Skip to main content

Smite for Xbox One is out of beta, and it’s still completely free to play

Smite for Xbox One screenshot
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Since July, Xbox One gamers have been able to download and play Smite, the third-person MOBA from HiRez Studios, but it was technically still in open beta. Now HiRez has pulled the beta tag from Smite, but the game is still available for free.

Smite takes the basic gameplay concepts of MOBAs like Dota 2 or League of Legends but swaps out the bird’s-eye view for a third-person perspective more commonly used in action games. Controlling more like a shooter than a traditional MOBA, Smite seemed like a perfect candidate for being played with the Xbox One’s gamepad, and it seems gamers agreed: the beta was downloaded by over a million players, according to GameSpot.

Recommended Videos

While the game is now out of beta, there is no new patch to go along with it. We do know that a patch is on the way, however, since the Xbox One version of Smite tends to get patches roughly a month behind the PC version, which is already two patches ahead. The next patch should bring Khepri, a new playable character.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Smite may be free to play, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to buy. The Founder’s Pack sells for $30 and grants access to every playable character in the game, along with skins for those characters and gems, which can be used to unlock other items in the game. The pack has been available since the beta began, but will vanish at the end of the month to be replaced by the Ultimate Gods pack which offers the characters but not the other bonuses.

Another thing vanishing at the end of the month is the ability to transfer your PC account to the Xbox One. At this point most players should have a good idea as to which is their platform of choice, but those who don’t will need to hurry up and decide.

If you’re a PlayStation 4 owner waiting for Smite to come to your console of choice, that likely won’t happen. Fortunately, HiRez has another game in the works by the name of Paladins, which is coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC next year.

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Closed Xbox studios pitched sequels to Hi-Fi Rush, Dishonored
Key art for Dishonored

Microsoft shocked its fans earlier this week with the closure of Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, and Mighty Dog Games. Now, we've learned more about what these studios were working on.

A new report from Bloomberg delved into the fallout of these closures by Microsoft. Its anonymous sources claimed that "Tango was in the process of pitching a sequel" to Hi-Fi Rush, the critically acclaimed rhythm action game that launched last year. That certainly comes as a disappointment, as what could've potentially become a new hallmark franchise for Microsoft and Bethesda was kneecapped before it could truly take off.

Read more
Smite 2 Founder’s Editions available now, closed alpha coming in May
A lineup of gods in Smite 2.

Smite 2 Founder's Editions are now available for purchase on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC -- but there's a catch: the game won't be playable until its first closed alpha weekend next month.

Smite 2 developer Titan Forge has confirmed that the MOBA's first closed alpha weekend is coming sometime this May, and that the only way to access this early look at the game is by purchasing a Founder's Edition, available starting today.

Read more
Long-running MOBA Smite is getting an Unreal Engine 5 sequel
A lineup of gods in Smite 2.

Since it first entered open beta in 2013, Hi-Rez Studios' multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game Smite has been a genre mainstay. Smite 2, a full-on sequel to that game, was announced today ahead of 2024's Smite World Championship.

Like its predecessor, Smite 2 will be a MOBA centered around mythology, where teams of five gods work together to take down the opposing team's titan. Some new gods will be introduced to the Smite universe with this sequel, with ranged magic user Hecate being the first one of these revealed. Hi-Rez Studios wants Smite 2 to be a very approachable MOBA, so it'll launch with auto-build and auto-leveling features for new players in matches and be available across PC, consoles, and Steam Deck.

Read more