Free-to-play Battlefield 2042 takes on Modern Warfare 3

There was once a time when Call of Duty could have fallen under the might of Battlefield, but sadly for some, those days feel like an era ago now. Back when Battlefield 3 and 4 were taking over FPS communities, there was a real conversation about Battlefield taking CoD's crown as the biggest shooter franchise in the world.

Battlefield simply had to keep up its quality, and CoD could be finished - but we all know what happened next. That doesn't mean that Battlefield isn't going to try its luck in 2023, as EA is dropping some genius Battlefield 2042 marketing to coincide with Modern Warfare 3's launch.

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Battlefield 2042 goes free-to-play to challenge the MW3 beta

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Talk about sly. Just as Modern Warfare 3's beta kicks into gear, EA has confirmed that a brand-new free-to-play weekend is coming to Battlefield 2042.

The free weekend isn't just welcoming players into the divisive 2021 shooter, as it also allows them to take on the new Redacted map while messing around with some new weapons, vehicles, and gadgets. Even though Battlefield 2042 suffered a hammering at launch, there's still a draw to this free weekend.

Many claim Battlefield 2042 ironed out its many problems that made it nigh-on impossible to play at launch, and though it suffered a roasting in the public eye, that doesn't mean that it's a bad outing now. After all, just look how Cyberpunk 2077 has turned things around.

Even so, the free weekend is a bold move from EA that isn't likely to shift eyes from the second MW3 beta weekend. Still, we can respect the team for the move. If you're playing one AAA shooter, you might as well dip into another this weekend. 

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When is the Battlefield 2042 free weekend?

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If you want to dive into Battlefield on PC or console, you can actually do so right now. The free weekend started on October 12 and will be running until October 16.

At the time of writing, that means you've got until Monday to soak the battlefield and beam down the new players who are booting it up for the first time. Get to work, soldier - it doesn't matter that Call of Duty has another fight to enlist you for, because this one has dune buggies.