Battlefield 2042 has been on a roll the past few weeks. Last month saw the long-awaited return of classes and the balancing of the most yapping Battlefield in the series' history. More recently, Season 4 added a new map, four guns, a new light tank, and a recon specialist with powerful jamming technology. If you ask me, there are more and more reasons to give Battlefield 2042 another shot (open in new tab).

Now, let's add to this list the fact that "Battlefield 2042" (opens in new tab) is free to play on Steam from March 13 to 16. This free period coincides with the last day of a huge sale at a whopping 70% off, or $17.99.

Three days is oddly short for a free period on Steam (old habits dictate that they open their doors to customers for an entire week), but it's more than enough time to see if this game is to your liking. I enjoyed 2042 when it first came out, but left it for over a year due to bugs and performance issues. I picked it up again last week and have played it for at least 10 hours since then. I've also enjoyed trying out the four maps that have been added since launch, reworking old maps that were too large or empty, and trying out the post-launch specialists.

The new class system is also a big deal. By restricting access to gadgets to specific roles, squads now have to work together again to get things done. Engineers can no longer soflam helicopters with one hand and shoot bazookas with the other, and lone wolf assaults can no longer self-heal indefinitely with medical crates.

The game is still far from perfect. Quickly swapping attachments requires multiple clicks, spawning is erratic, and the helicopter is overly oppressive.

DICE has spent most of the past year making 2042 more like the older games, but the game is still definitely its own thing. Battlefield purists will not like 2042's emphasis on specialists, but specialists are still alive and well, with tailor-made personal gadgets and passive perks. New and old ideas are integrated into a live-service scramble. That's why you should check out Battlefield 2042 while it's free.