Battlefield 2042 is free for the weekend on Steam with a trial event

2042’s PC-only free-play event is already here

Battlefield 2042 is looking to climb up Steam’s concurrent-player chart this weekend as DICE has kicked off a free trial event. This PC-only trial is active today and will run until 10:00 a.m. Pacific on Monday, December 20, so if you’re curious, now’s the time.

If this feels really early, and it seems like the game just came out, you’re not wrong!

At the same time, I can see why they’d already want to resort to a free weekend event for Battlefield 2042. After fans were burned by the tumultuous launch, which felt rushed for the sake of holiday sales, DICE has released a few significant updates for the game, and it’s in a better, more consistently enjoyable place. That’s not to say everything has been fixed, not by a longshot. And yeah, it’s a whole can of worms to compare 2042‘s launch to other botched Battlefield launches. (“He can’t keep getting away with it,” indeed.)

But where things are at now, especially with “limited time” 64-player Conquest and Breakthrough and a nifty Rush playlist in Battlefield Portal, it’s worth another look.

I do feel bad for anyone who spent $60, much less $70  — or even more for the pricey early-access period. The fast turnaround on deals was to be expected with Black Friday, but I’m honestly surprised that Battlefield 2042 is already in “free weekend” territory.

If you’re interested, the initial download for 2042 on Steam is around 48 GB, and I’d encourage you to check out the smaller-scale modes (relatively speaking) and definitely Portal’s renditions of 1942, Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 3 as well. Certain players appreciate the all-out chaos of 128-player matches, but more often than not, I just find them to be a slog. I’ll also say this: many of you can get your fill with just this trial.