Battlefield 2042 reveal shows hovercraft and tornadoes for up to 128 players

Electronic Arts and DICE blew the lid off of the next Battlefield game earlier today. Now called Battlefield 2042, it will be the first game in the franchise to offer matches with up to 128 players at once. And what will they do on this field of battle? Well, likely the same thing players do in every Battlefield game: blow shit up. EA knows its product well, as during the Battlefield 2042 reveal trailer we witnessed a quintessential moment of a pilot leaving a jet just to rocket down a pursuing craft. Yes, folks. It’s still the same Battlefield. Except with tornadoes now.

For the most part, the Battlefield 2042 reveal trailer certainly lived up to expectations. The near-future setting is allowing DICE to play around with war technology, without going so far as dropping giant mechs onto the combat zone — sorry, 2142 fans, I know the title is a bit of a tease. In the trailer, we saw soldiers flying through the air in wingsuits, gun-toting robots, hovercraft, quads, and a lot more.

EA offered more information on the game following the trailer. In a press release, the publisher wrote that Battlefield 2042 will have the “largest maps ever for the franchise.” DICE is aiming for matches with up to 128 players at once, so the bigger maps are a given. As a caveat, though, the 128-player games will only be featured in “massive-scale maps only.” In other words, you won’t be facing playing with that many players in every game, but the option is available to you.

Funny weather we’re having

The trailer ends with a tornado tearing through a city. This is an example of the game’s “world events,” which includes dynamic weather changes during matches. The tornado in the Battlefield 2042 reveal trailer is just an example of what kind of dangerous, map-altering weather players will experience. There will also be sandstorms that “block out the sun.”

Battlefield 2042 will include new and familiar game modes, but the classics have been altered. All-Out Warfare is where you go for the massive battles, replacing Conquest and Breakthrough — or, at least, mashing them up. Hazard Zone is a new mode that sees squads of players different from All-Out. Details on it are sparse, however. There is a third mode coming to the game that is under development by DICE LA. It hasn’t been revealed yet, but it will next month on July 22 during EA Play Live. The publisher also detailed an open beta, which will be available for EA Play members who pre-order the game.

A full gameplay reveal trailer for Battlefield 2042 will be shown during E3 on July 13.