EA and DICE have announced the next entry in the Battlefield franchise with an explosive trailer for Battlefield 2042. Here’s everything you need to know about Battlefield 2042, including its release date, beta dates, and much more.
EA and DICE, true to their word (though with an extra hour…) have come through with the Battlefield 2042 reveal and it was exceptional. We got a beefy five-minute cinematic trailer showing a world in turmoil in the near future. What about gameplay? That’s coming in a second trailer due to be shown on June 13th, 2021.
Battlefield 2042 Cinematic Trailer
Battlefield 2042 PS5, PS4 Release Date
EA and DICE announced that Battlefield 2042 will release on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC on October 22nd, 2021. EA Play subscribers get a 10-hour early access trial from October 15th, 2021.
Battlefield 2042 PS5, PS4 Beta Dates and Access Requirements
Battlefield 2042 will have an open beta for all players across all platforms, though there has been no announcement about the dates. There will also be an early access Open Beta for those who pre-order any version of the game. More details will come soon, according to EA.
Battlefield 2042 – Differences Between PS5 and PS4
A lot of noise was made when it became known that the next instalment would be a cross-gen release. Some moaned that it would mean the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions would be hampered by the need to cater to the PS4 and Xbox One audiences.
There will be some differences between next-gen players and last-gen players, as detailed by EA and DICE.
On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, online multiplayer will have support for 128 players at a time. On PS4 and Xbox One, the player cap is limited to 64 and there will even be reduced map sizes on last-gen. There will almost definitely be more differences between the new-gen console version and the last-gen editions, but without more details from EA and DICE, or gameplay to compare, we can only speculate. But that’s always fun to do, right?
One would expect that Battlefield 2042 on PS5 will run at higher frame rates with higher resolutions than on PS4/PS4 Pro. It would also be fair to assume that the PS5 version will feature extra graphical enhancements to furhter set it apart from the last-gen versions. Mind you, that’s not to say we should expect the PS4/Xbox One version of Battlefield 2042 to be lacking – just look at what DICE has achieved on PS4 and Xbox One so far.
Game Modes – Does Battlefield 2042 Have Single Player?
This is where things get a bit murky. It’s not clear right now if Battefield 2042 will have a single player campaign mode. The presser even points towards the game being a multiplayer-only release by stating that Battlefield 2042 is “a groundbreaking first-person shooter set to revolutionize the modern multiplayer sandbox.”
The game modes announced so far are all online modes.
- All-Out Warfare – the next generation of fan-favorite modes Conquest and Breakthrough, featuring the largest maps ever for the franchise and for the first time, up to 128 players*. Experience the intensity of All-Out Warfare in large-scale battles like never before on maps filled with dynamic weather, dangerous environmental hazards, and spectacular world events that see tornadoes rip across the map and sandstorms block out the sun.
- Hazard Zone – an all-new, high-stakes, squad-based game-type for the Battlefield franchise that is a modern take on the multiplayer experience that is distinctly DICE but very different from All-Out Warfare’s Conquest or Breakthrough modes.
However, there is an unannounced third “experience” that is being developed by DICE LA which is described as being an “exciting new game-type” for the franchise. EA describes it as a “love letter to Battlefield fans” and that long-time players will feel right at home with the game type. More details will come on July 22nd during EA Play Live.
The World of Battlefield 2042
Battlefield 2042 is set in the near future where the world is in a state of turmoil. EA has provided a timeline of events leading up to Battlefield 2042’s setting.
October 9th, 2033.
“Hurricane Zeta. The world’s first category 6 storm.”
Jan 11th, 2034.
“Global food, fuel shortages spark Second Great Depression.”
August 8th, 2035.
“European Union officially disbands following Germany’s collapse.”
Left behind, the displaced band together into ragtag fleets in search of safe harbor. They are families, farmers, doctors, engineers, and soldiers… the once privileged and the impoverished with backgrounds that are worlds apart, forced together, determined to survive.
The media calls them the Non-Patriated. They call themselves… No-Pats.
2037
Humanity adapts to the new normal. Revolutions in energy, desert irrigation, hydraulic levees, and sea walls save coastal cities, reclaim farmland, and rebuild supply chains. Hope of finding stability leads to some nations re-opening their borders.
However, with no way to repatriate 1.2 billion people, No-Pats become a permanent fixture in all economic, military, and social policy making. Many No-Pats are still distrustful of the governments that exiled them and refuse calls to reassimilate. No-Pat leaders emerge, inspiring a new identity unbound to former nationality, drawing a line in the sand between the Old World and The New Normal. #WeAreNoPats becomes a rallying cry.
Amidst the world rebuilding, sparks of friction erupt between the US and Russia, as the last two superpowers both vie for control of this fast-changing world.
THE BLACKOUT OF 2040
A sudden space debris storm creates a “Kessler Effect” causing 70%+ of all orbiting satellites to malfunction and crash to Earth. The cause is unknown.
The subsequent blackout causes mass devastation. Planes crash. Communication grids collapse. Already jammed global supply chains come to a stand-still. Prices of oil, grain, coal skyrocket exponentially. Unsubstantiated claims report over 100,000 lives are lost.
A world on the brink goes over the edge. No internet. No navigation. No surveillance. No storm forecasts.
Geopolitical distrust surges overnight. No one can spy on each other, so no one can trust each other. Both Russia and the US claim the other is responsible for the Blackout, while some suspect No-Pats were behind it and accuse them of trying to sow anarchy.
Former military and combat-trained Specialists amongst the No-Pats rise up into armed Task Forces to defend themselves as tensions rise.
THE BRINK OF WAR
A food and fuel shortage ignites a shadow war between the US and Russia. To maintain plausible deniability, both sides field No-Pat Task Forces as proxies in escalating conflicts over resources – promising the refugees a piece of what’s left.
2042
Open war is imminent. No-Pats have no choice but to choose sides, fighting not for a flag, but for their future.
Media – Screenshots, Trailers, Gameplay Videos
At the time of pushing this piece out, there are only a handful of official screenshots and just one cinematic trailer. The gameplay reveal will come on June 13th, 2021. We’ll add the new trailers and screenshots as they’re released.
