, with servers opening at 7 p.m. EDT and closing at 3 p.m. EDT during each session.

Access is being handled through Steam’s join button, and invites appear to be rolling out rather than locked to a single wave. According to the source, players can still sign up and potentially get in. This round is aimed at PC players in North and South America, while a broader global test and console access are planned for later this year.

Time Takers is built around a simple hook: time is both your resource and your lifespan. Players spend Time Energy during matches to upgrade abilities and shape their build on the fly, or hand some of that time to teammates to keep them alive. Mistil says the game doesn’t use fixed classes, so your role depends more on how you use your resources during a match than on a preset loadout.

This test includes 12 playable characters, three maps, and a trio mode. The roster sounds intentionally eclectic, with the developers calling out characters that range from a spacesuited monkey to a samurai from feudal Japan.

For now, this is a regional PC test with limited-time server windows, not a full launch. But if you’re in the Americas and curious about the game, the beta is live and sign-ups are still open through Steam.