Activision and Bungie have announced the "Destiny" beta test release date is 10 AM Pacific Time July 17 for Playstation owners and July 23 for Xbox owners. The beta test will end 11:59 Pm on July 27.

In between there will be scheduled maintenance on July 21 and 22.

The beta is said to include include "a diverse sampling of major activities featured in the full game," and is only available to those who pre-order the game.

"As we prepare to launch our first Beta on multiple console platforms around the world, we are excited and eager to open the flood gates," said Harold Ryan, Bungie's president. "We already love to play 'Destiny,' and with your help we can be ready for our launch in September."

"Destiny" website warns that beta access will be available "while beta codes last," which means first come first serve, so it's best to redeem your code as soon as possible.

Bungie and Activision have described the game saying: "Players are cast as Guardians of the last city on Earth, who will explore the ancient ruins of our solar system from the red dunes of Mars to the lush jungles of Venus. Gamers must battle humanity's enemies and reclaim all that was lost during the collapse of mankind's Golden Age."

The standard edition of the game cost 60 bucks for all the major platforms; however Activision and Bungie have announced three additional collections with the same release date as the regular game : "The Destiny Ghost Edition" which costs $149.99, the "Destiny Limited Edition," coming in at $99.99, and the "Destiny Digital Guardian Edition" for $89.99.

"The Destiny Ghost" and "Limited Edition" both include: a limited-edition steelbook case and game disc, a Guardian Folio, a "Collector's Edition Digital Content Pack," and a "Destiny Expansion Pass."

"The Ghost Edition" also adds a Ghost replica, featuring motion-activated lights and voice recordings from actor Peter Dinklage, who voice's Ghost character. There's also a letter of Introduction and Golden Age Relics, which include a photo, patch, sticker and two chrome slides of the Traveler.

"The Destiny Digital Guardian Edition" includes a digital download copy of the game, "Destiny Expansion Pass," and the Collector's Edition Digital Content Pack. Gamers can pre-order the "Destiny Expansion Pass" individually for $34.99 now.

Activision and Bungie describe the expansions as "Expansion I: The Dark Below-- Set deep beneath the surface of the Moon, fans will discover an ancient tomb that has been unsealed and a dark god who has risen an evil army in the depth of the Hellmouth, the home of the Hive enemy race." The second expansion called "House of Wolves" has no information released yet.

The full release date for "Destiny" is Sept. 9.  For more, check out the new "Destiny" beta trailer.