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 follows the 2015 version of the game. The game includes both single-player and multiplayer modes and offers more content than its previous version. 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 team called Inferno Squad. Most of the story happens in the fictional galaxy of Star Wars during the final year of the Galactic Civil War, before the Empire is defeated at 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, praising its multiplayer, gameplay, visuals, and variety of activities but criticizing its single-player story, microtransactions, and ways to improve your character. The game also faced criticism for using loot boxes, which allowed players to buy in-game advantages 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 goals and improved significantly. A special version of the game, called the Celebration Edition, was released on December 5, 2019, and includes all available cosmetic items.
Gameplay
Star Wars Battlefront II is a video game that allows players to experience both single-player and multiplayer modes. Players can choose to fight on the ground as soldiers or in space 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 battle; the Galactic Civil War, where the Rebel Alliance fights the Galactic Empire; and a later war between the Resistance and the First Order. Each group has unique 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 the game.
Battles take place on many maps, which vary depending on the era. When the game was first released, it had 15 locations from the Star Wars universe, such as Kamino, Naboo, and the Death Star II, as well as space-only areas like Ryloth and the Unknown Regions. Later, eight more maps were added, including Crait, Jabba’s Palace, and D’Qar. Some maps are only used in certain game modes.
The game uses class-based gameplay. All factions have the same four soldier classes—Assault, Heavy, Officer, and Specialist—and three starfighter classes—Fighter, Interceptor, and Bomber (except the Resistance and First Order, who do not have Bombers). Ground battles also include special classes called Reinforcements, which players unlock by earning "battle points" through defeating enemies or completing objectives. All factions have three soldier Reinforcements—Enforcer, Aerial, and Infiltrator—and two vehicle Reinforcements—Speeder and Armor. The four standard soldier classes do not require battle points. The Republic, Confederacy, Rebels, Empire, and First Order also have an extra Reinforcement class called Artillery, which is only available in specific maps during the Galactic Assault mode.
All classes, except Artillery, can be leveled up. When players reach a new level, they earn a Skill Point to unlock or improve a Star Card. Star Cards are the main way players improve their abilities. They can be equipped on a class to increase stats like health or damage or to replace an ability with a new one. Some Star Cards are only available after reaching certain levels. Up to three Star Cards can be used at the same time for each class. Most Star Cards are specific to a class, but a few, like extra health, are available to all.
Players can customize their soldier classes by buying new appearances or unlocking new weapons through achievements. While weapon choices are limited, each weapon is unique and changes how players fight. Players can also add attachments to weapons to improve their performance, such as increasing range or fire rate. 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 previous versions, 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 Supremacy only allows era-specific heroes. Each side can use up to two heroes in Supremacy and three in Galactic Assault. There are also special game modes, like Heroes Vs Villains and Hero Showdown, where only heroes can be used without the usual limits.
Synopsis
Iden Versio, the leader of the Galactic Empire's special forces unit called Inferno Squad, is captured on the Invincible Faith, a Rebel Alliance Star Cruiser. Iden tells her ID10 droid, Dio, to help her escape, then deletes an Imperial message about the Emperor's plan to attack 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 and Gideon Hask.
During the Battle of Endor, Inferno Squad destroys a rebel patrol guarding the Death Star II's shield generator. They witness the Death Star being destroyed above Endor. The squad escapes the moon before rebels surround them and lands on the Star Destroyer Eviscerator, commanded by Iden's father, Admiral Garrick Versio. The Admiral tells Iden about the Emperor's death, and a droid delivers the Emperor's final order to begin Operation: Cinder. Admiral Versio sends Iden and Hask to protect the Star Destroyer Dauntless, which holds satellites important to Operation: Cinder. Meanwhile, Del travels to Pillio to destroy an Emperor's hidden vault, where he meets Luke Skywalker. The two work together to defeat local wildlife and access the vault, which holds the Emperor's treasures. Luke takes one item, and they part ways as Del begins 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 and joins the Rebellion. They meet General Lando Calrissian, who offers them a choice: help stop Operation: Cinder or start new lives. They choose to help, aiding Princess Leia Organa 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.
