‘H1Z1’ PS4 open beta has already brought in more than 1.5 million players

By Steven Petite May 24, 2018

Image used with permission by copyright holder

As it turns out, Fortnite and PUBG aren’t the only battle royale games that can garner some serious player numbers. H1Z1 made its console debut on PS4 earlier this week and amassed more than 1.5 million players just a day after entering open beta. The official H1Z1 Twitter account shared the impressive figure after revealing that the game had already seen 200,000 concurrent players mere hours after going online.

Although many players seem to be having a great time with H1Z1 on PS4, some users have ran into issues, usually related to logging in or joining a match. For instance, after finishing a match, users have reported that either the app crashes or they have to relaunch it in order to join a new matchmaking queue. We looked into these issues, and while our experience was mostly smooth, we did experience some longer than normal load times and an instance when we had to relaunch to keep playing.

None of this is abnormal for a game in open beta, especially one with large waves of players logging in and playing at once.

If you’re unfamiliar with H1Z1, it’s the game that sparked the battle royale craze. It launched in 2015 on Steam as a zombie survival game based off of DayZ, an ARMA 2 mod. The developers quickly added King of the Kill, a battle royale mode, and soon separated the two experiences, renaming King of the Kill as H1Z1, and the original survival game as Just Survive. H1Z1 left early access on PC in February and quickly went free-to-play the next month.

Those who have played PUBG or Fortnite will be familiar with the concept. Players parachute down to a continuously shrinking map with the goal of being the last player standing. H1Z1 is fast-paced, with matches lasting around 15 minutes, and features a streamlined weapon system that keeps the pace and action moving. Quiet moments in H1Z1 are few and far between. When you add in the fact that you can travel quickly in vehicles, it’s rare to feel isolated.

H1Z1 is off to a great start on PS4 and there’s reason to believe it could become even more popular over time. The PS4 version will eventually receive Auto Royale — battle royale in cars — which has been a welcome addition to the PC version.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…

Gaming

Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works

Basim perched on a ledge overlooking Baghdad

In a company interview with CEO Yves Guillemot posted on the Ubisoft website Thursday, the executive reveals that there are remakes of Assassin's Creed games in the works, although he doesn't specify which ones.

"Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them," he says, implying that it could pertain to games made before Odyssey. "There are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich."

Gaming

Surfaced patent shows what an Xbox streaming console would’ve looked like

An Xbox Series X sits next to both Series S models.

There have been a few Xbox devices that have never come to fruition, one of which was Keystone, a prototype for an affordable game streaming device you could hook up to your TV or monitor. Thanks to a surfaced patent, we've gotten an even closer look at what it would've potentially looked like.

The patent, first spotted by Windows Central, gives us a more complete view of the device. We've previously seen the Keystone in the flesh. Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer is known for hiding teases and interesting collectibles on the shelf in his office. In a 2022 X (formerly Twitter) post congratulating Bethesda on Fallout's 25th anniversary, you can see a small white device on the top shelf that's actually a Keystone prototype. Xbox told Digital Trends that it was a version of the device made before it decided to "refocus our efforts on a new approach.”

Gaming

Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for June 28

Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on June 28, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "ORDER." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter D.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels.
Today's Wordle can refer to a large number of animals, particularly livestock like cattle or sheep, that are moving together in a group.