Will Battlefield 2042 have a campaign mode?

After months of anticipation, rumours, and leaks, Battlefield 2042 has finally been revealed by EA with a first look trailer, giving us a glimpse at what to expect from the first next-generation Battlefield game.

Here is everything we know so far.

Release Date

It has been confirmed that Battlefield 2042 will be launching worldwide on October 22nd 2021.

Platforms

Battlefield 2042 will be released on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Origin, as well as PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and Xbox One.

Trailer

The first trailer for Battlefield 2042 was released on June 9th 2021, you can check it out below.

Gameplay Reveal

It was announced during the trailer event that a gameplay reveal for the game will be released on June 13th 2021, giving players a first look at how the game will look and play as the first trailer didn't show any gameplay, but it did use the game engine to render so it does give an indicator as to what the Frostbite engine is capable of.

Pre-Order

There will be three different versions of Battlefield 2042 available to purchase.

These editions are the Standard Edition, Gold, and Ultimate.

Here is what's included in each version.

Standard

• Early access to open beta
  
• Baku ACB-90 melee takedown knife
  
• “Mr. Chompy” epic weapon charm
  
• "Landfall" player card background and "Old Guard" tag

Gold

• Everything included in the Standard Edition
• Early access to game launch
• Year 1 Pass: 4 New Specialists (1 per Season), 4 Battle Passes (1 per Season), and 3 Epic Skin Bundles (”Blistered Earth”, ”Tempest”, and ”Cold Blood”)

Ultimate

• Everything included in the Gold Edition
• Midnight Ultimate Bundle ("Shadow Stalker" Legendary Outfit, "Obsidian" Legendary Weapon Skin, "Onyx" Legendary Vehicle Skin)
• Official digital artbook
• Exclusive digital soundtrack

No Campaign Mode

EA have taken an interesting approach and decided not to include a campaign in Battlefield 2042, making it an entirely multiplayer experience.

While this may be disappointing to some players it does make sense as achievement stats for various games in the Call of Duty and Battlefield series' show that very few players finish the campaign modes.

Battlefield 1 saw just 18.68% of players complete the game, and just 9% complete Call Of Duty Black Ops 3 as of 2018, so it does make sense to exclude a campaign in favour of focusing on multiplayer where the majority of the players will be spending their time.

One comparison that could be looked at is Black Ops 4, which was also a multiplayer title.

The game saw plenty of success during its release, but was quickly forgotten about when Modern Warfare was released the following year along with Warzone, could we see the same trend with Battlefield 2042?

Player Count

The next-generation versions of the game, which are the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game, will feature up to 128 players competing in a single match, making it the largest player count in a non-Battle Royale mode.

Last-gen consoles will see up to 64 players, which is still very impressive.

Battlefield Battle Royale?

As of right now, it appears that there is no Battle Royale mode included with the game.

EA did include a Battle Royale style mode in Battlefield V and it wasn't very popular with players, so this could be a reason why they've opted to exclude it.

However, it is hard to not at the success that Activision is having with Call of Duty: Warzone, which is a standalone game, could EA be looking at releasing a standalone Battle Royale game post-launch?

Battle Passes

Like most online games these days, Battlefield 2042 will feature numerous Season Passes, with each new season coming every three months.

These will give players the chance to earn exclusive cosmetics and items and are a key part of most games.

Beta

Players who pre-order Battlefield 2042 will receive early access to the Open Beta before it goes live.

Should The Game Cost $70?

With the game using Season Passes as a method of microtransactions, as well as likely having a cosmetics store, should the game cost $70?

Halo Infinite is expected to launch at a similar time to Battlefield 2042 and the multiplayer aspect of the game will be free to play, which could hurt sales of Battlefield 2042 with some players opting for the free experience instead.