Since its announcement, Battlefield 2042 has been the subject of much discussion and speculation. We gather all the confirmed info about editions, maps, setting and more.
Shooter fans worldwide are looking forward to Battlefield 2042, which was revealed on 9 June 2021 with a first trailer. Compared to its predecessors, the game offers several innovations that should bring a breath of fresh air to the series.
Release: When will Battlefield 2042 be released?
Battlefield 2042 will be released on October 22, 2021.Unsurprisingly, EA wants to take advantage of the lucrative Christmas sales. Battlefield 2042 thus lives up to the series tradition, as the predecessors already stuck to this release date.
Buyers of the Gold Edition as well as members of the EA Play Pro subscription can storm onto the battlefields a week earlier and receive 10 hours of advance access on 15 June 2021.
Preorder: Which editions of Battlefield 2042 are available?
Battlefield 2042 is available for pre-order on Origin, Steam and the Epic Store. Unsurprisingly, there are several editions that differ from each other in terms of scope:
Standard: Contains the main game and the pre-order pack, which includes a special knife, a weapon talisman, a background for the player map and a token in addition to an Early Access access to the beta. – Cost: 60 euros
Gold: Includes the main game + pre-order package, plus early access to the game and the Year 1 Pass. This grants you free access to four specialists and three epic skin bundles to be released per season during the first year. – Cost: 90 euros
Ultimate: Includes the main game and all the benefits of the Gold Edition. Buyers will also receive the Midnight Ultimate Bundle, which unlocks a legendary “Shadow Lurker” outfit, the legendary “Obsidian” weapon skin and the legendary “Onyx” vehicle. On top of that, there’s a digital artbook and the game’s soundtrack. – Cost: 110 euros
Erster Blick auf die kommenden Skins/Customization-Optionen für die Specialists in #BATTLEFIELD2042 pic.twitter.com/eVXz2kfA0Y
— Trusty-Roots (@RootsTrusty) June 10, 2021
Platform: For which systems will Battlefield 2042 be released?
Battlefield 2042 will be released for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. On PC you have the choice between Origin, Steam and the Epic Store. The NextGen version is no surprise, after all, the latest part of the series is also supposed to offer advanced destruction of objects within the maps and other visual highlights.
On the other hand, many players no longer expected a LastGen version – and even after the announcement there is still scepticism. It is feared that the old consoles could hold back Battlefield 2042. In the meantime, it has become clear: there will definitely be a few cutbacks on the aging systems. More on this in the Player Count and Crossplay sections of this article.
Crossplay & Cross-Progression: Will Battlefield 2042 allow cross-platform interaction?
Basically, Battlefield 2042 offers cross-play functionality, but with some limitations. PS5, PC and Xbox Series X and S (where 128 players are also possible) play together if desired. However, the older console generation is disconnected from this and plays together among themselves with up to 64 players.
Battle Pass: What are the post-launch plans for Battlefield 2042?
The developers want to provide Battlefield 2042 with new content on a regular basis after release. In the first year, the fresh content will appear in the form of four Seasons, each of which will deliver new Specialists, Maps and Weapons as well as content for Batlefield Portal – all completely free of charge.
Battlefield 2042 relies on a Battle Pass for the season model, as known from CoD Warzone or Rainbow Six Siege. Game-relevant content is always free, while the paid path unlocks additional cosmetic rewards such as skins or emblems, which should never affect the gameplay.
The following content has been announced as free updates after release:
- New Specialists with their own abilities
- New maps for the multiplayer & portal
- Updates for the Hazard Zone mode
- New weapons for Multiplayer, Portal & Hazard Zone
- New vehicles for all game modes
- 100 Unlocks in Battle Pass per Season
Beta phase: Will Battlefield 2042 be playable in advance?
Yes, before the release in October there will be an open beta in which all players can participate for free. Those who pre-order the game will be able to play it even earlier?
Setting: When is Battlefield 2042 set?
As the year in the title already suggests, Battlefield 2042 is set in the future again, after its predecessors were set in the two world wars.
