Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 players will be spending countless hours in the title's multiplayer when the game releases next week. So why not take a look at the multiplayer maps you'll be playing on?

Recently DICE revealed all nine multiplayer maps that will be included in Battlefield 3 when the game releases on October 25. In addition to screen shots of each map, the posts on EA's Battleblog give some insight into the play style each map offers.

You can find more information at the above links, but here's a rundown of Battlefield 3's maps.

Operation Metro: This is the map featured in the Battlefield 3 beta, so you can read our more detailed impressions here. Operation Metro splits the action into three distinct sections: A fight in a wide open park, a bombed-out subway tunnel, and the streets outside of the Paris stock exchange.

Operation Firestorm: In stark contrast to Operation Metro, Operation Firestorm is a wide open map designed for vehicles. DICE states that it's roughly three times the size of Bad Company 2's biggest maps. Construction sites littered throughout the wide-open dessert give infantry the ability to attack vehicles with mortar fire and RPGs.

Tehran Highway: Players will have to contend with reduced visibility on this map, as it takes place at night. In Tehran Highway, players will start in the hilly area above the city, making their way down into the streets. This map features a balance between vehicular combat (in the beginning open areas) and on-foot combat (inside the city).

Damavand Peak: This unique map is based off of the concept of base jumping, and will have one Rush players plummeting off of a mountain ridge at the beginning of the map to descend to the mining facility below. It features the largest height difference of any Battlefield map ever designed. More vehicles open up later in the map.

Grand Bazaar: Taking place in the center of Tehran, this map is designed specifically for close quarter combat. Grand Bazaar is also one of the more symmetrical maps gamers will play on, with similar terrain and pathways for opposing teams.

Caspian Border: This large, wide open map is all about vehicular warfare. The forest setting stands in stark visual contrast to Battlefield 3's other maps, most of which are set in urban and desert locations. Caspian Border will contain nearly every vehicle available in the game.

Seine Crossing: France's famous Seine river runs down the heart of this large-scale map. DICE states that there will be a number of roads for patrolling vehicles to fight over, while smaller alleyways will allow infantry to sneak in closer to their targets. The final station in Rush mode takes place inside of a bank in Paris.

Noshahr Canals: The industrial setting of Noshahr Canals provides plenty of opportunities for on-foot combat, as well as land-, water-, and air-based vehicles. There are three distinct areas on this map: a train yard, dry dock, and airfield.

Kharg Island: The second map to feature boat-based gameplay, Kharg Island features more distance between objectives than Noshahr Canals. Multiplayer matches will begin with a beach assault, leading further up onto the island where the map opens up into wider areas.

In addition to these nine maps, players who pre-order the game will receive the Back To Karkand DLC pack, which features four classic Battlefield 2 maps that have been redesigned for the new game.