Electronic Arts and DICE have officially unveiled Battlefield 2042, the sixth main game in the first-person shooter series and the first designed for next-gen consoles, and featuring multiplayer matches of up to 128 players. It’s launching October 22, 2021 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S ($59.99).
Battlefield 2042 takes us to the near future (not to be confused with 2006’s Battlefield 2142, which was a bit more future-y) with the world on the brink of economic crisis and environmental collapse. The United States and Russia embroil the rest of the world in a global war, with refugees from dozens of failed nations caught in the middle.
Instead of choosing between four main class loadouts, players can customize 10 specialist classes, each with their own unique trait and special skill. The first four specialists have been revealed on the main website, including Maria Falck the combat medic and sentry-deploying engineer Pyotr “Boris” Guskovksy.
Players can jump into three different modes. All-Out Warfare is an evolution of the Conquest and Breakthrough modes of past games, featuring the series’ largest maps ever, along with dynamic weather such as the tornado seen near the end of the reveal trailer.
Hazard Zone is a squad-based game mode that’s new to the franchise — but not a Battle Royale, and will include options for AI soldiers. The third mode is still being kept a secret, but is teased as “a love letter to Battlefield fans and one that long-time players will feel right at home with.” More will be revealed during the EA Play live conference on July 22.
“Battlefield 2042 is an evolution of the franchise and embraces what our players want – the ultimate Battlefield multiplayer sandbox with intense combat and a ton of incredible, unexpected events,” said Oskar Gabrielson, General Manager, DICE. “All of us across DICE in Stockholm, DICE LA, Criterion, and EA Gothenburg have had so much fun developing this game and now it’s time to let players jump in. What they’ll find is that we’ve built three distinct, absolutely epic experiences that we think they’ll love.”
Although it’s designed for modern consoles, Battlefield 2042 will also be available on PS4 and XBO. However, those versions will have reduced map size and player counts – down to the series’ standard 64 rather than 128.
Pre-orders are available now. EA Play members will get a 10-hour trial beginning October 15. Subscribers and pre-orders will also receive early access to the Open Beta. Battlefield 2042 will be out October 22, 2021.
