Powered by cutting-edge technology that pushes the capabilities of next generation hardware, the game drops players into a near-future, all-out-war experience that includes the franchise’s hallmark, game-changing destruction.

Featuring matches filled with up to 128 players and massive-scale maps on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PCs (Xbox One and PS4 are capped at 64 players and reduced map sizes), this unprecedented scale adds a new dimension to multiplayer battles.

Battlefield 2042 also ups the action with the inclusion of real-time events that reshape the battlefield and tactical combat. All new weapons, vehicles and gadgets give players the freedom to be strategic and create jaw-dropping, only-in-Battlefield moments.

In Battlefield 2042, the world is on the brink. Shortages of food, energy and clean water have led to dozens of failed nations, creating the greatest refugee crisis in human history. Among these Non-Patriated, or No-Pats, are families, farmers, engineers - and even soldiers. Amidst this crisis, the United States and Russia draw the world into an all-out war. No-Pat Specialists join both sides, not fighting for a flag, but for the future of the Non-Patriated in this new world.

Players will jump into the boots of Specialists, an all-new type of playable soldier for the franchise. Inspired by the traditional four Battlefield classes, Specialists will be equipped with their own unique Specialist Trait and Specialty, and will have fully customizable loadouts. As a Specialist, players will have access to a cutting-edge arsenal of weapons, equipment and vehicles to use in battle. These powerful new tools give creative players a wealth of options as they find the perfect combination to fit their play style and outsmart and outgun opponents on the battlefield.

Today, the team behind Battlefield 2042 shared an early look at what’s coming to the game in 2023

This Battlefield Briefing provides an overview of the updates coming in Season 3 - including new and improved Manifest and Breakaway maps, as well as reintroduction of Classes - details on Season 4’s offerings and a confirmation that Season 5 will be coming in 2023. Season 4 and 5 are both set to include a new Specialist, a new map, new hardware, a new Battle Pass and more. Within the Briefing, the team teases that the map coming in Season 5 will be based on a battleground that last saw action in the Battlefield 4 era.

As a reminder, multiple free access periods are coming this December for Battlefield 2042. Starting today, players on Xbox and Steam will be able to jump into the action and check out the game free of charge, while PlayStation players will have a free access window later this month.

• Xbox: Free Play Days, December 1-4 
• Steam: Free Weekend, December 1-5 
• PlayStation: Free Access, December 16-23

Hello Battlefield Community,

The recent launch of Season 3: Escalation marks one year of Battlefield™ 2042. As a development team we are proud of the work we have done across all our Updates to evolve and improve the game, and also delivering three Seasons of new content. So we want to thank you – our community – for sticking with us. And if you haven’t jumped into Battlefield 2042 yet, now is a great time to give it a go as you can play free in December across all platforms*. Feedback from you all has been at the heart of our work and the game is now much closer to our ambitions for it…but we’re not stopping here. 

Today is a first look at what’s coming next year for Battlefield 2042. We’ll be talking about upcoming map reworks and the introduction of Classes as well as a look at what to expect from Season 4 plus some news about Season 5.

Since Season 1 we’ve been releasing re-worked versions of our maps from launch to address the feedback we heard from you all. As covered in our most recent Development Update, this continues in Season 3 with Manifest and Breakaway. The remaining launch maps to be re-worked – Discarded and Hourglass – will come in future Seasons. We’re targeting Season 4 for Discarded and as we get further along in the process for Hourglass we’ll use our next Development Update early next year to confirm when it will be released.

In Update 3.1, releasing later in December, you’ll get to experience a new version of Manifest with HQ flags closer to the action, a tighter playspace, improved visibility, cover and sightlines, and pathing between flags improved to allow for more focused attack and defense of them.

Then early next year, as part of Update 3.2, a new and improved Breakaway will arrive with a huge overhaul. We’ve moved the Oil Rig closer to action which in turn brings a more focused playspace. We’ve also designed new ways to play within the ice itself, as well as bringing entirely new flags based around updated areas of the Town and nearby Refineries. Take a look at these updated versions of Manifest and Breakaway in our Development Update video from last month.

