Battlefield 6 will be free-to-play next week as Top Gun crossover lands

EA has been ramping up Battlefield 6 marketing again just as the game's fourth season is picking up steam. With just a week to go before Season 4's second content injection comes in for a landing, the company today revealed that the base game is going free for a short time again to celebrate.

The free-to-play promotion will be landing on the same day that Season 4's second phase begins. Adding to the season's previous drops, like the biggest map in the game so far and naval gameplay, this update will reintroduce the iconic Wake Island map while also adding some Top Gun action.

The previously announced Top Gun crossover even got a brand-new trailer today, seen below, featuring some recognizable faces and voices from the Top Gun Maverick movie.

In the base game, the Carrier Strike game mode has a big focus on jet gameplay as two teams try to take down each other's aircraft carrier bases. The 64-player mode offers multiple ways to win, with carrier damage and M-COM detonations being options. Battlefield veterans who remember the Titan mode should be familiar with the concept.

The carrier can be damaged with direct fire from heavy fire (like from jets, tanks, or soldier launchers) as well as SSM batteries scattered across the massive map that come online when captured by players.

“Everything about Top Gun is a perfect fit for Battlefield, so this is a dream come true in many ways,” Gameplay Designer Steve Cheverie said. “I couldn't be more proud of the team bringing those characters into our world. We're headed to the Danger Zone in Season 4, and we hope you'll join us!”

Over on REDSEC, the Top Gun crossover materializes as a brand-new jets-only game mode. Dubbed Gauntlet: Fighter Sweep, this will feature the F-74A Seacat and F/A-81F Super Spectre aircrafts (six squads of two players) going up against each other in 10-minute matches above the skies of the Tsuru Reef map.

The Battlefield 6 free trial will be kicking off on August 18 and is slated to last until August 25. The trial content from the base game will be playable via the free-to-play Battlefield REDSEC client as part of the promotion, so any interested fans may want to keep it installed and updated.