DICE To Host Battlefield 1 Beta On August 31, Gamescom Trailer Blasts Online

On the eve of Gamescom 2016 getting underway in Cologne, Germany, DICE and Electronic Arts have unleashed the barnstorming new trailer for Battlefield 1, all the while confirming plans to host a public beta on August 31 across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Those hoping to get a taste of the WWI action before the shooter’s October launch will need to register for Battlefield Insider, the franchise’s online testing community, before August 21 to gain access. It’s understood primary game modes including Conquest and Rush will be featured, with today’s eye-popping new trailer situating the action on the sun-scorched sand dunes of North Africa.

Set against Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” this is perhaps our best look at DICE’s wartime shooter to date. Drawing solely from factual history – whereas previous reports suggested Battlefield 1 would incorporate steampunk technology – World War I is a fascinatingly rich resource to pull from, and offers a welcome change of pace to the genre’s foray into far-future settings in the vein of Titanfall 2 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.

Battlefield 1 is due to drop for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 21. Be sure to subscribe to Battlefield Insider before the cut-off on August 21 if you wish to partake in the shooter’s public beta test. It’ll kick off on Wednesday, August 31.