The first major game of 2019 will soon be available to play for free. Here's how to get your hands on it

BioWare/EA

"Anthem" sounds a lot like "Destiny" - a first-person shooter with a persistent online world - except it has jet packs!

• The first major new game from the studio behind "Mass Effect" and "Dragon Age" is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in February 2019.
• The game is named "Anthem," and it sounds a lot like EA's version of the massively popular Activision game "Destiny."
• Though "Anthem" doesn't arrive until February, EA is offering an early chance to play the game - for free! - in December. Here's how to sign up.

It may not seem like it yet, but 2019 is just around the corner - and with a new year comes the next wave of major video games.

One of the first games of that coming wave is "Anthem," a huge new online-only game from the folks who brought you the "Mass Effect" and "Dragon Age" franchises. 

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It's set to launch on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on February 22 - still a few months from now - but EA is offering an early chance to play the game in "alpha" form this December.

Better yet: It's entirely free!

BioWare/EA

Oh yeah? Yeah!

Playing the game is as simple as signing in with your existing EA Online account right here, selecting your platform, and confirming your selection. 

Notably, this isn't the final version of the game you'll get to play. It's an early "alpha" version of the game, which means it's close to - but still pretty far from - the game that will launch in February. Since "Anthem" is an online-only game, EA is using the alpha as a means of testing its server capacity, as well as a means of testing the game itself with fans. 

So, when can you play the alpha? Soon! It's set to run during the weekend of December 8 and December 9, with a variety of sessions across the two days. You'll need Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus if you want to play the alpha on the Xbox One or PlayStation 4, and beware that whichever platform you choose is the one you're going to get - you can't choose multiple platforms with a single EA Online login.

For a taste of what you'll experience in the "Anthem" alpha, check out this very lengthy video:

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