Call of Duty's Blackout battle royale mode is free for April

There are eight editions of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. There's never been a better time to play games, but there's also never been a more complicated, frustrating time to buy them. For the rest of this month, however, anyone that's just interested in the Blackout battle royale mode can play for free.

If you missed Blackout's free week in January, or still have a battle royale itch that needs scratching, you can shoot your way to the final spot from today until the end of the month. Later this month, you'll also get access to the new, smaller Alcatraz map, which launches today on PS4.

Blops 4 hasn't been the earner that Activision's investors hoped, though it's done well enough for the publisher to bring in record revenues, while also laying off hundreds of people. The battle royale mode in particular faces steep competition from games like Fortnite and Apex Legends, both of which are free to play while Blackout normally costs £35.

Blackout will be free later today. I'll update the article when it's live with instructions on how to get access.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.