Battlefield is an illustrious first-person shooter franchise that’s experienced a fair share of highs and lows over its 20-year-plus run. At Battlefield‘s peak, the series re-defined massive combat to a scale never seen before. But after the underperforming recent entry, it’s easy to wonder where Battlefield can go to right the ship.
Battlefield 1942
Release date: 2002
How to play: Not available
Battlefield 1942 set the tone and laid the groundwork for what went on to be a winning formula. The title introduced the class system players would go on to know and love. Favorable reviews and financial success also paved the way for DICE to kick off the series.
Battlefield Vietnam
Release date: 2004
How to play: Not available
After deep diving into World War II for Battlefield 1942, DICE re-created several historical settings for Battlefield Vietnam. Once again the devs struck gold by introducing an early iteration of Conquest, which would later go on to be the marquee game mode for the series.
Battlefield 2
Release date: 2005
How to play: Not available
Following the success of its predecessors, Battlefield 2 continued to innovate by introducing modern combat. DICE added squads, the ability for players to issue commands to their teammates, and a wide array of memorable multiplayer maps.
Battlefield 2142
Release date: 2006
How to play: Not available
DICE designed Battlefield 2142 with multiplayer in mind and continued to hit every note with its new features. 64-player servers are now considered a series staple, and that all started with this futuristic FPS that depicted a war known as “The Cold War of the 22nd Century.”
Battlefield: Bad Company
Release date: 2008
How to Play: The campaign is still playable on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, but online servers have been shut down.
After focusing on multiplayer in the previous installment, DICE offered a refreshing change of pace by delivering an engaging single-player experience in Battlefield: Bad Company. The story follows a rag-tag group of soldiers caught in a war between the United States and Russia. As for multiplayer, the devs controversially shrunk the server size back down to 24, but that wasn’t much of an issue thanks to the iconic game mode Rush, players fell in love with.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Release date: 2010
How to play: The campaign is still playable on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, but online servers have been shut down.
DICE brought the Bad Company back for another spin, and the sequel was met with positive reception and achieved commercial success. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 leaned into destructible environments and introduced regenerating health. Both innovations captivated multiplayer fans, and the single-player story also delivered plenty of hits.
Battlefield 3
Release date: 2011
How to play: Currently available on PC through Origin, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
In what many consider the gold standard of the series, Battlefield 3 sold five million copies within its first week of release and combined everything DICE had built and put it into one robust multiplayer package. Modern combat, destruction, 64-player servers, Conquest and Rush, vehicles, soldier classes, and more were the multiplayer highlights, while the title also delivered an immersive single-player campaign.
Battlefield 4
Release date: 2013
How to play: Currently available on PC through Origin, PlayStation and Xbox
A lackluster campaign and bug-filled multiplayer launch marred Battlefield 4 at launch, but the title went on to age like a fine wine, as players still regularly load into multiplayer matches over 10 years later. The title used the same core principles from the previous installment but with a whole new host of maps. And some of those environments became some of the most popular in the series, such as Siege of Shanghai, Operation Locker, and Zavod 311.
Battlefield Hardline
Release date: 2015
How to play: Currently available on PC through Origin, PlayStation and Xbox
After spending years on massive battlefields in different eras, Battlefield Hardline boldly deviated and explored the war on crime. The game is still considered one of the most controversial in series history, as the single-player experience failed to live up to expectations, and the heist focus divided the player base. In saying that, all of the familiar beats in multiplayer were still present, and the multiplayer received praise.
Battlefield 1
Release date: 2016
How to play: Currently available on PC through Origin, PlayStation and Xbox
Battlefield 1’s awe-astonishing reveal trailer raised the bar higher than fans thought was possible for a series entry, and the title delivered on most fronts. The World War I FPS introduced behemoths that wreaked havoc on matches and brought back all the usual multiplayer fixings. But for the first time in a few years, the single-player campaign also garnered a positive reception, amounting in a total package.
Battlefield V
Release date: 2018
How to play: Currently available on PC through Origin, PlayStation and Xbox
For everything that the Battlefield 1 reveal trailer did right in building anticipation, the opposite can be said about Battlefield V. Instead of 72 million views and 2.4 million likes, the BFV trailer brought in 16 million views and 371,000 likes. The bright and vibrant trailer rubbed players the wrong way about a World War II title, and a dispassionately meek offering of multiplayer content at launch drove most players away. It’s unfortunate, because the gameplay itself was loved, and DICE went on to add phenomenal post-launch content that most players never experienced.
Battlefield 2042
Release date: 2021
How to play: Currently available on PC through Origin, PlayStation and Xbox
With no single-player campaign, DICE put all its eggs in the multiplayer basket for Battlefield 2042. That’s not an issue as that’s the franchise’s bread and butter, and it’s been pulled off before, but this title floundered in every sense. A delay already scared fans, but then multiplayer launched in a severely glitch-filled state with insufficient maps to satisfy players. As a result, the title did not perform well financially and potentially set the series back years.
