'Battlefield 2042' Is Free To Play Right Now, Here's How

For those of us who play on a PC, Battlefield 2042 is free to download this weekend, so it's an ideal opportunity to give the game a go and form your own conclusions on what is one of the most controversial releases of 2021.

I mean, no one was expecting that descriptor for the next entry to an acclaimed and beloved series of first-person-shooters. A recent report alleges that the game started pre-production three years ago, however, active development only spanned from the summer of 2020 to its release in November 2021. That's just 15 months of work to develop major shifts to the series' standard like the lack of a single-player story, new class systems that riff off those of Apex Legends and Warzone, and design for the next generation of consoles. Oh, and there's been a whole pandemic occurring in tandem with these challenges.

With all of this in mind, this free weekend is a chance to cut through the chitter-chatter about the game and experience it for yourself. It won't cost you a penny, either, but this opportunity is only open to PC players. It's available through Steam between the dates of December 16th and December 20th. Additionally, the game's standard, Gold and Ultimate Edition are on sale until December 22nd if you put Battlefield 2042 through its paces and recognise the potential that EA was championing in its statement.

There are plenty of games that suffer from a shaky launch and then transform into the title that the team envisioned it to be. Think of No Man's Sky and the heights that this game has soared to in five years. Of course, we'll have to wait and see whether or not Battlefield 2042 follows that same path.