When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks Battlefield 5 fans are counting down to the start of the open beta on PS4, Xbox One and PC. The Battlefield 5 beta is currently available to pre-order customers, Origin subscribers and EA Access subscribers. But the player count will further expand with the release of the open beta, which is available to all players, pre-order or not. The Battlefield 5 open beta has been given an September 6 release date and 9am UK start time on PS4, Xbox One and PC.<doc-sep>Well, this is a return to the past in more ways than one. Battlefield 5's beta hit for early adopters ahead of today's open test, and it was a proper beta - misshapen, malfunctioning and with more than a handful of those glitches that mired Battlefield 4's launch in infamy. Matchmaking was broken, squads - such an integral part of Battlefield's make-up, and even more so this time around - weren't working, and it was all a bit wonky. This was a beta in the old-school definition of the term. So yes, DICE's return the backdrop of WW2 wasn't exactly smooth at first, but by the time the doors have opened for the masses this morning many of those problems should have been ironed out - indeed, even after 24 hours DICE had proven adept at putting out fires, with all that lingered come yesterday the occasional floating gun and impossibly contorted corpse. Some concerns will linger a little longer, though. The Rotterdam map looks absolutely stunning - a little less so after a battle, mind. Battlefield 5 is a strange iteration of the long-running series, at least at first glance. It's both radical and reserved, with the systems that underpin the Battlefield formula all undergoing change while the fundamentals all stay the same. It's proven divisive in its early days - as is ever the way when it comes to a new iteration of a much-loved series - though what's certain is that this is a Battlefield that requires a very different approach. One of the most controversial edits is the removal of the spotting feature, which once allowed players to call out the position of enemies on the map to reveal their whereabouts to teammates. Spotting remains but it's not as sticky as it once was, the marker no longer staying with the spotted player and instead staying in a fixed position. It's a marked shift in pacing, theoretically allowing you to escape from danger that little bit easier without having a massive arrow over your head - and it's been balanced out by what feels like a drastically reduced time-to-kill. Cue criticisms of Battlefield turning more into Call of Duty - a familiar refrain that seems to greet every iteration of the game - which seem quite far from the truth. If anything, the pace is slowed with the tools for stealth and rewards for reading your surrounds greatly increased. Grand Operations makes its debut as a game mode in the beta, though I find it a bit too fussy. Maybe that's because I'm old Conquest diehard, though. And Battlefield 5 is going for a more strategic, survival-led brand of shooting with its doubling down on squad play. Ammo is scarce, and you'll have to rely more on medics to fully heal you, meaning team play is now more explicitly rewarded. It's a neat idea that leads to some nerve-wracking situations - clearing the cache of your main weapon while holed up in cover and having to make a final stand with your pistol, say - and the only downfall is one that's typical of any online shooter. Strangers aren't too hot on teamplay - in an evening's play I can count with the fingers of one hand the number of times a teammate threw me some supplies - so you're best off playing with friends who have some inkling what they're doing. Such has always been the way with Battlefield, really, and 5 seems to reinforce the foundations that have set this series apart in the past. The destruction that returns to Bad Company 2 levels is a big part of that, and is obvious in both maps in the beta - in Rotterdam, a gorgeous and dense urban map that's reminiscent of old favourites such as Seine Crossing and Amiens, building fronts crumble, while in the snowbound Narvik everything seems even more fragile, entire outhouses crumbling to nothing while allowing you the opportunity to fortify them. It's satisfyingly dynamic (and even more satisfying is the way blankets of snow slide to the ground from rooftops in Narvik), and it's a mechanic that's going to prove fascinating once Battlefield 5's Battle Royale mode properly breaks cover. Vehicles are in relatively short supply in the beta, and it looks come the full thing there won't be quite the variety we enjoyed back in Battlefield 4. There's no small amount of apathy surrounding this year's Battlefield - and, for that measure, this year's Call of Duty too - and you can't help but wonder if their hopping onto the Battle Royale bandwagon will be enough to kickstart interest. Battlefield 5's open beta shows that, beyond that, this looks unlikely to be the entry to win the series new fans. It's the same old formula, delivered with only iterative tweaks - and tweaks that have proven divisive, even if I'm broadly in favour with most of them myself. DICE don't really make bad shooters - at least not ones called Battlefield, anyway - and 5 looks to be another enjoyable entry. Whether that's enough, though, remains to be seen.<doc-sep>
Fans eager to check out Battlefield V won't have to wait much longer, as EA has announced the game's open beta start date. Battlefield V's open beta is scheduled to start at the beginning of September, but those who pre-order or are members of Origin Access Premier, Origin Access Basic, or EA Access getting two whole days to play before everyone else. Battlefield V's open beta will kick off on September 4 for those who pre-order and/or are subscribers of EA's services, while everyone else will get access to it on September 6 on all platforms. The open beta will feature the new Rotterdam map for Conquest, as well as the Arctic Fjord map for both Conquest and Grand Operations. Pre-loading for the open beta starts on September 3. According to the press release, the Rotterdam map will put players in "a battle fought throughout the streets of Holland where the game's dynamic physicality and destruction will be on full display." Grand Operations makes its Battlefield V debut and is "a multiplayer experience across multiple maps and modes that takes players through a powerful narrative journey inspired by historical events," as stated in the press release. In addition to the new map and mode, a five-part Tides of War chapter--an ever-evolving journey through World War II featuring a new story every few months--will be available during the open beta, and those that complete it will receive an exclusive in-game Dog Tag when the game launches. EA DICE recently dropped a new trailer for Battlefield V ahead of Gamescom 2018. The trailer, called Devastation of Rotterdam, shows an amalgam of cutscenes and gameplay footage. Toward the end of the trailer, we get a potential tease of Battlefield V's new Battle Royale mode, which was announced during E3 2018. We expect to see more Battlefield V footage during Gamescom and hopefully learn more about this new Battle Royale mode. Nvidia also partnered with EA DICE and used Battlefield V to showcase the newly-announced RTX video cards. Those who pre-order Battlefield V will not only get early access to the open beta but will also be able to play the full game three days ahead of its release, on October 16. Origin Access Premier members on PC can play the full game on October 11, while Origin Access Basic members on PC and EA Access members on Xbox One get access to the Play First Trial on the same day. Battlefield V will be available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 19, 2018.