Battlefield 2042 will be weaponizing nostalgia in the most inventive way possible with the introduction of Battlefield Portal, a community-driven platform that will allow players to revisit familiar settings from previous games on their own terms. If the mayhem-filled official trailer is anything to go by, Portal may be the biggest step towards delivering a truly new and innovative era of Battlefield.
Battlefield Portal will be included with the release of 2042, but will feature much more than what the futuristic setting brings to the franchise and allow players to look to the past to create their own unique gameplay experiences. In addition to including classic maps from Battlefield 1942, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 3, players will be able to mix and match different eras of weaponry and vehicles to whatever the desired effect will be. If you want a side of the lobby to use futuristic weapons from the year 2042 while the other team utilizes World War II gear, that's totally acceptable. In fact, EA has gone ahead and said they won't be tampering with the imbalance created between different weapons, allowing the decision to truly be at the player's discretion.
When players create their own custom game match, they will have a bevy of options to choose from in the settings menu. First off, Factions will be the place where fans can choose to battle across different Battlefield eras, choosing which soldiers, weapons, and vehicles can compete on the battlefield. Under the Mobility section, you can disable/enable players' ability to Aim Down Sights, go prone, and more. It gives you the option to play these Battlefield experiences as authentically as possible, or to enjoy them with the conveniences of the modern gaming experience. In Scale, people will be able to control the max number of players for each team as well as which weapons everyone has access to. Other options, like Visibility and Arsenal, further allow fans to customize the game to their heart's desire.
With all of that being said, if you're someone who doesn't have the time to create the custom experience, fret not. Battlefield Portal will include Community Experiences, a place where people can pick up other community-created game modes, or drop their own custom presets for players to experience for themselves.
Battlefield 2042 will arrive on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC on October 22. Check out the announcement trailer below.