‘Battlefield Hardline’ five-day beta will begin on 3 February

The next game in EA’s artillery, Battlefield Hardline, will be opening its servers for a five day beta test beginning on 3 February and running until 8 February.

In a bid to stress test the necessary backend frameworks, servers and pick out nits in the game, the company will make the beta available to PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows platforms via Origin. It’s also completely free.

If you’re a fan of cops-and-robber-based games, you’ll love Hardline, and it seems that the beta will allow players to get the entire scope of the multiplayer experience, according to a presser.

The Battlefield Hardline beta will also provide access to the full breadth of multiplayer progression in the game, which features fresh new weapons, vehicles, gadgets and gear. Players will have to create new strategies on the battlefield with faster getaway methods like the zipline and muscle cars, or new entry tactics with the grappling hook and non-lethal takedown options like arrests, interrogations and stun guns.

Additionally, the “Hacker” mode sounds pretty great too.

This takes surveillance to the next level as one player on each side can hack the battlefield in different ways including hacking into security cameras, spotting enemies and specifying areas for their team to attack or defend. Hacker mode will be playable on all modes in the beta.

The game will launch officially on 17 March in North America, two days later in Europe and a day further for UK audiences. And if you’re not too sure what to expect, have a look at the trailer below.

Game information

• Game: Battlefield Hardline
• Genre: FPS
• Developer: Visceral Games, EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE)
• Engine: Frostbite 3
• Release Date: 17 March 2015 (NA), 19 March 2015 (EU), 20 March 2015 (UK)
• Systems: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC