Battlefield Play4Free coming in April

By Ryan Fleming March 3, 2011

It isn’t quite as sexy as its much anticipated older brother, Battlefield 3, but EA and DICE are banking that there is a strong and passionate audience that likes to combine online first-person shooters with the joyous word “free”. Announced last November, Battlefield Play4Free will follow the pattern set by DICE’s other free to play title, Battlefield Heroes. Up to 32 users will jump online to play a version of the Battlefield game through a series of maps that are more or less updated from Battlefield 2, and the familiar classes, including recon, assault, medic, etc, will be available.

It almost seems like there should be a catch. You take one of the most popular online multiplayer franchises, then let people play it for free, but that is exactly what DICE and EA have done again. The story is—well, it is an online multiplayer, so you have the American forces and Russian forces, and that about it. Perhaps your own imagination can fill the gaps and create an epic struggle with the fate of the world in the balance, as the Russian military is planning to carve their flag into the moon or something. The plot is irrelevant, as the focus is on the action.

The game is currently in closed beta testing, but the game will begin its open beta testing on April 4. EA will send out a handful of early invites to people registered with Battlefield Heroes and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on March 31, then select Twitter and Facebook followers will receive a code to join on April 2. The beta will then open to everyone on April 4.

Editors' Recommendations

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…

Gaming

Battlefield 2042’s open beta starts next week. Here’s when you can play

battlefield 2042

Following a four-week delay of Battlefield 2042, Battlefield fans now have something to look forward to in October. While the game isn't releasing next month, its open beta is. On October 8 and 9, players across all of the game's supported platforms will be able to give Battlefield 2042, along with its 128-player game mode on next-gen consoles and PC, a first try.

Battlefield 2042 | Open Beta Trailer

Gaming

The best free PlayStation 4 games available today

a player skydives in Call of Duty: Warzone

The best free-to-play games are often underrated. While some of the criticism is well earned, there are a lot of excellent free-to-play titles available. For those tired of spending $60 for the latest AAA games, here are the best PS4 games that you can download and play immediately at no cost.
Call of Duty: Warzone

It may not be the first Call of Duty game to do battle royale, but it's certainly the best -- not just in the franchise, but in the entire genre. Warzone has already amassed incredible acclaim, garnering a whopping 30 million players in little over a week since it was first released. The sprawling world map of Verdansk is an incredible sight to see and well equipped for the 150-player matches.

Gaming

EA Play 2019: All the big news, from FIFA 20 to Battlefield V to Star Wars

This year, EA chose not to hold a traditional press conference, and instead held its EA Play event on June 8-9, just ahead of the E3 2019 festivities. In lieu of the press conference, the publisher featured interviews and gameplay demonstrations focused on six of the company's games. There weren't any big surprises, but we did get plenty of new information. Here's all the big news.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Official Gameplay Demo – EA PLAY 2019

Respawn Entertainment showed off 15 minutes of gameplay for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order at the beginning of EA Play 2019. Set on the Wookie planet Kashyyyk, the mission we saw had protagonist Cal on a mission to liberate the area from the grips of the Empire. Early in the gameplay demonstration, we saw the traversal tools he will use, which include wall-running and grappling like in Uncharted or Tomb Raider. We were also surprised to see Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera make a return to assist Cal in his mission.