Battlefield 5 open beta begins on September 6

Electronic Arts announced today that its sort-of Second World War FPS Battlefield 5 will go into open beta on September 6, or a couple of days earlier for Origin Access subscribers (basic or premier) and anyone who preorders. Open beta preloading will begin for everyone at 1 am PT/4 am ET on September 3. 

The beta will include the Conquest mode on the Rotterdam map, a street battle in Holland featuring "dynamic physicality and destruction," and both Conquest and Grand Operations modes on the Arctic Fjord map. Grand Operations, which we got a look at in June, is a series of asymmetrical attack-and-defend battles that unfold across multiple stages taking several in-game days.   

EA also teased a new trailer coming tomorrow called "The Company," and shared an Nvidia tweet showing off the game's support for the ray-tracing-capable Turing technology in the new GeForce RTX 2070, 2080, and 2080 Ti cards unveiled today at Gamescom.

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You can get a closer look at what RTX effects are all about here. It's sweet eye candy, but it doesn't come cheap: The 2080 and 2080 Ti Founder's Editions are available for preorder now, for $799 and $1199. Battlefield 5 releases on October 11 for Origin Access subscribers, and October 19 for everyone else.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.