Battlefield 2042 from DICE and Electronic Arts is on the way, with an open beta that everyone will get to play starting on Oct. 8 and running until Oct. 10. There's also an early access period for the Battlefield 2042 beta, meaning that anyone who preorders the game can play on Oct. 6 and Oct 7. It's not a huge period of time but doubles the time with this short beta period. Battlefield 2042 could end up being one of the best Xbox games available, so every day of hands-on time before launch matters.
If you want to get in on the early access beta period for Battlefield 2042 but you don't want or simply can't afford to preorder the game, there's a great alternative. Electronic Arts' subscription service, EA Play, also grants early access to the Battlefield 2042 beta. If you don't have EA Play, fear not, as it's included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate packs in several different subscription services into one bundle, granting players Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Live Gold and EA Play. If you're an existing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you're all set! If not and you're not sure about committing to a subscription, Microsoft gives new users a $1 trial for a month, which is more than enough time to get early access to Battlefield 2042.
Several subscriptions in one
Picking up Xbox Game Pass Ultimate only costs $1 if you're a new member. It gives you Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass for PC, EA Play and Xbox Live Gold, so what's not to love?
If you decide to keep it, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is easily the best subscription deal in dollar value considering what's included. You'll get access to all first-party Xbox games from across its 23 gaming studios at Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks on day one, which includes upcoming games like 343 Industries' Halo Infinite later in 2021, or Bethesda Game Studios' science-fiction role-playing game Starfield in 2022.
There's a list of maps and modes in Battlefield 2042 that'll be included at launch but for the purposes of this beta, including the early access period, the selection is somewhat limited. Players will be able to play Conquest on the Orbital map, with the Battlefield 2042 beta download set to go live on Oct. 5.
Battlefield 2042 is currently slated to launch on Nov. 19, 2021. It's coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PS5 and PS4.
