EA has confirmed, in a new blog post, that Battlefield Hardline's open multiplayer beta will officially arrive on 3rd February. The cops 'n' robbers shooter beta will be available across all of its intended release platforms - Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4 and PC.
Developer Visceral noted that three new modes will be introduced during this beta. The first is called Hotwire, where both teams will be involved in high-speed chases with the goal of taking each other's cars down. Hotwire will be playable on two maps, Downtown and Dust Bowl, with the latter also playable in the classic Conquest mode. Conquest will support 24 players on PS3 and Xbox 360, or 64 players on PC and next gen consoles.
Players will also be able to access the Bank Job map where they'll get to try out a new Heist mode. Another new feature, Hacker, which is said to be Hardline's version of Commander in Battlefield 4, will allow one player on each team to "take control over security cameras, spot enemies and specify areas on the Battlefield for their team to attack or defend." Hacker mode will be playable on all maps in the beta.
PC gamers can pre-load the beta from 2nd Feb
This second Battlefield Hardline beta will run until Sunday 8th February, giving fans a taste of what's to come. The game is scheduled to hit stores beginning 17th March in North America and 20th March in the UK, following its delay from last autumn in order for Visceral to incorporate feedback from the previous closed beta. To get into the beta, which is open to everyone, you simply have to access it through EA's Origin gaming client. Users on PC will have the chance to pre-load the beta beginning next Monday, though console users will have to wait until the release date, a day later.