Battlefield 2042 Datamine Suggests New Mode Hazard Zone Plays Like Escape from Tarkov

EA is currently running a top-secret Battlefield 2042 closed beta ahead of its October launch, with those lucky enough to gain entry having to agree to NDAs and embargoes. That hasn’t stopped some participants from leaking information, however. Gameplay has been posted online over the past few days, and now a datamine may have uncovered what the secret new Hazard Zone mode could be. It’s suggested the latest addition to the Battlefield series will play quite a lot like Escape from Tarvok and Hunt: Showdown.

For those who don’t know, Escape from Tarkov is a super hardcore FPS where players must fight to reach an extraction point somewhere on the map, fending off threats from other real-life players as well as NPCs. If you die, you lose everything. Meanwhile, Hunt: Showdown plays somewhat similarly to this, but it has more objectives to complete along the way. Although, both titles are incredibly intense experiences and it appears Battlefield 2042 will attempt to sit in-between the two of them.

The datamine suggests Hazard Zone will be playable on maps the game ships with at launch, and you’ll need to collect intel from data drives and crashed satellites along the way. Some points of interest will house ammo, while others let you call in backup, such as the robot dog named Ranger. Furthermore, bosses controlled by the AI are said to reward bonus loot.

The Hazard Zone mode will be revealed by DICE prior to launch, at which point all three major content offerings will have been confirmed. There’s the traditional multiplayer offering to play along with Battlefield Portal, which has remastered old maps from previous entries and allows you to create your own game modes on them. If Hazard Zone really is what this datamine suggests, then it sounds like all three modes will be quite varied.