EA has finally revealed the dates for its upcoming Battlefield 2042 Open Beta, and it starts real soon. Early access will be starting on October 6, with only those who have preordered (see at Amazon), alongside EA Play members, playing the Beta until October 7.
From October 8-9, the Beta will open up to everyone, with downloads freely available. If you want to jump into the Battlefield 2042 Open Beta from October 6, here's how you can get early access.
Battlefield 2042: How to Get Early Access to the Beta
Battlefield 2042's Open Beta will commence in two stages in the coming week. Starting from October 6 at Midnight PT, those who have preordered the game, or are a member of EA Play, will be able to get early access to the Open Beta. This also means that any Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will be able to jump in, and the service includes EA Play within the subscription. If you haven't got access to EA Play (or Game Pass Ultimate), then your best bet is preordering the game. Once you've preordered the game, you'll receive a unique code to download the game with.
Thankfully, this won't cost you a penny, and you can even cancel the preorder after the Beta has been finalised. This is because retailers like Amazon won't charge you anything until the game has been dispatched closer to the launch day of November 19. For more information on Battlefield 2042 preorder options, check out our preorder guide.
Preorder Battlefield 2042 to Get Early Access to the Beta
UK Preorders
Battlefield 2042: How to Download the Open Beta
If you're not interested in early access, then you don't need to take any further steps other than download the beta once it becomes available to you. Pre-loading the beta will start on October 5, so you won't need to wait once the open beta truly kicks off.
It will be available to play on PC (via Origin, EA app, Steam, and Epic) and console (PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S). PlayStation Plus is not needed to participate in the Open Beta, however, if you're playing on Xbox you will need to be at least an Xbox Live Gold subscriber (Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes a Live Gold subscription).
Only one map will be on display during the Beta, and it's called Orbital. Orbital features a massive space rocket counting down, with the fight on this map taking place around its imminent launch. You can see the chaos that's sure to occur throughout the new Battlefield 2042 official open beta trailer, so be sure to check that out for an in-game look at Orbital.
For more information about this Battlefield 2042 open beta, be sure to check out EA's official blog post which features PC requirements, tips and tricks, and more.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.