Zipper Interactive has just announced that their 256 player online beast known as MAG has officially gone gold meaning the games will be heading off to manufacturing so that the game can make it to store shelves for the much anticipated January 26th, 2010 release date.

Also, with the release being a month out, Zipper Interactive/Sony will be allowing everyone to get in on the action by offering a open beta which goes live January 4th.

Zipper Interactive writes:

It will take place worldwide — so if you’re in a territory with a PlayStation 3 and an Internet connection, you qualify to be a part of it. What’s more is that you won’t need any special permissions or code keys to participate, you’ll just get it and go! Complete access to the game’s 64-player sabotage and 256-player Domination modes are pretty good reasons to get excited too.

Of course, the best news about MAG Beta 5 is that you’ll be able to download the client in North America starting tomorrow, December 22! Additionally, PS3 owners in Asia can start downloading the file on December 25, while the European store will make it available on January 4. Check back for details on Japanese PSN store access in the near future.