[Update]: The Open Beta is now live on both PC and consoles.

If you're itching to give Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 a try before its launch on October 28th, you'll be happy to hear that an open beta has just been announced. PlayStation players will be the first ones to jump in on September 16th, while the PC and Xbox crowd will be able to follow on September 22nd.

There is a small catch, however. The first two days of each beta event (so September 16-17 and September 22-23) will be reserved exclusively for early access players, or in other words, those that have pre-ordered the game. This means that if you're simply planning to give Modern Warfare 2 a try on PC without spending any sort of money, you'll only be able to play from September 24-26. A bit of a bummer, but it should still be more than enough time to figure out where you stand with Modern Warfare 2.

While the exact contents of the beta have not been revealed just yet, the Call of Duty team has promised a "robust multiplayer experience going beyond the Core 6v6 experience with a variety of meticulously designed maps of various sizes, and an equally impressive set of Modes, Progression experiences". What exactly this entails, that you'll be able to find out on September 15th during the Call of Duty: Next showcase event.

Once the beta test goes live, I'll make sure to let you know. Until then, you can read a little bit more about it, as well as Modern Warfare 2's future, over at the official website.