Battlefield 3 beta begins later this month

By Ryan Fleming September 20, 2011

Prepare yourselves, people. After months (and months and months) of hype, Battlefield 3 inches ever closer to its October release. The game is undeniably beautiful. On PC it is stunning. On consoles it is also stunning, just to a slightly less degree. But good looks don’t make a game fun to play, and that is where the upcoming beta comes in.

Beginning on September 29, EA and DICE will launch an open beta of the online multiplayer that anyone can join. The beta will feature one level of the Rush game mode, which is set in three districts of Paris: The first is a park, the second is an underground metro station and the third is a section of Parisian streets near the stock exchange. The familiar rush mode remains intact, with one team rushing to destroy two locations in order to advance to the next section, and the other team defending.

Although DICE will likely use the collected data to make a few final tweaks, this will likely be more of a demo than a beta. Battlefield 3 is due out less than a month after the beta’s release, so the game must be very near complete if not totally finished. The beta may help add a touch of polish, but for most it will be a chance to see the game in action and determine if it can be the Call of Duty-killer that EA hopes it will be.

Those that pre-ordered the game through Origin or pre-ordered the Limited Edition Medal of Honor on consoles will have access to the beta two days earlier on September 27. The beta will also extend to EA’s online service, Battelog.

So for now check out the beta/demo, then look for Battlefield 3 on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 25.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

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