How Many Characters Are In The Guilty Gear Strive Beta?

The open beta for Guilty Gear Strive has finally arrived, starting on Feb. 17, 2021. 

The highly anticipated fighter will be coming to PS4, PS5, and PC. This will be one of the first next-gen fighting games available for the PS5, arriving not too long after the updated Mortal Kombat 11.

When the game releases on April 9, 2021, there will be a total of 15 characters. However, not all of them are playable in the open beta. With three days to play the beta, checking out the characters before you can play is helpful. After all, one of the most anticipated parts of any fighting game is the fighters themselves (even if Shaggy from Scooby-Doo doesn't make an appearance in this game)

Luckily, there's plenty of information on the characters to check out – and who knows, you might choose your main before the beta is even available. You can also check out the Guilty Gear series' official lore here to find a character you resonate with.

Out of the 15 characters that will be available on release, 13 will be available in the beta. According to the open beta announcement from Guilty Gear Strive, Anji Mito and the mysterious "15th character" won't be playable during the beta. That leaves the following characters available to play: Sol, Ky, May, Axl, Chipp, Potemkin, Faust, Millia, Zato, Ramlethal, Leo, Nagoriyuki, and Giovanna.

These characters are categorized into different fighting styles, or "battle types." These are Balance, Long Range, High Speed, Power Throw, Unique, Technical, Shooting, One Shot, and Rush. Each of these fighting styles has its own advantages and disadvantages, so finding the one that's right for you is part of the game's challenge.

The new character that's not available, Anji Mito, will be a Balance character. If you want to try picking him up after the game releases, you can probably get a feel for him by playing other Balance characters like Sol, Ky, May, or Leo. There's not any information just yet on the unknown 15th character. Guilty Gear Strive has some pretty unique characters, but they're far from the most bizarre fighting game characters ever. Odds are good that you'll find one that perfectly suits your playing style.