Battlefield 2042 Gameplay Reveal: How To Watch

We knew Battlefield 2042 would be brimming with new gameplay mechanics, mixing together specific operator characters and their abilities, new gadgets, more vehicles, bigger matches, and extreme weather. Now we've seen some of those elements in action, thanks to a big gameplay reveal that shows off some of Battlefield 2042's 128-player battles and the maps where players will face off when the game releases in October.

DICE presented a gameplay trailer for Battlefield 2042 during the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase at E3 2021. In broad strokes, you can pick up on a lot of changes, such as the specific operators you can play. Early in the trailer, you see the player using elements like a zipline gun--something that's specific to Webster, an assault operator who's built for agility.

The map shown at the beginning of the trailer is Hourglass, which is set in Qatar. As the perspective shifts, you can get a sense of the scope of the map and the different locations where you can engage with opposing players. There's the skyscraper-filled Neon City area first, then the stadium, with rolling sand dunes in between for plenty of vehicular combat. That's another thing--Battlefield 2042 increases the number of vehicles along with the number of players, and you can call vehicles to your location via airdrops to cut down on those long treks over open ground.

The trailer also shows off the extreme weather that will be at play in many maps. In Hourglass, massive sandstorms can absolutely devastate visibility, but you'll also see a tornado rip through the cityscape that can throw vehicles, debris, and players with ease.

Also included are a few other interesting gameplay additions, like the Plus system. This interface lets you quickly change the attachments for your weapons on the fly, allowing you to spec your character for the situation you're facing--if you're expecting some close fighting in interior spaces, as seen in the trailer, you can quickly swap long-range attachments that might have been useful in more open settings for short-range ones. We also see another new element, the wingsuit, which one player deploys after leaping off a skyscraper.

We have a lot more Battlefield 2042 coverage, so check out our full rundown of all the info presented in DICE's earlier Battlefield 2042 reveal and our breakdown of its reveal trailer. The game is set to release for Xbox One, box Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 4, and PS5 on October 22. Battlefield 2042 preorders are live now.