The latest news from the people behind the super-ambitious universe simulator space game Elite: Dangerous have declared December 16th as the day the game releases to the public. Until then, people are free to buy into the game’s huge beta test, which wraps up on the 22nd of November.

In case you don’t know, Elite: Dangerous is a huge, sprawling sci-fi space game that has you captaining your own ship and doing whatever you want, whether that’s space piracy, trading, mining or whatever. With over 100 billion star systems to explore, a realistic physics system governing how your ship flies, incredibly detailed ship interiors and a player-controlled economy, the possibilities are almost literally endless.

Since it’s still in development and being crowdfunded by fans of David Braben’s earlier Elite games, its “Beta Edition” is available to buy right now, and the studio behind it has clarified what you’ll be getting should you decided to take the plunge.

On the game’s full release, beta participants also get the Elite: Dangerous Mercenary Edition, loaded with digital extras:

• A digital download of Elite: Dangerous for PC (and Mac from Spring Autumn 2015)
• Your very own Eagle fighter ship docked in a secondary location in-game
• Exclusive pack of ship paint jobs
• A ‘day one’ ship decal
• A digital player’s guide
• A digital concept art book
• Plus loads more digital goodies to be announced over the coming weeks.
• Plus an automatic permit to visit Sol or anywhere in the Solar system without having to first earn a reputation with The Federation.

There are a few things to keep in mind, however:

Firstly, that Beta Edition will only be available until the 22nd of November, so you have until then to buy it. Should you already have pre-ordered the game, the option to upgrade to the Beta Edition for 15 GBP disappears after the 22nd, after which you’ll only be able to pre-order the game ahead of its December 16th public release.

But if you do buy into the beta, you’ll get to play what is essentially the finished game for more than three weeks before the official release (as well as the goodies above), and all progress you make will carry over into the final game, giving players a hefty incentive to get in early.

Secondly, there are benefits for Mac users. Ultimately, the game will be available on both Mac and PC, but the Mac version will only be out late next year. Should someone pre-order the Mac version, they will get access to the PC version when it releases on the 16th of December as well, as every purchase of Elite: Dangerous buys a copy for both platforms.

That means Mac fans can enjoy the game on PC when it comes out (should they have access to one or use Bootcamp to run Windows on their Mac hardware), and have any progress they make in the game carry over to the Mac version when it arrives sometime next year.

So there you have it. In case you don’t know yet what Elite: Dangerous is, take a look at this awfully juicy video showing off the incredible spaceships and sense of scale the designers have put into what is, essentially a living, breathing sci-fi universe that lets you do whatever you want to as a space captain of the future.