After a year of struggles, Battlefield 2042 is finally seeing a massive player spike

Battlefield 2042 seems to finally be getting back on track, with the game recently hitting over 100 thousand concurrent players on Steam this weekend.

Following a generous price drop and limited free access, the troubled FPS has, at least for a while, resurged as a mainstream title worthy of attention. The game costs a mere $9.59 right now and is even free to play until Oct. 16 at noon.

However, without free access and an abysmally low price, Battlefield 2042 continuously flies under the radar. The game averaged 5,000 players in September, according to Steam, peaking at a measly 11,000. It’s nowhere near competitors like Call of Duty, and it even fails to compete with its predecessors, Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V.

Battlefield 1, one of the most successful Battlefield titles ever released, averaged about 5,000 players in September, peaking at 20,000. The game is over seven years old now, and its being equal to Dice’s most recent release is telling enough of their latest shortcomings. Battlefield V, only five years old, has averages and peaks thousands of players higher than 2042.

On a less gloomy note though, 2042‘s recent resurgence points to interest in the franchise still being high, if somewhat limited due to EA’s shenanigans.

The reviews for Battlefield 2042, even with more most recent ones splash in, remain mixed. Only 54 percent of players recommend the game, with most negative reviews criticizing its poor performance and myriad different issues.

Constant crashing, long loading screens, and the developer’s alleged ignorance of these problems seem to be the primary points of contention among the players.

To give credit where credit is due, Battlefield 2042 evidently has something to offer to the many players flocking back. Though it hasn’t succeeded in reinventing the franchise, it certainly tried, and failure can still prove worthwhile, if the devs learn their lessons. Where Dice and EA will take Battlefield next, no one knows, but we sure hold hope for greener pastures.