Battlefield 2042 is a 2021 online-only multiplayer first-person shooter game created by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the 17th version in the Battlefield series and was released on November 19, 2021, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Unlike earlier games in the series, Battlefield 2042 only includes multiplayer mode and does not have a single-player story. It is also the first game in the series to support cross-platform play, which allows players on different gaming systems to play together. It was the last Battlefield game released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms.

The game received some good and some bad reviews from critics and players. Many criticized it for technical problems, missing features, and changes to how the game was played. The game did not sell as well as Electronic Arts had hoped. A new Battlefield game, titled Battlefield 6, was released on October 10, 2025. It was developed by Battlefield Studios, which includes DICE, Motive Studios, Ripple Effect Studios, and Criterion Games.

Gameplay

Battlefield 2042 is a multiplayer-focused first-person shooter game, similar to earlier games in the series. Set in the near future, the game includes futuristic weapons and tools, such as deployable turrets, drones, and vehicles that players can control. Players can request a vehicle to be dropped at any location during gameplay. The game introduced a "Plus" system, which lets players customize their weapons quickly during matches. The class system was changed significantly compared to previous games. Instead of four fixed classes, players now choose specialists who belong to the same four traditional Battlefield classes: Assault, Engineer, Medic, and Recon. These specialists can use any weapons or gadgets the player has unlocked. Each specialist has unique abilities and tools. For example, one specialist, Emma "Sundance" Rosier, has a wingsuit, while another, Maria Falck, has a healing pistol. The game includes extreme weather effects, such as tornadoes and sandstorms, which can impact gameplay. At launch, the game had seven maps, including 'Breakaway,' the largest map in the Battlefield series.

The game has three main gameplay modes. "All-Out Warfare" includes two modes: "Breakthrough" and "Conquest," which are common in the Battlefield series. In "Conquest," two teams compete to capture control points. When all control points in a sector are captured, the team gains control of that sector. In "Breakthrough," one team tries to capture the other team's control points, while the other team defends them. Both modes can be played with or against AI-controlled players. The PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S versions support matches with up to 128 players. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions support matches with up to 64 players. For the first time in the series, Battlefield 2042 allows cross-platform play between the PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S versions. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions also support cross-platform play, but only between players on those two platforms.

The second main mode is called "Battlefield Portal," a community-driven platform where players can create custom multiplayer modes. Portal also includes maps from previous Battlefield games, such as Battlefield 1942, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 3. Players can use a web-based tool to modify gameplay settings, such as health, weapon choices, and movement.

The third mode is a cooperative multiplayer game called "Hazard Zone." In this mode, players are divided into teams and must work together to retrieve and extract data drives from the wreckage of fallen satellites. These data drives are protected by AI-controlled enemy combatants. After successfully extracting a data drive, players earn "dark market credits," which can be used to buy new weapons and upgrades in this mode.

Synopsis

Battlefield 2042 takes place 22 years after the events of Battlefield 4. Unlike earlier versions, this game does not include a single-player story. Instead, the story is shared through multiplayer gameplay. Over many years, problems such as weak economies, rising ocean levels, and broken relationships (including the end of the European Union because of Germany’s financial trouble and the resulting refugee group called "No-Pats") reached a major point in 2040. A Kessler syndrome event happened, causing 70% of satellites in space to fall to Earth. This led to a permanent global blackout, which increased tensions between the United States and Russia. War began by the year 2042.

In addition to multiplayer gameplay, the story is also shared on Electronic Arts’ official website for Battlefield 2042. A short film called Exodus, which shows events before the War of 2042 and includes a character from Battlefield 4 named Irish, was released on August 12, 2021, through Battlefield’s YouTube channel.

The 10 specialists introduced are:

• Webster Mackay, a former Canadian soldier who moves quickly and uses a grappling hook to climb or move across areas.
• Maria Falck, a German medic who uses a pistol to shoot healing darts and can fully restore teammates’ health.
• Wikus "Casper" Van Daele, a South African sniper who wears a ghillie suit to hide.
• Pyotr "Boris" Guskovsky, a Russian combat engineer who can place sentry guns.
• Kimble "Irish" Graves, a former United States Marine (and a character from Battlefield 4) who can protect teammates with a deployable shield or an APS.
• Navin Rao, an Indian hacker who can disable enemy systems.
• Santiago "Dozer" Espinoza, a Mexican soldier who can take heavy damage.
• Emma "Sundance" Rosier, a French soldier skilled with explosives who uses a wingsuit to fly.
• Ji-Soo Paik, a South Korean soldier who can easily spot enemies.
• Constantin "Angel" Anghel, a Romanian soldier who can quickly restore teammates’ ammunition and call in supply drops.

