Battlefield 2042 Officially Announced, Releasing In October

After being teased and leaked over the past few months, DICE and EA have officially announced Battlefield 2042, the latest entry in the long-running franchise. It’ll be coming to PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 22, 2021. On PS4 and Xbox One the game costs $59.99, whereas on the newer hardware and PC it costs $69.99.

The game’s in-engine reveal trailer shows off the game’s massively increased scale, improved destruction, and impressive weather effects. Though there was no actual gameplay in the footage (that’ll be coming during the Xbox + Bethesda showcase on Sunday), EA and DICE did give provide an idea of the direction they’re going in with information on the game’s website.

Battlefield 2042 will feature 128 player matches on the newer consoles and PC, with PS4 and Xbox One being capped at 64 players. There will be seven maps available at launch, and each of them are far larger than previous ones. As for game modes, DICE announced the return of Conquest and Breakthrough, as well as a new one called Hazard Zone which they describe as “a tense experience that combines edge-of-your-seat gameplay with the best of the Battlefield sandbox.” Another new mode that promises a “new way to play Battlefield” has been teased and will be properly revealed at EA Play in July.

The Class system has also been toyed with for the new game. Specialists take their place with each one having a unique Specialty and Trait. If you’re worried that means you won’t be able to customize your loadout as you please then worry no more since that option still remains. Four Specialists have been revealed so far and the rest of the ten will be revealed in the lead up to launch.

Similar to many other multiplayer games on the market these days, Battlefield 2042 will have Seasons and a Battle Pass system that supports both a free and paid for Battle Pass. For the first year of the game there will be four Seasons with four Battle Passes, four new specialists, and more new content to keep the game fresh and exciting.

In order to give the multiplayer their full attention this go around, DICE decided to drop the campaign that’s been a staple ever since Battlefield 3. Speaking to Eurogamer, Design Director Daniel Berlin explained that the decision to forego a campaign was so that the team could focus on where their games always shine: the multiplayer.

“If you look at the DNA of the studio, what we’ve been doing for so long, we just said you know what, we’re not going to have a traditional single-player campaign this time around, but we’re going to put all that emphasis and all those resources into building depth into the multiplayer. Because that is what we do best.”

That being said, the game still has a story of sorts. Set in the near future where the world is suffering from ecological disasters, the United States and Russia are on the brink of war for control of necessary resources. Fighting for each superpower are refugees called No-Pats that have formed task forces to secure their future. This story will be told through the Seasons and the Specialists that are introduced.

One other mode that Battlefield 2042 won’t have is battle royale. Battlefield V had one in the form of Firestorm, but it’s largely forgotten by many. For fans of the genre this is sure to be disappointing news, but Berlin says that though they don’t have any plans for a battle royale mode at the moment, they do have “other experiences within the game” that they can’t talk about right now.

After spending time in World War I with Battlefield 1 and then World World II in Battlefield V, jumping to more modern day weaponry with a near future setting in Battlefield 2042 is a welcome change of scenery. I’m typically not a Battlefield player, but this new game has me incredibly excited. An open beta for the game’s multiplayer is planned across all platforms at some point later this year, so I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the game prior to its October 22 release date.