Battlefield 2042 review – war in the eye of the storm

PC, Xbox One/Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5; Dice/EA
In a series known for its scale and spectacle, climate change and technical issues are the new enemies

They say war is hell, don't they, and also that hell is other people. So perhaps we should all have seen the chaos coming, when Electronic Arts proudly announced that 128-player matches were coming to Battlefield. We should have learned from trying to board the tube at rush hour what 128 people all vying simultaneously to complete an objective feels like, and it's not often pleasant. Battlefield 2042 has many problems, but much potential. The ingredients for awe-inspiring war games are here, but don't always come together - at least, not yet.

This venerable shooter series' characteristic bombast and spectacle is alive and well. 2042 is set under the extreme weather conditions that ravage our near future, trigger the dissolution of most nation states, and begin a war fought by stateless no-pats" what resources are left on Earth. Running headlong into a tornado with 63 other players while another 64 await you on the other side of its vortex will leave you feeling awestruck the first time. But it doesn't serve a match of Conquest (capture control points) or Breakthrough (capture control points, but this time in order) particularly well.