New specialists were added each season starting with Season 1. Season 4 introduced the final specialist. Specialists added later include:

• Ewelina Lis, a Polish soldier with a rocket launcher that fires remote-controlled projectiles. She can also mark damaged enemy vehicles with a red overlay on the screen. (Season 1: Zero Hour)
• Charlie Crawford, a former British MI6 agent who also worked as an arms dealer for the Dark Market. He can place a stationary minigun and refill his teammates’ gadget ammunition when reviving them. (Season 2: Master of Arms)
• Rasheed Zain, an Egyptian security expert who uses an airburst launcher to reveal enemies hiding behind cover and regains health after defeating an enemy. (Season 3: Escalation)
• Camila Blasco, a Spanish reconnaissance agent who uses a device to disrupt enemy systems and specializes in ambushes and stealth. (Season 4: Eleventh Hour)

Development

The game was created by DICE, a studio in Sweden, with help from Ripple Effect Studios, EA Gothenburg, and Criterion Games. It has the largest team ever for a Battlefield game. Criterion had to pause work on the next Need for Speed game to assist DICE. This game does not have a traditional single-player story mode. Instead, DICE focused more on improving the multiplayer experience, which is the studio's strength. The story is told through specialists—named and fully-voiced characters who each have their own background and viewpoint. The narrative changes over time as new characters and locations are added after the game is released. While the game's world is set in a climate-ravaged future, DICE explained that the setting was chosen for gameplay reasons and not as a direct message about climate change.

To support more players in each match, the maps were made larger. However, the maps were not just big; they were designed using "clustering" to guide players toward specific areas where they can fight each other. Daniel Berlin, the game's design director, said the maps are "several smaller maps stitched together." The team decided early in development to include artificial intelligence in the All-out Warfare mode because they believed it would help new players learn the game. Ripple Effect Studios, which was previously called DICE Los Angeles, led the development of Battlefield Portal. The game uses the latest version of the Frostbite engine.

A preview of the game was shown at the 2020 EA Play Live event, showing large battles and detailed facial expressions. The game was announced on June 9, 2021. An open beta test happened from October 6 to 9, 2021, before the game launched on November 19, 2021, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The original release date was October 22, 2021, but it was delayed because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Marketing

The game's first trailer was released on June 9, 2021. It included a remix of Mötley Crüe's song "Kickstart My Heart" by 2WEI. The trailer was noted for its key moment, called a "rendezook," which is a special move in Battlefield. During this move, a player leaves their jet during an air battle, uses a rocket launcher to shoot down their pursuer while flying, and then returns to their jet.

Post-launch content

EA provided a lot of support for the game after it was released by adding downloadable content. Battlefield 2042 uses the battle pass system. All players can access free gameplay content, but those who buy the battle pass receive extra cosmetic items. Before Season 1 launched, DICE released several updates. Update 4.1 removed the 128-player Breakthrough mode, which was considered too chaotic.

As of March 2024, DICE had released seven seasons in total. The last Specialist was added in Season 4. On April 9, 2024, DICE announced that Season 7 would be the final official season, but the game will continue to be supported. Many limited-time modes were introduced during updates, including a special crossover event based on Dead Space. After seasonal updates ended, the game began selling previous battle pass items in the in-game store and switched to a "best of" playlist system, which offers many different versions of the game's multiplayer modes.

Before Battlefield 6 was released, the game received a final update that added the map Iwo Jima, which was used in earlier Battlefield games, new weapons, a battle pass, and changes to equipment. Progressing through the battle pass gives players items that can be used in Battlefield 6.

Reception

Battlefield 2042 received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic, making it the lowest-rated game in the Battlefield series. Another review aggregator, OpenCritic, said the game received weak approval, with only 33% of critics recommending it.

