If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Charge! Battlefield 1 Open Beta Is Live

This year's bangbang

How does Battlefield 1 [official site] tie into Battlefield 1942? Will this prequel's story be impossible to follow without playing the other 1941 games first - or at least reading the extended universe novels? How many confusing audiologs will be awkward in-jokes? Is it even the same timeline? Finally we can discover the answers to these questions and more, as Electronic Arts today launched a free open beta test for the World War 1 multiplayer first-person shooter. Head over to Origin to download and play.

When will the beta end? Dunno! Developers DICE haven't said anything yet. They're a mysterious sort. Rumours claim it'll end on September 8th but DICE haven't made any big announcements. Anyway, the full game's due to launch on October 21st; a bumload of DLC is already lined up.

As for what's in this here open beta, the official word is:

The Battlefield 1 Open Beta will include the Sinai Desert map, a scorching hot battlefield located just East of El-Jifar. From infantry skirmishes in the narrow streets of the village of Bir el Mazar to dogfights above the majestic cliffs, you'll need to make tactical use of the dunes as you engage in explosive battles. When all hope is lost, reinforcements will arrive in the shape of a powerful Behemoth: a deadly Armored Train charging through the desert sands.

Two modes will be available as well:

• Conquest. An all-time fan favorite of Battlefield players, Conquest is a large-scale game mode with up to 64 players fighting for the control of key objectives. With large armies on foot or behind the wheel and the addition of fearsome Behemoths, Conquest brings together all the elements of the signature Battlefield All-Out War.
• Rush. A 24-player mode where the Attacking force must find and destroy the Defending force's Telegraph Posts, which can be used to call in artillery strikes. The Defenders can deny the Attackers their mission by disarming explosives they plant on the telegraph positions. Should the Telegraph Posts be destroyed, the Defenders must fall back to the next sector and protect the Telegraph Posts there."

Fingers crossed we get to play as ancestors of the original Battlefield 1942 heroes.

Rock Paper Shotgun is the home of PC gaming

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.

In this article

Battlefield 1

PS4, Xbox One, PC

Related topics
About the Author
Alice O'Connor avatar

Alice O'Connor

Associate Editor

Alice has been playing video games since SkiFree and writing about them since 2009, with nine years at RPS. She enjoys immersive sims, roguelikelikes, chunky revolvers, weird little spooky indies, mods, walking simulators, and finding joy in details. Alice lives, swims, and cycles in Scotland.

Comments