The game received mixed reviews from critics and a negative reception from players for its technical issues, lack of features, and certain changes to the gameplay.

As the game is set in the near future, it features futuristic weapons and gadgets like deployable turrets and drones, as well as vehicles that players can control.

[11] In addition, players can modify core gameplay elements such as health, weapon loadouts, and movement through a web-based scripting application.

In this mode, players are divided into teams, and they must compete with each other to retrieve and extract data drives from the debris of fallen satellites.

[15] Decades of devastation caused by collapsing economies, rising sea levels and broken alliances (including the collapse of the European Union due to Germany's bankruptcy and subsequent refugees known as "No-Pats") come to a peak in 2040 when a Kessler syndrome event occurs, causing 70% of orbiting satellites to crash to Earth.

The resulting permanent global blackout causes tensions between the United States and Russia to skyrocket, with war breaking out by the year 2042.

This allowed DICE to allocate more resources to develop the multiplayer portion, which was considered to be the studio's area of expertise.

The decision to include artificial intelligence for the All-out Warfare mode was made early during the game's development as the team believed that it would be a good entry point for beginners.

[26] A short work-in-progress demonstration of the game was shown at the 2020 EA Play Live event, teasing large scale battles and detailed facial animations.

[32] EA plans to support the game extensively with downloadable content after launch; Battlefield 2042 utilizes the battle pass model.

The massive, well-designed maps offer plenty of room for experimentation and emergent stories, and the modes are a blast.

In some respects, Battlefield 2042 delivers on its promises thanks to fantastic gameplay, a suite of new features and improvements, and a presentation that looks as good as it plays.

"[62] Jordan Devore of Destructoid wrote, "Battlefield 2042 feels like it could become a cool game, but it's tantalizingly out of reach today.

[60] IGN thought similarly, concluding, "For a game claiming to be the future of Battlefield, 2042's impressive Portal options make it clear that it doesn't stack up to the past.

[69] Chris Jarrard of Shacknews described the game's Specialist system as "befuddling" and described maps as "uninspiring" and "painful to traverse" on foot, further criticizing technical issues.

Players criticized extensive bugs, a lack of features previously included in older Battlefield games, and several changes to gameplay.

[71][72] Some also panned the inclusion of Christmas-themed skins, including a leaked Santa Claus example, as conflicting with the series' "dark and gritty" tone.

On November 28, 2021, Kotaku journalist Zack Zwiezen noted that Battlefield 2042 had been overtaken in player numbers on Steam by Farming Simulator 22, considering it notable that "one of the biggest games of the year on one of the most popular digital stores in the world on one of the biggest gaming platforms in the world [...] isn't able to keep up with Farming Simulator 22".

[80] Meanwhile, EA global communications director Andy McNamara criticized the audience's expectations as "brutal" on Twitter, causing hostile responses from players and harassment of DICE developers.

[84][85][86][87] In response to fan feedback, DICE released an update for the game in April 2022, version 4.00, which brought over 400 changes, including bug fixes, improvements to gameplay balancing, and other additions.

[88][89][90] In May, DICE announced Battlefield 2042's Season 1 and released a video explaining their commitment to improving the game through changes to maps, modes, and Specialists, new items, a focus on smaller player-counts, and improving the controls and animations of player characters; DICE also announced they would no longer be supporting the game's Hazard Zone mode.

[96][97] Battlefield 2042 was the third best-selling retail game in the UK on its week of release, only behind Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.