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game five out of five stars. They wrote that Battlefield 2042 brings the sandbox back to the series in bold and controversial ways. The new Specialist system might seem confusing at first, but it creates gameplay opportunities not seen before. The large, well-designed maps offer space for creativity and new stories, and the game modes are fun to play. Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 3/5 review. They said Battlefield 2042 had the potential to be a great return for the franchise and developer. In some ways, the game meets its promises with good gameplay, new features, and strong visuals. However, the game also has many problems that hurt the experience.

Jordan Devore of Destructoid wrote that Battlefield 2042 feels like it could become a great game, but it is not ready yet. The gunplay is satisfying when it works, and the large-scale action is exciting. However, the game did not have to be this way. GamesRadar+ praised Battlefield 2042’s All-Out War mode, visuals, and Portal mode. However, they criticized the Hazard Zone mode and the removal of classes. IGN said the game’s Portal options are impressive but not as strong as older Battlefield games. They believe the customization tools could define the game in the future. GameSpot said the game has many different features but that glitches, especially on PC, hurt the experience. Christian Vaz of PCGamesN gave the game a 7/10 and said it felt rushed. He said the game has the right parts to become a classic multiplayer game but needs more updates to reach its full potential.

Phil Iwaniuk of The Guardian gave the game two out of five stars. He said 128-player matches were too chaotic and gave little recognition to individual players. He also noted many bugs and technical issues. VG247’s Sherif Saed criticized the game’s bugs and poor technical state, saying many of the same problems appeared in recent Battlefield games. Chris Jarrard of Shacknews said the Specialist system was confusing and the maps were hard to move through on foot. He also criticized technical problems. Liam Croft of Push Square compared the game to a starter meal, saying it offered too little for its price.

Player reception was very negative. Battlefield 2042 became one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam, with almost 30,000 negative reviews by November 21, 2021. Players criticized many bugs, missing features from older Battlefield games, and changes to gameplay. Some players disliked the addition of Christmas-themed skins, including a leaked Santa Claus example, which they said clashed with the series’ serious tone. Despite being one of the most played games on Steam at launch, the number of players dropped quickly. By November 28, 2021, Battlefield 2042 had fewer players than Farming Simulator 22. By December 2, the game had lost 70% of its initial players. By the end of December, the Steam player count dropped to about 19,000, lower than Battlefield V’s daily player numbers. By mid-April 2022, the player count dropped below 1,000 at times. After update 4.00, the Steam player count rose to an average of over 2,000.

In January 2022, DICE removed the popular "Rush" mode from the featured playlist in Battlefield 2042’s Portal mode, causing more complaints. EA’s global communications director, Andy McNamara, said player expectations were "brutal" on Twitter, leading to angry responses from players and harassment of DICE developers. On Reddit, discussions about Battlefield 2042 became so hostile that moderators threatened to close the game’s official subreddit. Later that month, "Rush" was added back to the game. In February 2022, a Change.org petition asking for refunds for all Battlefield 2042 buyers reached over 200,000 signatures in a month. The petition claimed the game’s technical issues made it "unplayable" and said the developers failed to improve the game as promised.

In response to feedback, DICE released an update in April 2022, version 4.00, which included over 400 changes, such as bug fixes, gameplay improvements, and new additions. In May, DICE announced Battlefield 2042’s Season 1 and shared a video explaining their plans to improve the game through changes to maps, modes, and Specialists, new items, smaller player counts, and better character controls and animations. They also said they would stop supporting the Hazard Zone mode. In June, EA denied reports that the development team was "down to a skeleton crew," stating that a large team across studios was working to improve the game. In September, Vince Zampella, head of Respawn Entertainment and the Battlefield series, said the game had "strayed a little too far from what Battlefield is."

Battlefield 2042 was the third best-selling retail game in the UK during its release week, behind Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. It was the second best-selling game in the US in November 2021, according to NPD Group. It became the fifth best-selling game in the US in 2021.

During an earnings call in February 2022, EA said the game did not meet sales expectations. They blamed the game’s performance on remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused unexpected technical problems during the launch. EA also said some design choices did not match the Battlefield community’s preferences.