Battlefield 3 Beta Date Info

EA's highly anticipated first person shooter, Battlefield 3, is only one month away from release - meaning it's time for developer, DICE, to work-out the final kinks. Two days ago, the Battlefield 3 servers were opened for a brief early access beta and only Origin pre-order holders as well as anyone who registered a copy of Medal of Honor: Limited Edition or Tier 1 Edition was given access.

However, with a game as big as Battlefield 3, DICE didn't wait long to open the floodgates to anyone with an internet connection - as the beta is now available to every PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 player.

It's only been two days since the early access beta opened and we've already seen a veritable torrent of console comparisons flooding YouTube (as well as a few especially creative videos) - intended to put to rest the on-going question of whether or not console players will be getting less content (DICE producer, Patrick Liu says the content is equal) or sub-par graphics (Xbox 360 Operation Guillotine footage proves the game looks great).

Now that the beta is open to everyone, expect the platform debate to continue - though, for the first time, everyone will have a chance to see for themselves whether the console versions live up to expectation and, depending on the answer, which version of the title is the best fit for them.

As of Thursday morning, the beta was already live on the Xbox Live marketplace (Battlefield 3 Beta link) and the PS3 version showed-up in the PlayStation Store mid-day - ironic since Battlefield 3 DLC will be a timed PS3 exclusive. PC players can download the beta right now through EA's origin service.

Battlefield 3 SDCC Multiplayer

Confused? Check out the full Battlefield 3 public beta download instructions below courtesy of DICE:

PlayStation 3 (U.S.)

  • From storefront, click on View All By Title
  • Click on B
  • Click on Battlefield 3
  • Locate the Battlefield 3 Beta

PlayStation 3 (Europe)

  • From storefront, click on Demos
  • Click on A-C
  • Locate the Battlefield 3 Open Beta

Xbox 360

The Battlefield 3 Open Beta will be visible in the Xbox Live Marketplace under Demos, or you can go to Xbox.com via this link and add the Open Beta to your Xbox 360 download queue automatically.

PC

If you have already installed our new download service Origin, go to the section “Free games”, where the Battlefield 3 Open Beta will appear for download. You can also head to this product page via the web. If you have not installed Origin yet, it will ask you to do so before proceeding with the download of the Open Beta itself.

Battlefield 3 Earthquakes 2

What can you expect from the beta? As we've previously detailed, the beta gameplay will allow for testing of Battlefield’s attack and defend format known as "Rush" mode (detailed in our Battlefield 3 multiplayer mode guide) on the ‘Operation Metro’ map. There's no limit to how high players can rank in the beta - though, stats will be wiped clean before the retail release.

The Battlefield 3 Public Beta runs for twelve days and will go dark on October 10th (two weeks before the game's release).

-

Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick.

Battlefield 3 releases October 25, 2011 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Source: BattleBlog