Aug 12, 2011 17:31 GMT  ·  By

The legions of Trackmania fans will be thrilled to hear that they'll be able to get a taste of the all-new Trackmania 2: Canyon next week, as Nadeo, its developer, and Ubisoft, its publisher, will set up a special multiplayer beta for those who have already pre-ordered the online racing game.

The Trackmania series has become ubiquitous for its arcade mechanics and variety of stunt options, earning a loyal following among hardcore PC gamers and becoming the official racing experience for professional gaming competitions.

Now, the series is set to receive a brand new installment, in the form of Trackmania 2: Canyon, which will be released next month. Before that, however, Nadeo and Ubisoft are unleashing a multiplayer beta stage for the game.

Basically, if you've already pre-ordered the game, currently available for $24,99 / £19,99, on August 17 you'll be able to get into the multiplayer beta and when the full game is out, on September 14, all of the extra options will be activated, turning it into a full pledged game.

"For $24,99 / £19,99, you will be able to buy the game before the launch and install the multiplayer beta, which includes the map editor and the mediatracker (for videos editing). Upon release day, the beta version will be automatically updated to the finale and complete version of the game," read the announcement on community website ManiaPlanet.

Trackmania 2: Canyon, like its name suggests, focuses on races that take place in a canyon environment, but still offers the same classic Trackmania experience, with players, both new and old, being able to jump right into the game and race the variety of cars how they like.

The game will be followed by another installment, Trackmania 2: Valley, but, as of yet, the development team at Nadeo is currently making sure Canyon is ready for release next month or, for those who have already bought it, next week.