Earlier this month, Sony announced free games for PS+ members for March, including Battlefield 2042 (PS4/PS5), Minecraft: Dungeons (PS4) and Code Bloodthirsty (PS4). According to foreign media reports, with the addition of "Battlefield 2042" to PS+, a large number of players flocked to this game.
According to trophy data site TrueTrophies, the number of players increased by 578% after Battlefield 2042 was added to the PS+ free. Current online players surpass games like GTA5, Overwatch 2, Apex Heroes, and Destiny 2.
It's worth noting that this observation is based on limited data, as not all players choose to be tracked, but it's still a good metric.
TrueTrophies rankings as of March 12
Last week, Battlefield 2042 launched a free-to-play trial on Steam from Monday, March 13 to Thursday, March 16, peaking at 24,000. Prior to March 13, Battlefield 2042 Steam averaged around 9,000 people online, so it attracted some new players for free, but not too much. Probably because EA has played too many trials on Steam.
According to SteamChart, Battlefield 2042 is currently online at about 10,000 after the free trial ends, with a peak of 23,000 in 24 hours.