Electronic Arts said Monday that its Battlefield 3 game has sold five million units on a worldwide basis within its first week, the fastest-selling game in EA's history.

The company admitted to some server instability, however, but claimed it was minor: the average service uptime remained at 98.9 percent throughout the weekend, with only some "intermittent disruption of online services due to high volume," according to the developer.

Battlefield 3, the latest wartime first-person shooter title from DICE and Electronic Arts, arrived in stores on October 25th, launching the opening salvo in this fall's FPS conflict. Available for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, Battlefield 3 arrives days before Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which is slated for release on November 8th.

EA released several indicators of the game's success: Battlefield 3 fans executed 73 million "savior kills", 48 million "revives" by medics and destroyed 67 million vehicles. And they also accrued 2.5 million Facebook Likes and 200,000 Twitter followers, EA said.

"From Tokyo to Los Angeles, Sydney to London, millions of fans have been playing all weekend long -- we are overwhelmed by the global response to Battlefield 3," said Patrick Soderlund, Executive Vice President of the EA Games Label. "It is extremely gratifying to deliver an entertainment experience that delights our fans, and to have the opportunity to introduce new people to the franchise. Already, we are seeing unprecedented play times and online activity which is very rewarding. This launch solidifies Battlefield as a leading entertainment brand."

Battlefield 3 puts gamers in the role of U.S. Marines who battle opposing forces (The People's Liberation and Resistance) in New York, Paris, and Tehran—the perfect settings for making things go boom. The highly anticipated military combat title is powered by DICE's Frostbite 2 engine, which enabled the developer to build massive, destructible environments, dynamic audio, and incredible animation (utilizing ANT technology). Virtual soldiers can mount weapons on almost any part of the in-game terrain.

Battlefield 3 even includes a social network: Battlelog, which allows users to compare stats and strategies. You can pick up a copy at Amazon.

This article, written by Mark Hachman, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc.