Star Wars Battlefront II is a 2017 action shooter video game created by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is part of the Star Wars: Battlefront series and the fourth main game in the series, following the 2015 version. The game includes both single-player and multiplayer modes and has more content than the previous game. The single-player story takes place between the movies Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. It follows Iden Versio, a commander of a special ops group called Inferno Squad. Most of the story happens in the fictional galaxy of Star Wars during the last year of the Galactic Civil War, before the Empire loses the Battle of Jakku.
The game was released worldwide on November 17, 2017, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. Critics gave the game mixed reviews. They praised the multiplayer, gameplay, visuals, and variety of activities but criticized the single-player story, microtransactions, and progression system. The game also faced criticism for its use of loot boxes, which are special boxes that can give players in-game advantages if purchased with real money. In response, Electronic Arts removed microtransactions from the game.
After its release, the game received many free updates to improve its quality and attract more players. These updates stopped on April 29, 2020, after Electronic Arts said the game had reached its goal of having enough players and had improved significantly. A special version of the game called the Celebration Edition, which includes all cosmetic items, was released on December 5, 2019.
Gameplay
Star Wars Battlefront II is a game where players can fight in both single-player and multiplayer modes. Players can choose to take part in ground battles as soldiers or space battles as starfighters. The game includes three different time periods from the Star Wars story: the Clone Wars, where the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems fight; the Galactic Civil War, where the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire battle; and a war between the Resistance and the First Order. Each group has different types of soldiers, such as clone troopers for the Republic, battle droids for the Confederacy, and stormtroopers for the Empire and First Order. Soldiers have the same controls but look different, while starfighters have special abilities that change how players play.
Battles happen on many different maps, which change based on the time period. When the game first came out, it had 15 locations from the Star Wars universe, including places like Kamino, Naboo, Hoth, and the Death Star II. Some maps are only in space, such as Ryloth and the Unknown Regions. Later, eight more maps were added, such as Crait, Jabba’s Palace, and D’Qar. Some maps are only used in certain game modes.
The game uses class-based gameplay. All groups have the same four soldier classes—Assault, Heavy, Officer, and Specialist—and three starfighter classes—Fighter, Interceptor, and Bomber (though the Resistance and First Order do not have Bombers). Ground battles include extra classes called Reinforcements, which players unlock by earning "battle points" from defeating enemies or completing tasks. All groups have three soldier Reinforcements—Enforcer, Aerial, and Infiltrator—and two vehicle Reinforcements—Speeder and Armor. The four standard soldier classes do not need battle points. Some groups, like the Republic and Empire, have an extra Reinforcement called Artillery, which is only available in specific maps during the Galactic Assault mode.
Players can level up all classes except Artillery. When a class reaches a new level, players earn a Skill Point to improve a Star Card. Star Cards help players grow stronger by increasing stats like health or damage, or by changing abilities. Some Star Cards can only be unlocked after reaching a certain level. Up to three Star Cards can be used at once for each class. Most Star Cards are only available for specific classes, though some basic cards, like extra health, are available to all.
Players can also change how their soldier classes look by buying new outfits or unlocking new weapons through achievements. While weapon customization is limited, each weapon has a unique style. Players can also add attachments to weapons to change how they work, like increasing range or fire speed. Reinforcement classes can be leveled up and customized, but their weapons and abilities cannot be changed.
In addition to soldiers and Reinforcements, players can play as heroes or villains based on famous Star Wars characters. Unlike in other games, heroes are a full class that can be leveled up and customized. In multiplayer, heroes are only available in Galactic Assault and Supremacy modes and are unlocked by spending 4000 battle points. In Galactic Assault, players can choose any hero, while in Supremacy, only heroes from the current time period are allowed. Each side can use up to two heroes in Supremacy and three in Galactic Assault. Other modes, like Heroes vs. Villains and Hero Showdown, let players use only heroes without limits.
Synopsis
Iden Versio (Janina Gavankar), leader of the Galactic Empire's elite special forces unit, Inferno Squad, is held prisoner aboard the Invincible Faith, a Rebel Alliance Star Cruiser. Iden orders her ID10 droid, Dio, to free her from captivity before she deletes an Imperial message about the Emperor's plan to attack the rebels on Endor. After escaping through an airlock into space, Iden is rescued by the Corvus, Inferno Squad's ship, where she reports the mission's success to her squadmates, Del Meeko (T. J. Ramini) and Gideon Hask (Paul Blackthorne).
During the Battle of Endor, Inferno Squad destroys a rebel patrol guarding the Death Star II's ruined shield generator. They then witness the Death Star's destruction above Endor's surface. The squad escapes the moon before being overwhelmed by rebels and lands on the Star Destroyer Eviscerator, commanded by Iden's father, Admiral Garrick Versio (Anthony Skordi). The Admiral tells Iden about the Emperor's death, while a messenger droid delivers the Emperor's final order to begin Operation: Cinder. Admiral Versio sends Iden and Hask to an Imperial shipyard near Fondor to protect the Star Destroyer Dauntless, which holds experimental satellites critical to Operation: Cinder. Meanwhile, Del travels to Pillio to destroy one of the Emperor's hidden vaults, where he meets Luke Skywalker (Matthew Mercer). The two work together to defeat local wildlife and access the vault, which contains the Emperor's stolen treasures. Luke takes one item before the pair part ways, with Del beginning to doubt the Empire's goals.
Inferno Squad's next mission is to rescue Imperial Protectorate Gleb on Vardos, Iden's home planet, as Operation: Cinder begins. As the operation's satellites damage Vardos with storms, Iden and Del abandon the mission to save civilians, causing Hask to betray them. The pair escapes to the Corvus, now enemies of the Empire. They meet General Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), who offers them a choice: help stop Operation: Cinder or leave to start new lives. They choose to help, aiding Princess Leia Organa (Misty Lee) in defending Naboo, destroying Cinder's satellites, and restoring the planet's defenses. After Naboo is saved, Iden and Del officially join the New Republic.
Months later, the new Inferno Squad—Iden, Del, and rebel agent Shriv Suurgav (Dan Donohue)—go to Takodana to find General Han Solo (John Armstrong), who disappeared during a mission to retrieve data from an Imperial defector. After Han and the defector escape a group of stormtroopers to reach the Millennium Falcon, Inferno Squad helps them leave the planet. The data reveals Admiral Versio is leading Imperial forces on Bespin and Sullust. On Bespin, Iden and Del try to capture the Admiral but are tricked by Hask. They escape, destroying a Star Destroyer fueling station. On Sullust, Lando and Shriv destroy a secret Imperial weapons factory. With these operations ruined, the Imperial fleet fights a final battle at Jakku. During the battle, Iden shoots down Hask and boards the Eviscerator to rescue her father. Admiral Versio chooses to die with his ship, urging Iden to flee and live a new life. Iden escapes in an escape pod and reunites with Del and Shriv. Iden and Del share a kiss as the battle ends the Galactic Empire.
Thirty years later, Del is captured on Pillio by Gleb, who hands him over to Kylo Ren (Matthew Wood) and the First Order. Kylo interrogates Del for a map to Luke Skywalker before leaving him to Hask, now a First Order officer. Hask criticizes Del for choosing a family with Iden over being a soldier, then kills him. Hask tells Gleb to leave the Corvus on Pillio as bait to lure Iden out of hiding.
Shriv, now a Resistance agent, finds the abandoned Corvus and informs Iden and her daughter Zay (Brittany Volcy) that Del had helped the Resistance investigate rumors of mass disappearances linked to "Project Resurrection." They travel to Athulla, where Del was last seen, and are attacked by a Jinata Security fleet, which they destroy. Survivors admit they kidnapped children for the First Order and that Project Resurrection was moved to Vardos.
Iden and Shriv search Vardos' ruins, leaving Zay on the Corvus, and are captured by Hask, who reveals he killed Gleb and Del and that the First Order used Starkiller Base to destroy the New Republic. Hask orders his ship, the Retribution, to destroy the Corvus, but Zay survives by escaping in an escape pod. Meanwhile, Jinata Security attacks Hask's forces, allowing Iden and Shriv to rescue Zay.
Deciding to help the Resistance, the trio steals TIE fighters to board the Retribution, where they discover Project Resurrection involves kidnapping children to train them as stormtroopers. They also learn the First Order has built a large fleet to retake the galaxy and steal plans for a First Order Dreadnought. While Shriv searches for an escape ship, Iden and Zay destroy the Retribution's hyperspace generators, forcing it to exit hyperspace near Starkiller Base as the Resistance destroys it. Hask attacks them, shooting Iden before she pushes him to his death. Iden dies from her injury, telling Zay to escape with the Dreadnought plans. Zay reunites with Shriv, who helps her leave the Retribution before joining the Resistance. They send the plans to General Leia Organa, who comforts them before ordering them to the Outer Rim to find more allies.
Post-launch content
In 2017, during EA Play, it was announced that Star Wars: Battlefront II would not include a Season Pass. Instead, all downloadable content was provided through free title updates, divided into multiple "seasons."
Starting April 29, 2020, after EA decided the game had reached its target number of players and had improved significantly since its release, the game no longer received updates for new content.
The first season, based on the 2017 movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi, was released on December 5, 2017, ten days before the movie’s release. It added content from the film, including a space map over D'Qar, a new Galactic Assault map on Crait, heroes Finn (Resistance) and Captain Phasma (First Order), and a new hero ship, Tallie Lintra’s RZ-2 A-Wing. The season also included a continuation of the single-player campaign, Battlefront II: Resurrection, released on December 13.
On May 3, 2018, EA Star Wars announced via Twitter that the second season would be based on the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story. The first part of this season was released on May 16, adding a new game mode called Hero Showdown, starfighters to the Arcade, a returning map from Star Wars Battlefront (2015) called Jabba’s Palace, and skins for Leia Organa and Lando Calrissian based on their disguises in Return of the Jedi. The second part, released on June 12, added a new map set on the mines of Kessel, a new variation of the Millennium Falcon (from Solo), and a return of the Extraction game mode on the two new maps. Skins for Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca based on their appearances in Solo were also added.
In February 2018, the game’s design director, Dennis Brännvall, hinted that content based on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series would be released in the future. At EA Play 2018, it was confirmed that this content would be added in the fall of 2018, including a new Galactic Assault map on Geonosis, new clone trooper skins, and playable heroes Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General Grievous, and Count Dooku, with voice lines from the actors who voiced them in The Clone Wars. On October 30, Grievous was added as a Separatist villain with an alternative skin. On November 28, the Geonosis map and Obi-Wan Kenobi were added, along with new reinforcement classes, 212th Attack Battalion clone skins, and new skins for Grievous and Obi-Wan.
An update on January 23, 2019, added Count Dooku and made the Geonosis map available for other game modes. On February 27, Anakin Skywalker was added, along with new skins for him, Dooku, and clone troopers, voice lines for all heroes, and a rework of emotes. On March 26, the Capital Supremacy mode was released, along with the Infiltrator class and a major gameplay overhaul. On April 24, a new Kashyyyk map for Capital Supremacy was added, along with challenges and a new Leia Organa skin for Star Wars Day. On May 22, a new Kamino map for Capital Supremacy was added. On June 21, a new Naboo map for Capital Supremacy was added, alongside new skins for Anakin Skywalker and clone troopers, the Droideka as a new Enforcer class for Separatists, and the TX-130 assault tank as a new Armor class for the Republic.
An update on August 28, 2019, added new skins for battle droids, maps from Capital Supremacy to the Heroes vs. Villains mode, and new Star Cards to replace Health on Kill. On September 25, a new Felucia map for Capital Supremacy was added, along with Clone Commandos as a new Enforcer class for the Republic, a new Luke Skywalker skin, and two new game modes: Instant Action (offline) and Co-Op (PvE). Daily Crates and Extraction mode were removed (merged with Strike). On October 23, Ewok Hunt and Co-Op modes were updated, and a Felucia map for Heroes vs. Villains was added, along with new skins for the Jet Trooper, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo.
On December 5, 2019, a Celebration Edition of the game was released, including all cosmetic options from previous updates. It could be purchased separately or as an upgrade to the original version. An update, originally planned for late November, added new skins for the Infiltrator and Enforcer classes and a gameplay overhaul. On December 17, an update added content based on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, including a new Ajan Kloss map, Co-Op mode for the sequel trilogy era, new skins for Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren, and new reinforcement classes (Ovissian Gunner for Resistance, Caphex Spy for Resistance, Sith Trooper for First Order, and Jet Trooper for First Order). On February 3, 2020, an update added BB-8 and BB-9E as heroes for the Resistance and First Order, respectively, and updated Capital Supremacy and Instant Action for the sequel trilogy era. On December 19, 2024, the complete edition was added to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service for no extra cost, temporarily.
On February 26, 2020, a major update added content based on the original Star Wars trilogy, including Co-Op mode, four new weapons (three returning from Star Wars: Battlefront 2015), the Infiltrator class, and new skins for existing reinforcement classes. It also added a new Geonosis map to Heroes vs. Villains and moved Capital Supremacy maps from the prequel era to Co-Op, with gameplay changes. The next update, originally planned for late March, was delayed twice—once to mid-April and again to late April. Released on April 29, it added content based on Rogue One, including a Scarif map and new skins for Rebel soldiers and Imperial stormtroopers. It also introduced a new offline mode called Instant Action Missions (merged with the original Instant Action), added Capital Supremacy to the original trilogy era, and new skins for Rey, Kylo Ren, Emperor Palpatine, and Darth Maul. Palpatine and Chewbacca became heroes for the sequel trilogy era, while Yoda and Darth Maul became heroes for the original trilogy era.
Development and marketing
On May 10, 2016, the development of Star Wars Battlefront II was announced. DICE led the project, while Motive Studios created the single-player story and Criterion Games designed the starfighter gameplay. During an earnings call, EA’s chief financial officer, Blake Jorgensen, said the game would include content from the sequel trilogy of Star Wars films. Creative director Bernd Diemer explained that the company changed its Season Pass system, which required players to pay for extra content, because the old system had divided the player community of the 2015 game. The new system allows all players to access additional content for free, helping them play longer. Executive producer Matthew Webster announced on April 15, 2017, at Star Wars Celebration that the game would release worldwide on November 17, 2017. The beta test for the game began on October 4, 2017, for players who pre-ordered it. It became an open beta on October 6 and ended on October 11. A 10-hour trial version was available to EA Access and Origin Access subscribers on November 9, 2017.
A tie-in novel titled Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad was released on July 25, 2017. Written by Christie Golden, the book introduces the story of the Galactic Empire’s Inferno Squad, which works to destroy the remaining members of Saw Gerrera’s rebel group after the events of the 2016 film Rogue One. On November 10, 2017, Electronic Arts announced the first free downloadable content for the game. This update added the planets D’Qar and Crait, along with playable characters Finn and Captain Phasma, as a connection to Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
A small LEGO set called the "Inferno Squad Battle Pack," based on the novel, was released in early 2019. In January 2022, Iden Versio was added as a playable character to the mobile game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, which was celebrating its fifth anniversary.
Microtransactions controversy
During early testing before the game was released, the game's publisher, EA, faced criticism from gamers and the gaming press for using a system called loot boxes. This system allowed players to buy in-game items with real money, which gave them unfair advantages in the game. In response to this criticism, the developers changed how many in-game items players could earn by playing the game. However, after the game was made available for pre-release testing, some players and journalists who had early access reported problems, such as rewards that did not depend on how well players performed in the game. A weak reward system and poor detection of inactive players allowed some users to tie their game controllers tightly with rubber bands to automatically earn points during multiplayer battles, which disrupted the experience for other players.
On November 12, 2017, a user on Reddit said that even though they spent $80 to buy the Deluxe Edition of the game, they could not play as Darth Vader. To use this character, players needed 60,000 credits. Players estimated it would take about 40 hours of repeating tasks to earn enough credits to unlock a single hero. EA's Community Team responded to the criticism by saying they wanted players to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment after unlocking heroes. This explanation upset many Reddit users, who left hundreds of negative comments, and the comment received a score of -660,000 (as of December 2025), making it the most downvoted comment in Reddit's history. In 2019, this comment was added to the Guinness World Records. After facing backlash, EA reduced the cost of credits needed to unlock heroes by 75%. However, the number of credits players earned for completing the game's campaign was also lowered.
On the day before the game's release, EA removed all microtransactions, which are small purchases made within the game, because players were concerned they gave unfair advantages. EA said they would reintroduce these features later after making changes. The negative reaction on social media and poor reviews of the game's microtransactions caused EA's stock price to drop by 2.5% on the game's release day. Analysts in Wall Street also lowered their expectations for the game's financial success. A Wall Street analyst wrote for CNBC that video games are still the cheapest form of entertainment per hour, and even with microtransactions, playing Battlefront II was cheaper than paying to watch a movie in theaters. By the end of November 2017, EA had lost $3 billion in stock value since the game's release. On March 16, 2018, the game's developer, DICE, announced major changes to the game's progression and economy. Loot crates will now only contain credits, which are a type of in-game money, and cosmetic items, which only change the appearance of characters. Another type of in-game money, called crystals, can only be used to buy cosmetic items. Progression for player abilities, or "Star Cards," is now linear, meaning players must play specific classes or heroes to unlock skill points for those characters, which can then be used to buy new cards or upgrade existing ones. The first part of this update was released on March 21, which permanently unlocked all heroes and vehicles for players regardless of their progress, while the second part was released in April.
On November 15, two days before the game's release, the Belgian gambling regulator announced it was investigating Battlefront II and Overwatch to determine if loot boxes were considered unlicensed gambling. EA responded by saying that Battlefront II's loot boxes were not gambling. The Belgian Gaming Commission later ruled that loot boxes are illegal under gambling laws but found that Battlefront II was not in violation because EA had temporarily removed microtransactions from the game. After the investigation concluded, Belgium's Minister of Justice, Koen Geens, said that if loot boxes are found to violate gambling laws, he would work to ban them in all future video games sold in the European Union.
Following the Belgian investigation, the head of the Dutch Gambling Commission announced an investigation into Battlefront II and the issue of loot boxes in general. They also asked parents to monitor the games their children play. Chris Lee, a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, called Battlefront II "an online casino designed to trap little kids" and said he would try to ban such practices in Hawaii. Another representative compared playing Battlefront II to smoking cigarettes, saying, "We didn't allow Joe Camel to encourage your kids to smoke, and we shouldn't allow Star Wars to encourage your kids to gamble." Singapore's National Council on Problem Gambling is watching the situation closely, as loot boxes are not covered by the country's Remote Gambling Act. Authorities in Australia are also investigating the issue. The Parliament of the United Kingdom looked into concerns about loot boxes and whether they were gambling. EA told the UK Parliament that loot boxes are "ethical and fun" and compared them to Kinder Eggs, which are candy-filled eggs sold in some countries. However, the UK Parliament later said that loot boxes do constitute gambling and should be regulated like other forms of gambling.
Reception
Star Wars Battlefront II received "mixed or average" reviews, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.
In a 4 out of 5-star review for GamesRadar+, Andy Hartup praised the multiplayer mode but criticized the single-player story. He said the game has a "very strong multiplayer offering spoiled by overly complicated character progression and a beautiful story campaign that lacks depth." Game Revolution noted that the campaign started well but weakened later, praising the multiplayer gameplay while criticizing the microtransactions, loot box system, and the locking of heroes.
In EGM’s review, Nick Plessas praised the multiplayer combat, balance, and variety but criticized the focus on loot crates. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer gave the game 6.5 out of 10, writing that the game offers a full campaign and plenty of multiplayer content but is "brought down by microtransactions." IGN’s Tom Marks also gave the game 6.5 out of 10, saying the game has "great feeling blasters" but its progression system makes using them "unsatisfying."
The game was nominated for "Best Shooter," "Best Graphics," and "Best Multiplayer" in IGN’s Best of 2017 Awards. It was a runner-up for "Most Disappointing Game" in Giant Bomb’s 2017 Game of the Year Awards. In Game Informer’s Reader’s Choice Best of 2017 Awards, fewer readers voted for the game for "Best Co-Op Multiplayer." The website also awarded the game for "Best Graphics," "Best Audio," and "Biggest Disappointment" in their 2017 Shooter of the Year Awards.
In 2019, IGN’s David Jagneaux reviewed the game and gave it 8.8 out of 10 (compared to the original review’s 6.5 out of 10). He wrote that after two years of updates, the game was improved and became "one of the best multiplayer adaptations of the Star Wars universe." Jagneaux noted that the multiplayer improved significantly, but the single-player story remained "overly safe, short, and disappointing."
In the U.S., Star Wars Battlefront II was the second best-selling title in November, behind Call of Duty: WWII. Within its first week on sale in Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold 38,769 copies, placing it at number four on the all-format sales chart. By December 2017, the game had sold 9 million copies worldwide. In January 2018, EA announced the game missed its sales target of 10 million copies and blamed the loot crate controversy.
Community
Star Wars Battlefront II has a strong modding community, where fans add many new characters, including Ahsoka Tano, the Mandalorian, and Cal Kestis (from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order), among others. In early 2020, a mod was released that replaced BB-8 with Grogu. In October 2021, reports showed that hackers were causing problems on Battlefront II’s multiplayer servers. In February 2022, an effort was made to fix common cheats used by hackers. Additional updates were added in January 2026. In December 2025, a custom server called Kyber was released in open beta for the Windows version of the game. Before this, the Windows version’s multiplayer servers were often hacked, and no action was taken by Electronic Arts and DICE. Kyber includes a server browser feature similar to Battlelog, which was not part of DICE’s previous Battlefront games, which used automatic matchmaking instead. In January 2026, Kyber became open source.
In May 2025, the number of players on Star Wars Battlefront II increased quickly on Windows and Xbox platforms. This was due to the game’s complete edition being added to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, the final season of the Andor TV series, the twentieth-anniversary re-release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and a new Fortnite season with a Star Wars theme. A community-wide call to play the game on May 24 led to a surge in players on Steam, reaching nearly 19,000 concurrent players—much higher than the previous record of 10,000 players. Demand for a new Battlefront 3 game also increased. This resurgence was noticed by former developers and actors from Battlefront II and the Star Wars franchise, including actor Muhannad Ben Amor, who played Wilmon Paak in Andor. In June 2025, a sale event by EA helped push Steam’s player count to nearly 36,000 concurrent players, breaking the previous record again.