'Battlefield 6' is free for a week — take a free shot at Season 2’s new maps and modes
TL;DR: Battlefield 6 is free from March 17-24 through Battlefield REDSEC, giving players access to three playlists and four maps, including the new Season 2 battlegrounds Hagental Base and Contaminated.
If you’ve been curious about Battlefield 6 but haven’t yet made your move, EA is willing to give you a taste for free, right in time for its Season 2: Nightfall update.
From March 17-24, Battlefield 6 will be free to try for everyone through Battlefield REDSEC on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, opening the door to a sizable slice of the game’s multiplayer offering for one week. Rather than tossing players a tiny demo and leaving it at that, this free trial will act more like a dress rehearsal of what Season 2 has lined up.
The big draw of this update is Nightfall, a playlist built around the new Hagental Base map. It includes Team Deathmatch, Squad Deathmatch, and Domination, with a twist — the lights are out. That means players will need to rely on Night Vision Goggles, weapon attachments, and anything else that can help cut through the darkness.
Battlefield 6 is also making room for players who want the more traditional large-scale experience. The All-Out Warfare playlist includes Conquest, Breakthrough, and Escalation, the latter being the mode that gradually intensifies as map boundaries shift and extra vehicles enter the fight. That playlist spans four maps in total: Season 2’s Contaminated and Hagental Base, plus Eastwood from Season 1 and Mirak Valley from the game’s launch lineup.
For anyone who doesn’t want to be immediately thrown into the more intense gaming side of multiplayer, there’s also Casual Breakthrough. This mode is aimed at newer or less competitive players, with smaller squads of real players supported by bots on both sides. You’ll still be able to earn progression and work through challenges, but with a softer landing than a full PvP lobby. Casual Breakthrough will run across Hagental Base, Contaminated, and Eastwood.
Topics Gaming PlayStation Xbox Video Games
Ben Williams is a freelance writer at Mashable, having joined the team in June 2025. With over 10 years experience in gaming, tech, TV, anime, and film, there’s nothing he hasn’t covered. Alongside Ben’s other work at IGN, Radio Times, Eurogamer, UNILAD Tech, and Rock Paper Shotgun, he also has bylines at sites like GamesRadar+, PCGamesN, ScreenSphere, Twinfinite, ScreenRant, GGRecon, and more.
When away from writing, he spends his downtime playing and watching games, films, and shows he loves covering — whether it’s replaying The Last of Us Part 2, catching Pokémon, rewatching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, or bingeing Tarantino movies.
