Battlefield 2042 now free to download on all platforms, if you're fast

Battlefield 2042 is currently free to download and play on all platforms, presumably in an effort to let you all know the game is much, much better now than it was at launch. Which, to be fair, it is.

When Battlefield 2042 originally launched in 2021, it was about as warmly received as a wet fart at a funeral. It was, to be blunt, a sloppy broken mess of a game pushed out to launch far too soon. But developer DICE sure has been trying over the last few years to turn it around, and for the most part it's a marked improvement on what it once was.

The good news is EA and DICE really want you to see Battlefield 2042 is a better game now, but they also know they can't possibly assume you'll just take their word for it. That's why the FPS is now free to download and play until March 24 across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.

To get the game downloaded and dive in, simply navigate to Battlefield 2042 via your chosen platform's storefront and look for the free trial option. It's worth noting the PlayStation Network is currently down so you might be out of luck there for a little bit, but I'm sure it'll be back up and running soon enough.

DICE also recently released a major new update for Battlefield 2042 that includes a brand-new map, several new weapons, and a whole mess of quality-of-life improvements and fixes designed to help tighten up the overall experience.

Whether this free weekend and major update will be enough to lure people away from the clutches of Call Of Duty and back to Battlefield remains to be seen. We've certainly seen games with dodgy launches come back from worse, but Battlefield might just be running out of goodwill. Watch this space.