Later, the new Inferno Squad—Iden, Del, and rebel agent Shriv Suurgav—goes to Takodana to find General Han Solo, who was lost during a mission to retrieve data from an Imperial defector. Han and the defector escape a stormtrooper squad to the Millennium Falcon, and 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 trapped by Hask. They escape, destroying a Star Destroyer fueling station. On Sullust, Lando and Shriv destroy a secret Imperial weapons factory. With these operations weakened, the Imperial fleet fights its 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 live a new life. Iden escapes in a pod and reunites with Del and Shriv. Iden and Del embrace as the battle ends the Galactic Empire.
Thirty years later, Del is captured on Pillio by Gleb, who hands him to Kylo Ren and the First Order. Kylo interrogates Del for a map to Luke Skywalker, then leaves him with Hask, now a First Order officer. Hask criticizes Del for starting a family with Iden instead of staying a soldier, then kills him. Hask tells Gleb to leave the Corvus on Pillio to lure Iden out of hiding.
Shriv, now a Resistance agent, finds the abandoned Corvus and tells Iden and her daughter Zay about Del's help in investigating rumors of mass disappearances linked to "Project Resurrection." They go 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 moved Project Resurrection 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 escapes in an escape pod. Jinata Security attacks Hask's forces, and Iden and Shriv rescue Zay.
Deciding to help the Resistance, Iden, Shriv, and Zay use stolen TIE fighters to board the Retribution. They discover Project Resurrection involves kidnapping children to train them as stormtroopers and learn the First Order has built a massive fleet to retake the galaxy. Shriv searches for an escape ship while Iden and Zay destroy the Retribution's hyperspace generators, pulling it out of hyperspace near Starkiller Base, where the Resistance destroys it. Hask ambushes them, shoots Iden, and is thrown to his death. Iden dies from her injury, telling Zay to escape with the Dreadnought plans. Zay reunites with Shriv, escapes the Retribution, and joins the Resistance. They send the plans to General Leia Organa, who offers her condolences and orders them to the Outer Rim to gather more allies.
Post-launch content
During EA Play 2017, it was confirmed that Star Wars: Battlefront II would not include a Season Pass. Instead, all downloadable content was made available through free title updates, divided into multiple "seasons."
Starting April 29, 2020, Electronic Arts (EA) decided the game had reached its target number of players and had improved significantly since its initial release. As a result, the game no longer receives updates for new content.
The first season, based on the 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi, was released on December 5, 2017, ten days before the film’s release. It included content from the movie, such as a space map over D'Qar, a new Galactic Assault map on Crait, and new heroes: Finn for the Resistance and Captain Phasma for the First Order. It also added Tallie Lintra’s RZ-2 A-Wing as a hero ship. The season included a continuation of the single-player campaign, titled Battlefront II: Resurrection, which became available on December 13.
On May 3, 2018, EA Star Wars announced via Twitter that the second season would be based on the film Solo: A Star Wars Story. The first part of the season was released on May 16 and included a new game mode called Hero Showdown, starfighters in the Arcade, and a returning map from Star Wars Battlefront (2015) called Jabba’s Palace. It also added 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 in the mines of Kessel and a new variation of the Millennium Falcon (based on its appearance in Solo) as a hero ship. It reintroduced the Extraction game mode on two new maps and added new skins for Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca based on their roles in Solo.
