Players curious about Battlefield 6 can spend the weekend fighting through Las Vegas casinos and one of America’s most famous secret military installations without buying the game.
Electronic Arts is offering a free trial of the military shooter on PlayStation 5 and PC through Steam until Monday, Oct. 19. The promotion coincides with the Oct. 13 launch of Season 5, Siege of Vegas, which adds maps set on the Las Vegas Strip and at Area 51.
The trial opens every available map and game mode, including the player-created experiences in Battlefield Portal, according to EA. The promotion does not extend to Xbox.
How to Play Battlefield 6 for Free
Players can download the trial from the PlayStation Store or Steam. An EA account and internet connection are required, while PlayStation Plus is required for online multiplayer.
On Steam, users can visit the game’s store page and select the free-play option. Those who already have the free-to-play Battlefield REDSEC installed can download the trial edition. PlayStation players with REDSEC can install additional multiplayer and campaign files through the game’s settings or by selecting a premium game mode.
The trial’s closing time differs by platform. According to EA’s published terms, Steam access ends Monday at 1 p.m. ET, while PlayStation players have until 4 p.m. ET.
Afterward, players will need to purchase Battlefield 6 to continue using its paid content, although REDSEC remains free.
What’s New in Siege of Vegas
After Season 4 brought naval warfare back to Battlefield 6, the latest update shifts the action to the Nevada desert and the Las Vegas Strip.
The Vegas Strip map sends infantry and armored vehicles through casinos, hotels and city streets, with helicopters overhead and close-quarters fighting in storm drains.
Area 51 offers a different kind of fight. Jets, tanks and helicopters operate across the Nevada desert, while a crater provides access to underground tunnels and a classified facility. EA says players can also destroy the base’s air traffic control tower, changing the battlefield during a match.
Season 5 adds four weapons, including the Mk 24 assault rifle and ELR-40 sniper rifle. Its REDSEC update introduces Rapid Royale, a faster battle royale variant with smaller matches and opportunities to earn redeployments.
A Halloween crossover with EA’s Dead Space franchise starts Oct. 20, one day after the free trial ends. Its science-fiction horror storyline centers on a mysterious alien artifact beneath Area 51.
The Real Military History of Area 51
The actual Area 51, located at Groom Lake in Nevada, began serving as a covert aircraft testing site during the Cold War.
In 1955, the CIA selected the remote dry lakebed to test the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, whose high-altitude flights were meant to gather intelligence on the Soviet Union.
Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier accidentally lifted off during a U-2 taxi test there on Aug. 1, 1955. The aircraft’s first official test flight followed days later. On April 25, 1962, the CIA’s A-12 OXCART reconnaissance aircraft made its first test flight at the same installation.
The CIA and Air Force worked with Lockheed at the base, where secrecy surrounding unusual aircraft contributed to decades of speculation about unidentified flying objects. The CIA has since published accounts and photographs documenting those early programs.
According to the CIA’s account of Area 51’s history, U-2 and OXCART flights accounted for more than half of all UFO reports during the late 1950s and 1960s.
The government kept the installation under extraordinary secrecy for decades. In 2013, newly released CIA documents officially acknowledged Area 51’s existence, confirming its historical role in classified aircraft testing.
The game’s underground combat complex is fictional, but the aviation history behind its Nevada setting is well documented.
