Battlefield 2042 is seeing a major spike in daily users on Steam, likely thanks to a surprise update adding a lot of free content for players jumping back in. Battlefield 6′s second, and so far final, open beta weekend has come to an end, with DICE incentivizing players who miss the game to jump back into Battlefield 2042.
Battlefield 2042 has still been getting monthly updates, though most have focused on reworking existing content, and some may say there is room for improvement in later Battlefield games. A few years after the game’s rocky launch, it has rarely broken 10,000 concurrent players on Steam during recent months.
As of August 18, update 9.2 is live, giving players tons of new content to engage with, boosting Battlefield 2042‘s peak Steam users to over 20,000 for the first time in almost a year. On top of new weapons and vehicles to use, all players have access to 60 tiers of a free battle pass, giving rewards for Battlefield 2042, and some that can be redeemed in Battlefield 6 once the game launches. Lots of the cosmetics added with this new update come from previous Battlefield games, giving returning fans all the more reason to pick up Battlefield 2042 while they wait for the release of Battlefield 6.
This boost in player count can only be measured on Steam, and it can be guessed that all other platforms are seeing a similar boost, as those riding the high from the Battlefield 6 beta are looking for something to do until the game’s full release on October 10. The free battle pass in Battlefield 2042 is live now, and players have until October 7 to get through as many ranks as possible and get themselves even more ready for Battlefield 6.
The Battlefield 6 rewards in this battle pass are exclusive, and DICE has confirmed that they won’t be obtainable any other way. The exact details of how these rewards will be redeemed between games haven’t been directly stated, though it may require a linked EA account or through one’s system’s account.
DICE has put in a lot of effort since launch to keep adding new and exciting content into the game, like collaborating with popular IPs such as Mass Effect. Players who haven’t touched the game since launch years ago may be pleasantly surprised if they jump in now to find the game playing very differently.
5/10
November 19, 2021
M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence
Electronic Arts
Frostbite
