You Can Preload Battlefield 2042's Open Beta Client Now

Ahead of the multiplayer open beta test starting this week, you can now preload the Battlefield 2042 client to be ready as soon as war breaks out. The BF2042 open beta starts Friday, though pre-orderers and EA Play members will get early access from Wednesday. It's been three years since Battlefield was last in the near-future, so how do you fancy its return?

Battlefield 2042 | Open Beta Trailer Watch on YouTube

You can now preload the Battlefield 2042 open beta client on Steam (you'll need to click the Request Access button, but it'll be granted instantly), Origin (click the Try It First button then look for the beta client in your library), and the Epic Games Store. The download size, for me on Steam, is 19GB. And it's on Xbox and PlayStation too, obvs.

The beta offers Conquest mode on one map, Orbital, the rocket launch site seen in the first trailer. Along with the threat of blast-off, it can have a tornado roll through. It's a shame that EA have stopped using the marketing portmanteau "levelution" because the daftness always made me laugh. And oh yes, it'll have four of the game's characters/classes.

Update: We've now played a bit - check out our Battlefield 2042 beta impressions.

Open beta starts at 8am UK time (midnight Pacific) on Friday the 8th, following the "early access" period for billionaires which starts at 8am on Wednesday the 6th. The whole thing wraps up at 8am on Sunday the 10th. See EA's open beta page for more info.

Apparently the game's near-future war is set against a backdrop of cataclysmic climate change, climate refugees, and satellites being wiped out by all the crud in orbit? Maybe games were more comforting when when you just had to shoot demons because they intended to wear your bum as a jaunty little hat. Hey, demons, back off, I need that to keep my trousers up.

Battlefield 2042 will launch in full on November 19th.