Almost 2 years after launch, Battlefield 2042 completes its redemption as player count returns to launch-high levels

Anne-Marie Ostler
·2 min read
Battlefield 2042.
Battlefield 2042.

Almost two years after its release, Battlefield 2042 has greatly managed to turn things around, and it's got the player numbers to prove it.

Battlefield 2042 was met with a frosty reception when it first launched for a plethora of reasons: aspects of the gameplay were changed and not for the better, popular features were absent, and there were a great many bugs to be found. This saw player numbers decline in a speedy fashion shortly after. Since then, developer DICE has worked tirelessly to improve the FPS, and judging by the recent player numbers on Steam, all its hard work has paid off.

According to Steam DB, Battlefield 2042 achieved a concurrent player count of 102,009 yesterday, October 15, on Valve's platform. This is only a teensy bit short of its all-time player peak of 105,397, reached when it launched in November 2021.

As well as the various updates and changes introduced previously, including the return of the beloved Class system, the FPS has been available for free on Steam over last few days, which has no doubt greatly contributed to its current popularity. Still, it's an impressive reversal of fortune for a shooter that was considered done for by many, even more so when you consider it achieved these figures on the same weekend as Modern Warfare 3's open beta was taking place.

The free-to-play period comes to an end later today, so we'll undoubtedly see player numbers fall somewhat. That being said, with the game currently reduced by 85% on Steam and Season 6 offering a decent helping of new content, it could continue to thrive in the coming weeks and months.

Despite Battlefield 2042's significant teething problems, EA CEO Andrew Wilson has said Battlefield will be a "meaningful part" of EA's future. According to the exec, the series is "firmly implanted" in the company's strategy of "building games and experiences that attract and entertain massive online communities across platforms".

DICE reflects on Battlefield 2042's long road to redemption.