'Battlefield 2042' beta starts October 8th

You won't have to wait until November 19th to learn whether or not Battlefield 2042 is any good. DICE and EA have revealed the open beta for the massive-scale team shooter will take place between October 8th and October 9th. As is sometimes the case with blockbusters like this, pre-order customers and EA Play members can start playing early, on October 6th.

The beta is limited to the classic Conquest mode on a single map, Orbital (the one from the trailer, pictured above). You can choose from one of four Specialists (read: player classes). The game supports as many as 128 players on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, but you'll be limited to 'just' 64 players on PS4 or Xbox One.

A two-day public test isn't exactly extensive. It might give you a feel for the game, though, and could help you decide whether or not it's worth $60 (on PC and older consoles) or $70 (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S). If nothing else, this suggests the developers are confident enough in the game to give everyone a brief sample.