Battlefield 2042 Launches With No Scoreboard Or In-Game Chat

Battlefield 2042 is out now in early access for a subset of players, and now that the game is live, we're learning more about its features and functionality.

The game does not have the type of traditional scoreboard featured in past games. DICE never said it would, but people are sharing their opinions about this on Reddit and social media, asking the studio to add the scoreboard--and other features traditionally found in Battlefield games that are missing from 2042--in an update.

As one Reddit user explained, not having a scoreboard results in a number of non-ideal scenarios. "No scoreboard means you can't tell who's hacking, can't tell if the teams are balanced, can't see how many bots there are in your lobby, can't see everyone's ranks/levels, can't see everyone's stats and comparing yourself and your squad to everyone else, can't see latency of everyone in the match, can't see overall score, and can't see how many different classes are being played," Reddit user after life said. "The players have everything to lose when there is no scoreboard, yet EA/DICE have everything to gain. If you care about your community and respect us as dedicated fans of this series, you will bring back at least this one feature."

Battlefield 2042 also does not have a traditional scoring system, so when you kill enemies, capture zones, or revive people, for example, the game doesn't give you any immediate feedback on the screen as it happens. There is also no server browser, another staple of the series that allows players to select maps and modes they want to play instead of entering the matchmaking hopper.

What's more, Battlefield 2042 has no in-game voice chat. The developers said during a briefing attended by The Washington Post that their analyses found that many people instead use Discord or the system-level chat features on Xbox and PlayStation. That said, DICE plans to add voice chat to Battlefield 2042 in an official capacity after launch, and potentially as soon as "day 25" after release, which would be sometime in December.

Battlefield 2042 has a very good 80 rating on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. It is a live-service game with more features, maps, items, and content planned for release over the coming year, so it's possible some or all of what's not there right now might be added down the road.

Since Battlefield 2042 launched into early access, players have discovered adorable penguins and a "play the objective" joke. Additionally, staying idle for too long will make your character release a loud and wet sneeze.

For more, check out GameSpot's Battlefield 2042 review in progress.