Battlefield 2042 – release date, beta, pre-orders, and everything we know so far
AFTER a three year break, the Battlefield franchise is back with Battlefield 2042.
The game will be a bit of a departure from the more recent titles, doing away with the single-player campaign altogether.
DICE is out to do things differently, so let’s dive into the upcoming series instalment to check out what’s in store.
Battlefield 2042 – release date
Battlefield 2042 is the first title in the franchise since 2018’s Battlefield 5.
Given the huge gap in the usually annual series, fans expectations will be high.
Originally slated for an October 22 release, it’s since been announced that the game is getting delayed because of the difficulties COVID-19 has presented.
As it stands, the Battlefield 2042 release date is currently Friday, November 19, 2021.
It’s coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. There will be a version releasing for PS4 and Xbox One consoles, but it won’t support the same gargantuan player count.
Because of the limitations of last gen consoles, there won’t be cross-gen play, with the player count capped at 64.
Battlefield 2042 will offer crossplay for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S players, although if PC players would rather not play with those on console and vice versa, they can opt out.
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Battlefield 2042 Beta
While EA hasn’t officially announced the details of the Battlefield 2042 beta, Tom Henderson has swooped in once again with the goods.
According to Henderson, early access for the beta kicks off on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.
The open beta starts a few days later on Friday, October 8, 2021.
These dates may be subject to change given the release date delay caught everyone by surprise, and may have a knock on effect.
Early access is usually granted via an EA Play subscription or a pre-order, so if you want in, you’ll need to tick off one of those things.
Otherwise, you can wait and enjoy the beta over that weekend.
Battlefield 2042 gameplay
With no campaign mode this year, Battlefield 2042 is all-out multiplayer warfare.
The biggest change we’ll see this year is the increased player count which is getting bumped up to 128-players strong.
The series’ staple environmental destruction hasn’t gone anywhere but is being enhanced with dynamic weather, and environmental hazards.
So things will get even more frantic thanks to ever-changing battle conditions, and dynamic events, like tornadoes that will send vehicles and players flying across the map.
The new Specialise system allows for greater customisation when it comes to players and squads.
Based on the usual four classes, Specialists have have one unique Specialty and Trait while everything else can be customised to your heart’s content.
There are 10 Specialists in total at launch, with a new one being added to the roster each season post-release.
Unlike Call of Duty, Battlefield hasn’t succumbed to the battle royale trend just yet.
Instead, we’re getting three modes to dip into:
- All-Out Warfare
- Battlefield Hazard Zone
- Battlefield Portal
All-Out Warfare is where veteran players can go to find the traditional modes like Conquest, and Breakthrough, with the beefed up player counts.
Battlefield Hazard Zone is described as a “high-stakes multiplayer experience” for squads.
There’s no more details on it for now, but Twitter tipster Tom Henderson says it’s a “mix between Escape from Tarkov & Hunt Showdown”.
Battlefield Portal should resonate with fans, letting them play “reimagined classics” like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Battlefield 1942, and Battlefield 3.
It’s not a map editor, but you can create, share, and play custom Battlefield modes essentially.
Battlefield 2042 maps
Diving into the maps should be all kinds of fun, thanks to the cast array of vehicular options.
What’s more, there’s a new call-in system that will deliver a vehicle straight to you, so no more traversing the map for ages and fighting over a single quad bike.
The maps themselves have been designed to offer “distinct combat areas” that will require players to utilise strategic approaches for picking off their enemies.
As with past entries in the series, the destruction extends to set pieces on maps that will alter portions of the landscape once they come tumbling down.
So far, EA has shared details of seven maps, which you can check out below:
- Hourglass: Doha, Qatar. Fight in a city lost to the desertification around it. Massive dust and sand storms are constantly rolling in, blotting out the natural light, as you battle for control of a convoy trapped in the shifting sands.
- Discarded: Alang, India. Along a strategic section of India’s west coast, colossal ships stranded on the beach are being stripped for parts. Fight among the hulls of these behemoths while adapting to deadly storms.
- Manifest: Brani Island, Singapore. Watch out for tropical tornadoes and navigate through maze-like cargo containers in this key trade location, vital to American supply lines.
- Kaleidoscope: Songdo, South Korea. In a state-of-the art metropolis in South Korea, zipline between skyscrapers and fight among the plazas surrounding the city’s iconic data center.
- Orbital: Kourou, French Guiana. It’s a race against time and hostile conditions as you fight around the site of an imminent rocket launch. Watch out for both enemy fire and upcoming storms on this dynamic map.
- Breakaway: Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Tread carefully on this dynamic map, where oil extraction has turned the freezing area to a strategic hot spot. Take advantage of destructible fuel tanks and silos that create debris fields and permanent fires when destroyed.
- Renewal: Eastern Desert, Egypt. A giant wall, built to secure rich, man-made agricultural areas, takes center stage on this intense map. Prepare for the extreme conditions, deploy, and secure the access points and massive gates in the wall.
You can pre-order it through EA’s website, here.
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