Update 3.2 will be a big one for us with the reintroduction of Classes to Battlefield 2042. All our existing Specialists will be placed within defined roles with a set of gadgets and equipment that best suit their purpose on the battlefield. While we’re not revealing them today, our Season 4 Specialist will be placed within the Recon class. This will also be the final Specialist that we’re planning to bring to Battlefield 2042. With the return to Classes and our roster of 14 in total, we are happy with the amount of Specialists and variety of gameplay that they will allow you to experience. So our focus will be continuing to listen to your feedback in order to expand the sandbox in other ways by bringing design and balance changes for your class-based combat, along with continuing to expand on skins and cosmetics to give you more ways to stand out on the battlefield. 

Feedback from our community has been instrumental to our work on Specialists and you wanting them back in the Class system, so we’ll keep listening as they are acting as learnings for, and informing, our new Battlefield experiences for the future that are in pre-production.

Season 4 will mark the end of our Year 1 and will launch in early 2023. It will bring you a new Specialist, all new Battle Pass, brand new hardware, and more. While the map that will arrive will be smaller, shorter, and linear designed for up close and personal, close-quarters combat that Battlefield is famous for.

Also in our recent Development Update, we talked about being in pre-production on all-new content coming next year after Season 4. I can confirm that this will be Season 5. So no new Specialist, but Season 5 will be consistent with what you have experienced in our first four Seasons – new map, new hardware, new Battle Pass, and more.

Across our team continuing to focus on Battlefield 2042, we have a mix of veteran developers alongside those working on their first game breathing in new life. Together, we all have a common love of this franchise. So in Season 5 you’re going to see us lean into previous games and how they can show up in the world of 2042. The new Season 5 map coming will be a forgotten battleground that last saw combat in the Battlefield 4 era. An overgrown area, engulfed with vegetation and by the 2042 war. It will encourage a combination of vehicular and infantry combat meaning teamplay is the key to victory.

Battlefield 2042 sets up the future for a franchise that we are all-in on. We will continue to listen to you, and learn from you, to inform the work being done at DICE, Industrial Toys, Ripple Effect Studios, and Ridgeline Studios for all  the Battlefield experiences we are all working on now and for the future.

See you on the Battlefield!

Ryan McArthur // @CanadaRye Senior Producer, Battlefield 2042

Battlefield 2042 includes 3 distinct multiplayer experiences:

• 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 (on XSX, PS5 and PC). 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.
• Portal Mode - A first for the Battlefield franchise, Battlefield Portal is a community-driven platform designed to offer a huge variety of imaginative experiences by giving players the tools to set their own rules and build their own definitive Battlefield experience - and share them with other people.

All Out Warfare launches with seven maps total. Let’s take a quick tour of those:

• Kaleidoscope [Sogdo, South Korea] This cityscape features dense roadways and skyscrapers that can be explored, or if you’ve a wingsuit, leapt off. It’s here that a tornado that dwarves the glittering buildings will make its presence known.
• Manifest [Brani Island, Singapore] Supply lines are under threat in this key location for global trade.
• Orbital [Kourou, French Guiana] Players will battle in the shadow of a towering space rocket pad that’s counting down to an imminent launch. 
• Discarded [Alang, India] Clash around, through and on top of massive ship hulks and the surrounding cranes.
• Renewal [Eastern Desert, Egypt] Wrestle for control of an agriculture technology centre in the Egyptian Desert.
• Hourglass [Doha, Qatar] An approaching sandstorm will shift the tide of war taking place at the heart of a city.
• Breakaway [Queen Maud Land, Antarctica] From hot deserts to icy landscapes: oil and gas are the key resources being fought over here. Insert on the mountaintops with a wingsuit and you can dive into industrial buildings below.

Post launch, Battlefield 2042’s first year promises four seasons of content, bringing with them four new Specialists plus new locations. Each season is marked by a new Battle Pass. EA confirms that new locations will be accessible to all players.

Battlefield 2042 is available for Xbox One, PS4, PC ($59.99), for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 ($69.99).