In February 2018, the game’s design director, Dennis Brännvall, hinted that content inspired by the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series might be released in the future. At EA Play 2018, it was announced that this content would be added in the fall of 2018. It included a new Galactic Assault map on Geonosis, new clone trooper skins, and playable heroes: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General Grievous, and Count Dooku. Voice lines for these characters, recorded by the actors who voiced them in The Clone Wars, were also included. On October 30, General Grievous was added as a villain for the Separatists 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 to the game 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 skin for Leia Organa to celebrate 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, along with new skins for Anakin Skywalker and clone troopers, the Droideka as a new Enforcer class for the 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 abilities, which became a passive skill for all heroes. 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 skin for Luke Skywalker, and two new game modes: an offline mode called Instant Action and a PvE mode called Co-Op, both including all Capital Supremacy maps released up to that point. The Daily Crates and Extraction mode were removed (the latter merged with Strike). On October 23, the 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 available at the time. 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 for the sequel trilogy era (Ovissian Gunner as Enforcer and Caphex Spy as Infiltrator for the Resistance, and Sith Trooper as Infiltrator and Jet Trooper as Aerial for the First Order). On February 3, 2020, an update added BB-8 and BB-9E as new heroes for the Resistance and First Order, respectively, and expanded Capital Supremacy and Instant Action to the sequel trilogy era, along with gameplay changes. On December 19, 2024, the complete edition became available on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service for no extra cost, temporarily.
On February 26, 2020, a major update added content inspired by the original Star Wars trilogy, including the Co-Op mode, four new weapons (three returning from Star Wars: Battlefront 2015), and the Infiltrator class. It also added new skins for existing reinforcement classes, a new Geonosis map for Heroes vs. Villains, and maps from the prequel era’s Capital Supremacy to Co-Op, along with gameplay changes. The next update, initially planned for late March, was delayed twice: once to mid-April and again to late April. Released on April
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 handled the gameplay for starfighters. 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 replaced the Season Pass system, which allowed players to buy extra content, because it had "fragmented" the community of players from the 2015 version of the game. The new system was designed to let all players enjoy the game for a longer time. Executive producer Matthew Webster announced on April 15, 2017, at Star Wars Celebration that the game would be released worldwide on November 17, 2017. The beta test for Star Wars Battlefront II began on October 4, 2017, for players who pre-ordered the game. It expanded to 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, it introduces events that happen before the game and follows the Galactic Empire’s Inferno Squad as they try to destroy remnants 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 included the planets D’Qar and Crait, as well as playable characters Finn and Captain Phasma, to match the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
A small LEGO set called the "Inferno Squad Battle Pack" 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 officially released, the game's publisher, EA, faced criticism from gamers and game reporters for using a system called loot boxes that allowed players to buy in-game items with real money. These items gave players unfair advantages in the game. In response, the developers changed how many in-game items players could earn by playing the game. However, after the game was released for early access, some players and reporters who had received early copies reported problems, such as rewards not being connected to how well players performed in the game. A poorly balanced reward system and a weak system for detecting inactive players allowed some players to tie their game controllers with rubber bands to automatically earn points during online matches, which hurt the experience of other players who were actively playing.
On November 12, 2017, a user on Reddit shared that they spent US$80 to buy the Deluxe Edition of the game, but a character named Darth Vader could not be played until the player earned 60,000 credits. Players estimated it would take about 40 hours of playing the game to earn enough credits to unlock a single hero. EA's Community Team responded by saying they wanted players to feel proud and accomplished after unlocking heroes. This explanation upset many Reddit users, who left hundreds of negative comments, and the comment received a score of more than -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%, but also lowered the number of credits players earned for completing the game's story.
