EA and DICE Battlefield 2042 are planning to hold a beta for the game in September, roughly a month before the game releases in full. Details are scarce in terms of what content will be available within said beta, but at least players have an idea of when they can expect to get their first hands-on look at the game.
Battlefield 2042 had a pretty substantial showing at EA Play Live, as EA unveiled one of the game's biggest modes. Battlefield 2042 will feature remastered maps and custom, fan-made content in a new mode called Battlefield Portal. The mode will in essence be a fan-driven escape from the core action of 2042, bursting at the seams with throwback content in the form of weapons, vehicles, and maps. It's yet another way DICE is attempting to win back fans who may have lost interest in the last few years.
Still, there are some people that won't be convinced until they play the game. Luckily enough for them, a beta for Battlefield 2042 will be held in September, as announced during EA Play Live 2021. The developer has yet to actually give a concrete date for the beta, so there's no clear idea of when it will be available. That said, those who pre-order the game will get early access to this brief taste of the action. No content has been outlined for the beta either, so it's uncertain if Battlefield 2042's Hazard Zone or Battlefield Portal will be part of the beta test. It likely won't be much longer before EA and DICE give a more complete picture of what to expect from the September beta.
It's also not clear how much of a "beta" this will actually be. The game will likely be a mostly complete experience with the occasional bug, largely leveraged for marketing, but it could also be used for actual testing, such as server scaling. It seems likely it'll be a mix of the two leaning further toward the former, based on previous history with the series. EA has been playtesting the game for quite a while and will hold a technical test for Battlefield 2042 before summer's end. It's likely a lot of the testing and feedback will be pulled from this NDA-protected technical test, as there will be more time to implement it into the full game - and possibly the beta itself.
Either way, Battlefield fans know that DICE has a history of rocky launches. Although this game seems to be hitting all the right notes, doubling the player count and adding cross-play will really test the developer's abilities to perform. Hopefully, Battlefield 2042 will have a mostly smooth launch that fans can enjoy without many issues.
Battlefield 2042 will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: EA
