Battlefield 2042 early access is arriving soon, so if you’re looking to play the latest entry in the Battlefield series, we’ve got all the information you need to play it as soon as it’s available. Battlefield 2042 officially launches on November 19, but in classic pre-order bonus fashion, you’ll be able to get a week of early access for it by getting the right edition of the game. Xbox Games Pass and EA Play subscribers also benefit from pre-order price discounts and a little free trial of the game too. Here’s what you need to know about getting early access to Battlefield 2042.
Battlefield 2042 Specialists | Battlefield 2042 weapons | Battlefield 2042 error codes | Battlefield 2042 tips | Battlefield 2042 modes
When Battlefield 2042 early access is available and how play
Battlefield 2042 officially launches globally on November 19 at 8am UTC according to EA Origin. However, if you’ve preordered the right edition of the game, you can get early access to Battlefield 2042 from November 12 at 8am UTC - that’s midnight PST / 5am EST / 8am GMT / 9am CEST.
To get Battlefield 2042 early access, you need to have preordered either the Gold or Ultimate Editions of the game, which will set you back £89.99/$99.99 and £109.99/$119.99 respectively on consoles. PC editions of Battlefield 2042 on Steam and EA Origin are £10/$10 cheaper across the board, however. Preordering either of these editions will get you:
- Pre-order bundle which includes the Battle Hardened Legendary Skin for Irish, the Baku ACB-90 melee takedown knife, Mr. Chompy Epic Weapon Charm, Landfall Player Card Background, and the Old Guard Tag
- Year 1 Pass, which will include four new Specialists and four Battle Passes (each season will have a new Specialist and Battle Pass), three Epic Skin Bundles (Blistered Earth, Tempest, and Cold Blood)
- Cross-Gen Bundle for consoles only, which includes a version of the game for current and last-gen consoles.
The bonus goodies that are exclusive to the Battlefield 2042 Ultimate Edition are:
- Midnight Ultimate Bundle, which includes the Shadow Stalker Legendary Outfit, Obsidian Legendary Weapon Skin, and Onyx Legendary Vehicle Skin
- Official Digital Artbook
- Digital Soundtrack
Console players need to be aware that you can buy the last-gen editions (Xbox One and PS4) of Battlefield 2042 for £59.99/$59.99, but the current-gen editions (Xbox Series X|S and PS5) can only be bought as part of a cross-generation bundle which costs £69.99/$69.99. This cross-gen bundle is also included in the Gold and Ultimate editions of Battlefield 2042, so if you’re planning on buying the game for your PS5 or Xbox Series X, you’ll also have a PS4 or Xbox One version, for some reason.
Is Battlefield 2042 on Xbox Game Pass or EA Play?
Battlefield 2042 will not be available on Xbox Game Pass or EA Play, but you still receive some benefits from being a subscriber to either service – remember, if you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you are technically an EA Play subscriber too since it is included in Game Pass. The first major benefit is that you get a 10% discount on all pre-orders of Battlefield 2042. However, the full game and the early access period will be available to play for an unlimited time for EA Play Pro subscribers – which is not included with Xbox Game Pass.
Secondly, EA recently confirmed that subscribers for either service will also get a 10-hour free trial of Battlefield 2042, which is available from November 12 at the same time as the early access period. Once your free trial is over, you’ll need to pay for the full game to continue playing. Obviously, you’ll need either the Gold or Ultimate Edition if you want to continue playing in the early access period, but if you feel the 10-hour trial has satisfied your Battlefield 2042 needs until the official launch on November 19, you could always get the base version of the game and wait.