On the day before the game's official release, EA removed all microtransactions, which are purchases made within the game, because players were concerned they gave unfair advantages. EA said they would reintroduce them later after making changes. The negative reactions on social media and poor reviews from the press caused EA's stock price to drop by 2.5% on the game's launch day. Analysts on Wall Street also lowered their expectations for the game's financial success. A Wall Street analyst writing for CNBC noted that video games remain the cheapest form of entertainment per hour, and even with microtransactions, playing Battlefront II was still cheaper than watching a movie in theaters. By the end of November 2017, EA had lost $3 billion in stock value since the game's launch. On March 16, 2018, the game's developer, DICE, announced changes to the game's progression and economy. Loot boxes will only contain in-game currency and cosmetic items, while another type of currency can only be used to buy cosmetic items. Progression for player abilities, called "Star Cards," is now linear, meaning players must play specific classes or heroes to unlock abilities, which can then be used to upgrade or buy new cards. The first part of this update was released on March 21, which included permanently unlocking all heroes and vehicles for all players, and 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 the game, along with Overwatch, to determine if loot boxes were illegal gambling. EA responded by saying loot boxes in Battlefront II 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. After the investigation concluded, Belgium's Minister of Justice, Koen Geens, said if loot boxes are proven to be illegal, 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 use of loot boxes in general, and 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 children" 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 kids to smoke, and we shouldn't allow Star Wars to encourage kids to gamble." Singapore's National Council on Problem Gambling is watching the situation, as loot boxes are not covered by the country's Remote Gambling Act. Authorities in Australia are also looking into the issue. The United Kingdom Parliament investigated concerns about loot boxes and whether they were gambling. EA told the Parliament that loot boxes were "ethical and fun" and compared them to Kinder Eggs, which are candy-filled eggs sold in some countries. The UK Parliament later concluded 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 Metacritic, a website that collects game reviews.
Andy Hartup of GamesRadar+ gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. He said the multiplayer mode was strong but criticized the single-player story for being too complicated and not deep enough. Game Revolution said the campaign started well but became weaker later. They praised the multiplayer but criticized the microtransactions, loot box system, and the way some characters were locked behind purchases.
Nick Plessas of EGM praised the multiplayer combat, balance, and variety but said the game focused too much on loot crates. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer gave the game 6.5 out of 10, saying the campaign and multiplayer were good but the microtransactions hurt the overall experience. Tom Marks of IGN also gave the game 6.5 out of 10, saying the gameplay felt good but the progression system made it less enjoyable.
The game was nominated for "Best Shooter," "Best Graphics," and "Best Multiplayer" in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards. It was also a runner-up for "Most Disappointing Game" in Giant Bomb's 2017 Game of the Year Awards. In Game Informer's Reader's Choice Awards, fewer readers voted for it in "Best Co-Op Multiplayer," but it won for "Best Graphics," "Best Audio," and "Biggest Disappointment" in their 2017 Shooter of the Year Awards.
In 2019, David Jagneaux of IGN reviewed the game again and gave it 8.8 out of 10, compared to the original score of 6.5 out of 10. He said updates improved the multiplayer experience, making it one of the best Star Wars multiplayer games, but the single-player story remained short and unsatisfying.
In the U.S., Star Wars Battlefront II was the second best-selling game in November, behind Call of Duty: WWII. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold 38,769 copies in its first week, ranking fourth on the sales chart. By December 2017, the game had sold 9 million copies worldwide. In January 2018, the game maker, EA, said it missed its sales goal of 10 million copies and blamed the controversy over loot boxes.
Community
Star Wars Battlefront II has a strong community of players who create and share new content for the game. Fans have added 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 the character BB-8 with Grogu. In October 2021, reports showed that hackers were using exploits on Battlefront II's multiplayer servers. To address this, developers fixed common hacking methods in February 2022. Additional updates were made in January 2026. In December 2025, a community-created custom server called Kyber was released in open beta for the Windows version of the game. Before this, the Windows version’s multiplayer servers had been frequently hacked, and no action was taken by Electronic Arts and DICE. Kyber includes a server browser feature similar to Battlelog, which was not available in DICE’s previous Battlefront games, which used automatic matchmaking instead. In January 2026, Kyber became open source.
In May 2025, the number of players and popularity of Star Wars Battlefront II increased quickly on Windows and Xbox platforms. This was due to the game’s full 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. Encouraged by a community-wide call to play the game on May 24, the number of players on Steam reached nearly 19,000, surpassing the previous record of 10,000 concurrent players. Demand for a new Battlefront 3 game also grew significantly. The resurgence was noticed by many former developers and actors involved with Battlefront II and the Star Wars franchise, including actor Muhannad Ben Amor, who played Wilmon Paak in Andor. In June 2025, an EA sale event helped increase Steam’s player count to nearly 36,000 concurrent players, breaking the previous record again.