Nacon and Cyanide Studio are running their third closed beta for Blood Bowl 3.

This latest PC closed beta coincides with the ongoing Warhammer Skulls event, and will run until June 12th. Blood Bowl 3‘s third beta includes some new teams and mechanics.

This time around, players can also choose to coach the Chaos Renegades and Old World Alliance teams. Both teams are fairly unique in the sense that they are a combination of various races from the Old World, giving them a nice degree of flexibility. The beta also features new pitches with unique gameplay mechanics to spice up each match.

You can find a dev diary discussing the new beta below.

You can find a rundown (via Steam) below:

Blood Bowl 3

Put on your cleats, buckle on your helmet, adjust your shoulder pads and breast plate… and (discreetly) tuck a sharp dagger into your belt.

War disappeared in the Old World when the inhabitants decided to resolve their differences by playing the god Nuffle’s sacred sport: Blood Bowl. And yet it is no less bloody than the battlefields it has replaced. Murder, mutilation, cheating, corruption, sorcery and even divine intervention come one after another on the pitch, to the delight of everyone watching!

• Merciless, not brainless – Take charge of a team from amongst the 12 available races, each with unique characteristics, and stop your opponents from advancing by carefully positioning your players. Dodge or mercilessly eliminate whoever gets in your way and reach the end zone to score the decisive touchdown! Naturally, the best strategists should have an edge, but… who knows? A rampaging troll might eat a teammate and change the course of a match.
• You’re the boss – Create your team, recruit your players, customize their appearance, emblems and armour, recruit cheerleaders and a coach, then take part in the most ferocious competitions in the Old World. But beware: injuries are commonplace, and it’s more than likely that some of your players will be carried off the field in a body bag, bringing a definitive end to a once-promising career…

What’s new in Blood Bowl 3

• Based on the official rules of the latest edition of the board game, with new skills and overhauled passing mechanics
• 12 races to choose from including, for the first time in a Blood Bowl video game, the Black Orcs, the Imperial Nobility, the Old World Alliance and the Chaos Renegades
• Fields with special game rules to vary the types of match
• New customization options for your coaches, cheerleaders, teams and every piece of armour worn by your players
• A solo campaign open to all races
• An improved competitive mode with new league management features and an official ladder
• A flexible timer so you are free to organize practice sessions between experienced and rookie players

The brand-new solo campaign

An agent has noticed your skills as a coach and decided to finance you and your team, so you can participate in a new Blood Bowl event: the Clash of Sponsors. Will you be able to demolish your opponents and win over the spectators?

• Play with the race of your choice
• Take on teams sponsored by the most influential parties in the Old World
• See how you stack up against star players who are now the faces of major brands, including the legendary Griff Oberwald
• You will be able to use the team you built during the campaign in any other game mode.

Competitive modes with endless possibilities

In addition to the campaign and friendly matches against other players or the AI, Blood Bowl 3 has a brand-new competitive mode which lets you compete against players of all levels, from around the world:

• Competitive seasons with an official ladder
• Players can join a league, with new management options and the possibility of creating and configuring your own tournaments the way you want (stadiums, pitches, timing, races, etc.)
• Regular challenges with temporary game modes

Blood Bowl 3 releases in 2022 for Windows PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.