The Global Testfire starts on the 24th.

Nintendo will be hosting a Global Testfire for the inky shooter Splatoon 2 that’s headed to the Switch. The Testfire first goes live on March 24th at 12:00 p.m. PST.

Don’t know what a Global Testfire is? Neither did I at first, but essentially it’s comprised of multiple hour-long worldwide multiplayer betas stretched over a few days. Check out the full schedule below.

March 24th

• 12-12:59 p.m. PST / 3-3:59 p.m. EST
• 8-8:59 p.m. PST / 11-11:59 p.m. EST

March 25th

• 4-4:59 a.m. PST / 7-7:59 a.m. EST
• 12-12:59 p.m. PST / 3-3:59 p.m. EST
• 8-8:59 p.m. PST / 11-11:59 p.m. EST

March 26th

• 4-4:59 a.m. PST / 7-7:59 a.m. EST

In preparation for the Global Testfire, you can go ahead and download the Splatoon 2 beta client on your Switch eShop for free. At first it was only available in the Japanese eShops, but all regions should have access to the download now.

The file is only 408MB, so it shouldn’t impact the Switch’s limited memory much.

Of course, you can’t do anything with it just yet. If you click on the tile to open it, you’ll hear some rock music and see instructions to press ZL and ZR. If you do, the Switch will try to connect to the internet and then display a screen that says, “The Splatoon 2 Global Testfire hasn’t started yet.” But you’ll be one step ahead of the game on March 24th when the demo goes live.

As for content, Nintendo has confirmed the inclusion of four different main weapons, including the new Splat Dualies and upgraded versions of the Splat Roller and Splat Charger. Maybe we’ll get to test drive a new level as well.

As someone who has never experienced Splatoon but seen plenty of praise, I’m excited to sample this colorful shooter for free soon.

Will you be taking part in the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire? Let us know in the comments!