The second wave of Patrol invites has been sent, as confirmed by the developers themselves. You can check whether the invitation has reached you personally in a minute: launch the game and look at the top panel. If you've been invited, a special badge should appear there. No badge means the invitation hasn't arrived yet.
Below are answers to the questions that usually come up after news like this.
Where exactly should I look for the badge?
Only in the game itself. Open the client and look at the top panel of the interface, not at your email, messengers, or third-party sites. The developers name this exact way of checking, and the announcement mentions no other confirmed channels.
If you don't see the badge, don't rush to conclusions. Invitations are sent out in batches, so some players get access earlier than others, and that is normal for a phased launch.
What does "second wave" mean and why are invites distributed in batches?
A wave is the next batch of invitations sent to a group of players. Developers open access gradually for understandable reasons: it makes it easier to monitor the load, catch errors on a small audience, and avoid chaos on day one. The first group shows where the system breaks, and the second tests the fixes on a larger number of people.
The confirmation doesn't say how many invitations went out in the second wave or by what criteria they were issued. So there's no point guessing at the "right" conditions for getting one: any advice like "play this many matches and it will arrive" remains guesswork.
What should I do if there's no badge?
Nothing special: wait for the next mailings and check in on the game from time to time. This is worth keeping in mind for those who are used to every piece of news showing up in their account right away. Here, access comes in turn.
While we're at it, a reminder about safety. When invitations are issued in waves, people appear who want to profit from it: they sell a "guaranteed invite," ask for account credentials, or send a link to a suspicious site. A real invitation comes through the game, not through private messages from strangers. Your login, password, and Steam Guard code are not needed by anyone but you, and buying access from third parties most often ends with losing your account.
Should I wait for details from the developers?
Yes, and you should rely only on official announcements. As of publication, two facts are confirmed: the second wave has been sent, and the presence of an invitation is shown by a badge on the top panel. Everything else, from the exact number of participants to the timing of the next wave, remains outside what has been confirmed. When the developers fill in the picture, you'll be able to check the details against the primary source, without relying on retellings from chats and public pages.
The practical advice is simple: launch the game today and check the panel. If the badge has appeared, read carefully everything the game shows when you first open it, because that is where the terms of participation are described. If it's not there, your turn probably hasn't come yet.
It's also worth keeping in mind that any closed-access program follows the same logic. First a narrow circle, then expansion, while the developers clarify rules and restrictions as they go. Such announcements are best read calmly, without taking other people's rumors for announced conditions.
