Star Wars: The Old Republic‘s DirectX 12 Technical Test opened to every player on November 13, 2026, Broadsword said in a Steam post. The test runs on the live servers through an “Experimental” DirectX 12 client built into the standard launcher, so there is no separate Public Test Server download and no sign-up or code, as the studio explained in its earlier announcement on November 12.
How to Join the DirectX 12 Test
- Open the standard SWTOR launcher and let it install its small update, which adds a client selection menu.
- Click the new arrow icon next to the Play button.
- Pick DirectX 12 (Experimental) to launch the new client. DirectX 9 (Standard) stays the default and launches the game as usual.
Both clients connect to the same live servers, so you play your real characters, and any progress, items or changes you make in the DirectX 12 client stay with them. You can switch back to the Standard client from the launcher at any time. Mac players are left out for now: Broadsword says the Mac launcher is not being updated yet.
What the Test Is For
Broadsword says this first round is “strictly” about performance and hardware compatibility, meaning how the rebuilt engine behaves across the many PC setups players use. Many environmental assets and visual effects are low-fidelity or missing, and graphics options are limited, which the studio says is intentional at this stage. Some areas may also have rendering problems that make it hard to progress.
How to Report Problems
Broadsword asks testers to play as normal and report stuttering, frame rate drops, graphical bugs and crashes to desktop on the official DirectX 12 forums, which have English, French and German sections linked from the Steam post. The most useful reports include:
- Your system specs, specifically your CPU, GPU and RAM.
- Exactly what your character was doing when it happened, such as loading into a Warzone or riding a taxi on Alderaan.
If the game crashes and the crash reporting dialog appears, submit the report.
What This Means for Players
This is the first public step in Broadsword’s long move to a modernized client, and the studio says the work will continue “well into the next year,” with the Experimental client updated alongside future game updates. Once it trusts the new client’s stability, the focus shifts to adding the remaining graphical features to match the Standard client.
The test opens while Game Update 8.0 is still being tested too: Ryloth and the new gearing system went up on the Public Test Server on November 6. SWTOR is on our list of the best MMORPGs to play in 2026 for its fully voiced class stories, and the rest of our Star Wars coverage is on our Star Wars hub.
Source: Broadsword, Steam announcement, November 13, 2026, and its earlier announcement, November 12, 2026.