In the fictional future of Battlefield 2042, mankind faces numerous problems. Environmental disasters and a new economic crisis have caused several nations to dissolve, turning countless people into refugees.
Among these homeless are former soldiers who call themselves “No-Pats”. When a conflict breaks out between the USA and Russia over the remaining raw materials on earth, the great powers hire the No-Pats, who are thirsty for a new assignment, as mercenaries.
According to the developers, the story of the No-Pats will be told in the form of seasons, storytelling in the game world and the roles of the Specialists.
What is the player count in Battlefield 2042?
In terms of player numbers, Battlefield 2042 will set new records internally. For the first time, up to 128 players will battle it out on the biggest maps in series history – but only on PS5, PC and Series X/S.
On PS4 and Xbox One, there will only be 64 players and the maps will be somewhat scaled down. If there aren’t enough players for a full match, AI soldiers will fill empty slots on the servers.
Singleplayer: Will there be a campaign?
Battlefield 2042 will not have a solo campaign. The developers want to concentrate all resources on the multiplayer and for this reason are doing without a solo story this time.
Nevertheless, single players should also have fun with Battlefield 2042. If you want to go out alone or train in peace, the empty player slots are simply filled with AI bots. This even makes it possible to experience all game modes completely solo.
Battlefield 2042 – All Specialists at a glance
Maria Falck (Syrette Healing Pistol)
Webster McKay (Grappling Hook)
Pyotr “Boris” Guskovsky (Turret)
Wikus “Casper” Van Daele (Reconnaissance Drone)
The four classes merely act as a category under which various Specialists are collected. They also signal to other players in the heat of battle which role you are best at.
- Assault: This includes all specialists who are mobile and advance quickly. The classic assault soldier who fights on the front line.
- Support: The specialists support other units, either by helping them back on their feet or by supplying them with ammunition.
- Engineer: Engineers apparently rely on technical bells and whistles in combat, of which there will be quite a few in the futuristic Battlefield 2042.
- Recon: These soldiers tend to keep a low profile and take care of reconnaissance or obstruct enemy communications.
Maps: How great is the variety of maps in Battlefield 2042?
As already mentioned, the maps in Battlefield 2042 are supposed to be huge. There are a total of 13 maps at launch: seven battlefields are available in normal multiplayer, plus six map remasters from BF1942, BF3 and Bad Company 2 for Battlefield Portal.
The seven BF2042 maps are supposed to be two to three times as large as in Battlefield 5. The developers have already presented us with a first size comparison:
DICE showcases a comparison of map sizes of the 7 maps in 2042 compared to maps in previous Battlefield games. pic.twitter.com/jgmpfdkYP8
— BravoIntel (@bravoINTEL) June 15, 2021
The following maps will be included in Battlefield 2042 at release:
- Kaleidoscope
- Manifest
- Orbital
- Discarded
- Renewal
- Hourglass
- Breakaway
- El-Alamein (BF1942 Remaster)
- Battle of the Bulge (BF1942 Remaster)
- Arica Harbor (BFBC2 Remaster)
- Valparaiso (BFBC2 Remaster)
- Caspian Border (BF3 Remaster)
- Noshar Canals (BF3 Remaster)
Game Modes: Which variants are available in Battlefield 2042?
In the multiplayer matches of BF2042, the following modes will be available on seven maps at launch:
Conquest (both teams try to conquer neutral target positions)
Breakthrough (attackers capture targets of the defenders in a linear sequence)
In Battlefield Portal there are seven additional maps with many different modes, including:
- Conquest
- Rush
- Breakthrough
- Deathmatch/TDM
- VIP variants
- Gun Game
- Custom Modes (free to create)
Since the maps are supposed to be huge, a new cluster system was introduced for these modes: Here, several flag points are combined into one large sector. In Conquest, the team with fewer sectors constantly loses victory tickets. In Breakthrough, the front line shifts in favour of the attackers as soon as they have occupied a sector.
