TFT: Teamfight Tactics Mobile begins closed beta testing
Teamfight Tactics Mobile (TFT) has officially begun closed beta testing in select countries ahead of the game’s March launch.
We’re officially one step closer to the launch of Teamfight Tactics Mobile. While Riot Games has already announced the wildly popular auto-battler spinoff of League of Legends will fully launch in March, a closed beta will arrive first over the next few weeks. In fact, it is already available in some countries as of today.
"Over the next few weeks we’ll be testing the mobile version as a closed beta in a handful of countries around the world. If you see a friend, family member, or dog playing TFT on their phones, do not be alarmed: They’re probably in one of the test countries."
Unfortunately, Riot Games didn’t actually announce which countries TFT Mobile‘s closed beta is actually available for right now, or which ones it will be coming to over the next few weeks. That leaves it up to players to search the Google Play or Apple Store to see if they can get in.
It doesn’t look like North America or Europe has gotten access; however, the TFT subreddit claims Australia is part of the mobile beta right now. Help us all out and be sure to comment below if the region you’re located has early access to Teamfight Tactics Mobile.
Riot reiterated that the goal is to have TFT look and feel like the same game on PC and mobile, though they acknowledged that the experience will vary between platforms.
One of the biggest differences won’t actually be the game itself but rather the out-of-game experience. Since the League of Legends interface isn’t exactly mobile friendly, Riot has developed a new one that has been specifically tailored for Teamfight Tactics on mobile.
While the focus on the UI will be on getting you into the game, it will initially support social functions such as lobbies, friends and invites. You’ll also be able to see the ranked system and progression pass.
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Of course, not everything game-wise will be the same. Riot had to make TFT Mobile more “finger-friendly.” This means a dedicated items inventory panel where you can drag to preview, equip and combine items.
Additionally, in order to maximize screen space, the in-game Champion Shop will have to be opened and closed with a button. However, the shop will automatically open at the beginning of every round. It will appear at the top of the screen so you’ll still be able to position your champions while buying and selling. The stage tracker has also been simplified to only show the time left in the current phase while the Store is open.
The other major change on mobile is the removal of in-game chat. Riot did note that in-game chat on mobile won’t be supported “at this time,” suggesting that it could be implemented down the road. However, the feeling is that the space required for the chat and keyboard would just occupy too much of the screen.
I know TFT can be a social game at times, but I don’t have a problem removing the chat. You’ll still be able to communicate with emotes, dances and taunts.
Other than that, just about everything will remain the same with Teamfight Tactics on mobile and PC. Game systems, balance updates, new sets and ranked play will all be the same. Riot says TFT will be be a cross-platform game “with shared inventories, progression, and rank,” but I do wonder if this also means mobile players will be able to play against PC as well, or if cross-platform in this case actually only means cross-progression.
Teamfight Tactics will launch on mobile at some point in March. If you’re on Android you can still pre-register via the Google Play Store. If you’ll be playing on Apple, it seems you can only sign up for updates at this time.