Summary
For as long as it has existed, theBattlefieldfranchise has tried to stand out from the crowd. Competing with games likeCall of Dutyhas never been the raison d’être of theBattlefieldgames. Instead, they tend to carve their own mechanical path, building a loyal fanbase that loves its idiosyncratic and chaotic choices.
Story has never been the trademark ofBattlefieldgames. Instead, gameplay is king. This list is ranked just by that, with no consideration of story, graphics, or time period, only pure gameplay glory matters here.
It’s nothing controversial to state thatBattlefield 2042was a bit of a disaster when it launched. It was plagued by technical issues,a revamped class structure called “specialists"that the fans didn’t love, and a series of maps that didn’t feel like DICE’s best work.
However, since release, DICE have worked hard to improve the situation, resulting in a game that stands proudly beside its franchise brethren, even if it’s a little bruised on the way. For gamers looking for a casual Battlefield experience with futuristic tech, this is the one to go for.
AsBattlefieldwas enjoying its period of peak popularity in the early to mid 2010s, EA spun up several spin-off initiatives to develop the IP further and gave Visceral Games the reins to developBattlefield: Hardline, a law enforcement-focused entry that brought down the scale from massive wars to cops and criminals shoot-outs.
There’s no doubt that the slightly hammy presentation and more intimate scale shook up the gameplay style entirely, focusing more on impromptu shoot-outs than tactical destruction and combat. Still, the game found an audience for those who wanted a little moreCall ofDuty-style arcade action in theirBattlefieldgames.
AfterBattlefield 2,the franchise was in a strange state of limbo, not yet competing with the likes ofMedal of Honorand falling behind the resurgent and massively popularCall of Dutyfranchise. EnterBattlefield: Bad Company, a game that took the destructive nature of the earlier entries and ramped it up to 11.
The core idea ofBad Company, besides its renewed focus on story and characters, is that the world was entirely destructible, even if that meant unbalanced gameplay. Fans fell in love with this chaotic off-shoot of the central franchise, and it remains one of the best-loved games in the franchise to this day that still holds up mechanically pretty well.
By 2011, theCall of Dutyfranchise had taken over the shooter space, and other franchises were struggling for oxygen. EnterBattlefield 3, a soft reboot of the franchise, focusing on hardcore military simulation, massive maps, tonnes of vehicles, custom servers, and more than ever.
Battlefield 3became a lightning rod for new players to enter the franchise, particularly on consoles where theBattlefieldfranchise had yet to flourish. Despite the… controversial nature of maps like Metro,it remains one of the most beloved entries in the franchise, even if its gameplay doesn’t quite have the refinements that it would later see.
Battlefield 1was a big risk. DICE had just come off the biggest commercial successes in the studio’s lifespan, withBattlefield 3andBattlefield 4directly competing withCall of Dutyin the modern military shooter space, andBattlefield 1was a sharp left-turn back towardsBattlefield’s history as a historical shooter first, rather than a modern-day one.
That risk, as it turns out, was worth it.Battlefield 1is a stunning rendition of WW1, and may well be one of the best games ever made about WW1 with itsgenuinely engaging story. It proved that older-style weaponry could still be a lot of fun to play with in theBattlefieldcontext, and the historical setting opened all sorts of new avenues for play, such as the infamous zeppelins or rail-bound behemoths.
After the success ofBattlefield 3, the job was clear for DICE. Do it again, but do it more. So it goes withBattlefield 4which took everything thatBattlefield 3did great, iterated, and amplified it as much as possible.
In many ways,Battlefield 4is the crowning achievement of DICE in the modern military shooter space. It had a great set of maps, a renewed focus on destruction throughthe somewhat maligned phrase of “Levolution”, and a fearsome armory set. All stripes of players could find a style that worked for them, and it retains a healthy online audience to this day.
ThoughBattlefieldreached new levels of success withBattlefield 3in 2011 that set the franchise on an entirely new trajectory, some old-school fans bemoan the fact that DICE are unlikely to return to theBad Companyfranchise again, particularly asBad Company 2, released in 2010, is considered to be one of the very best games DICE ever made.
Bad Company 2went all-in on the zany attitude, the cheesy action movie aesthetics, and most importantly of all, destruction. DICE is yet to replicate the sheer destruction that could reign acrossBad Company 2’s maps that could be genuinely leveled by the end of a match. For some players, it’s the very peak of what old-schoolBattlefieldcame to be.
This might be a surprising entry for number one, but it’s for good reason.Battlefield 5returned to the WW2 roots of theBattlefieldfranchise, but it’s also the most modern evocation of the game’s trademark shooting, vehicle driving, and class system, which is yet to be developed further in a convincing way. On a side note, it’s also gotsome great story content too.
In terms of sheer gameplay,Battlefield 5remains unsurpassed. The shooting is super smooth, the movement systems are refined, the vehicles feel great, and the moment-to-moment gunplay has never felt more skill-based.Battlefield 5never quite found its audience which is a shame, considering its got the best gameplay in the entire franchise.
