Skip to main content

The ‘Anthem’ VIP demo begins January 25, and there’s still time to register

Anthem VIP Demo Trailer

Anthem isn’t set to release for nearly a month, but the game has already “gone gold,” and you can try out a demo beginning January 25. The demo isn’t open to the general public, but you still have time to register before it officially releases.

Called the “VIP Demo,” the small slice of Anthem will be available from January 25 through January 27, and is available to anyone who pre-ordered the game, as well as those with EA Access or Origins Access subscriptions. Those who pre-ordered a digital copy of the game will be given automatic access, while those who pre-ordered from a retailer will have to enter the code they received. It should be available on either your receipt or your confirmation email.

Because of the multiplayer nature of Anthem, those with access to the VIP demo will also be able to invite up to three friends to join them, and everyone who participates will get an extra reward when the game launches on February 22.

EA developers have also been giving away codes with access to the demo on their Twitter accounts, including narrative director Cameron Dayton and global community manager Jesse Anderson, and Twitch streamers have been getting in on the giveaway action, as well.

This Is Anthem | Gameplay Series, Part 1: Story, Progression, and Customization

If you miss out on the first pre-launch demo for Anthem or don’t want to commit to a subscription or pre-order, you can still try it out for free beginning February 1. The second demo will run through February 3 and will not have any restrictions on who can join.

The demo will begin players at level 10, which will give them access to more powerful equipment and weapons than they would get if they were placed at the start of the game. BioWare said that it will feature missions and “a slice of the world.”

You can, however, play the full version of Anthem early if you have an Origin Access Premiere subscription, which costs $100 per year. The full game will unlock on February 15 this way, while standard Origin Access and EA Access members will get a 10-hour trial beginning on the same day.

Anthem will be available on February 22 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Star Wars and live-service games keep EA strong despite Anthem’s flop
Star-Wars-Jedi-Fallen-Order

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Hone Your Powers

Electronic Arts continued to generate strong profits over 2019, with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order selling well above the company's expectations and its live-service games generating impressive revenue. The success comes in spite of the early-year failure of Anthem, which was quickly discounted after receiving middling review scores and reports of the game being massively overhauled.

Read more
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."

Read more
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.”

Read more