How the sectors look and are distributed over the huge maps has already been shown in an internal presentation:
Conquest in Battlefield 2042. pic.twitter.com/cRWqSm4PKg
— BravoIntel (@bravoINTEL) June 18, 2021
In the game mode Hazard Zone, as the name already suggests, the new environmental influences will probably play a major role, i.e. tornadoes or sandstorms. Here, it is supposed to be all about good teamwork. The developers are still keeping a low profile, but they state:
“Hazard Zone is a completely new and high-risk game mode in which very close squad cooperation is most important. This variant has never existed in the Battlefield series before and it differs drastically from the regular all-out warfare multiplayer. And it’s definitely not Battle Royale. ”
Battle Royale: Is Battlefield 2042 getting such a mode?
No, Battlefield 2042 will be released without an extra Battle Royale mode. Again, the developers want to focus primarily on the core component, the classic multiplayer mode.
It is quite possible that DICE initially wanted to have a Battle Royale mode developed again by an external studio. In Battlefield 5, Criterion acted as the team behind the Battle Royale part, but then quickly migrated to other projects after release – which was the nail in the coffin for the already stumbling “Firestorm”.
Graphics: Will Battlefield 2042 be a technical leap?
The first gameplay video confirmed the hope of many fans: Battlefield 2042 will make a graphical leap compared to its predecessor. Especially in the destruction within the levels, one can expect a much more realistic representation.
Other aspects such as the smoke display have also been visibly developed. Another role will be played by the environmental influences, which should have a real impact on the gameplay. In the course of a game, for example, a violent hurricane suddenly begins to tear objects off buildings or hurl careless players away.
The developers stress that Battlefield 2042 was designed from the start primarily for the PC and NextGen consoles. “PS5 and Xbox Series X will allow our team to develop a true NextGen version of Battlefield,” promises EA boss Andrew Wilson.
This is not good news for owners of a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Because there, players will have to make do with smaller maps and a limit set at 64 players. Other features, such as the change of the map during a game due to environmental influences, are to be included, however.
System requirements: How powerful does my PC need to be for Battlefield 2042?
System requirements.
There are no details about the system requirements at the moment. As soon as this changes, you will find out in this section immediately!
Although specifications are already spreading on the internet, they are not official and are only based on estimates. Therefore, we refrain from listing them here in order not to spread any potential misinformation.
Trailer: What videos are already available to watch from Battlefield 2042?
Since the announcement in June 2021, a number of videos have been released for Battlefield 2042, all of which we list for you here:
Battlefield 2042: Trailer premiere reveals the new multiplayer shooter
Battlefield 2042: Here’s the gameplay premiere
Battlefield Portal: trailer reveals arguably the biggest sandbox in series history
Developers: Who is behind Battlefield 2042?
Developer number 1: Already at the beginning of 2021, EA confirmed that the entire DICE studio in Stockholm, Sweden was working flat out on Battlefield 2042. EA boss Wilson emphasised that they had “pulled together the entire development team for [the next] Battlefield”.
While DICE used to have several projects in parallel (for example Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Battlefield 5), the focus is now exclusively on the new Battlefield. Accordingly, DLC support for all previous games has also been discontinued.
Developer number 2: A short time later it also became known that in addition to the Swedish core team, the US branch Ripple Effect (formerly DICE L.A.) is also working on BF2042. Battlefield Portal is being developed there. The studio was instrumental in the DLC and live service development of Battlefield 4, Battlefield 1 and other series spin-offs.
Developer number 3: But that was not all: With Criterion, a third EA studio is also on board for Battlefield! Even the next Need for Speed was postponed for this. Criterion already has experience with Battlefield: The British studio had developed the Battle Royale mode Firestorm for Battlefield 5.
Battlefield 2042 is also in development for longer than usual for the series. Instead of working at a rhythm of two years, EA allowed a development period of 2018 to 2021 for the new part.
What questions do you still have about Battlefield 2042? What do you think of the information published so far? Let us know in the comments.
