The Division open beta will be starting later this month

Ubisoft extended The Division's closed beta test yesterday in order to ensure that the latecomers had a chance to play it before the gates were finally closed until the March 8th launch.

However, according to a post on Xbox Italy's official Facebook page it seems that The Division will be entering open beta from the 16th to 21st of February so even if you didn't get lucky enough with the closed beta you still might have a chance. The post was promptly deleted but Eurogamer managed to capture the image:

The Division open beta will last from the 16th to 21st of February

A second beta phase so close to launch makes plenty of sense as it basically functions as an extended demo for The Division while the developers get to stress test their servers in the background without anyone being able to complain about lag or other such issues that might occur when releasing such a massive game.

As you can see from the image the first 24 hours of the open beta will be exclusive to the Xbox One with the rest of us getting a chance to play it from the 17th of February until the 21st. More than enough time to help you decide whether you want to jump on The Division bandwagon or not.

However, keep one thing in mind. Even though the odds of this beta test happening are almost 100% due to it being Microsoft who leaked it (and they probably have the correct info) the dates might end up being changed if any problems arise within Ubisoft so don't schedule your plans around this as you might end up disappointed.