The ForgeLight proprietary game engine is used to support high concurrent player counts while retaining performance and graphical fidelity.

PlanetSide 2 received positive attention from critics for its scale, innovation, and graphics, but some reviewers were divided over the game's free-to-play business model, technical glitches, and difficulty for new players.

[5] Each faction has a unique style, and offers access to different weapons and vehicles - for example, the Vanu Sovereignty have an alien aesthetic and employ advanced technologies in their arsenal.

[6][7] Members of each faction continually attempt to lock down continents by capturing and defending territories, earning global benefits for all allies if they manage to do so.

[9] These range from the Infiltrator, a sniper class that has access to a cloaking device,[10] to the MAX (Mechanized Assault Exo-Suit), an armored infantry unit that dual-wields heavy weaponry.

[12] By killing enemies and capturing objectives, players earn currency (Certs) which can be used to unlock upgrades and new weapons for their preferred class or vehicle.

[10] Players can also use real-world money to purchase new items and weapons that are primarily cosmetic in nature and offer no direct benefit over non-paying individuals.

[16][15] In the year 2444, a mysterious wormhole forms over a war-torn Earth, and scientists report strange transmissions that all but confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life.

As expected, the wormhole reopens after 100 years, but no further transmissions are detected; despite this, the Terran Republic remains in power, as the vast majority of humanity is satisfied with its governance.

[20] After his retirement, Connery recruits eccentric xenobiologist Henry Briggs for a second expedition to the Moon Belt, and the pair discovers an alien figurine.

"[19] The wormhole appears yet again in 2640, and this time Connery leads an expedition consisting of Terran Republic officers, New Conglomerate representatives, and scientists seeking extraterrestrial knowledge.

[21] Months pass, and as chances for survival become increasingly bleak, New Conglomerate insurgents begin launching attacks against Terran Republic forces, killing Connery in the process.

[31][32] On March 31, 2011, SOE announced that it would be ending development of their spy-themed MMO The Agency and refocusing efforts on both EverQuest Next and PlanetSide Next following their closure of three game studios.

[35] Smedley announced that both PlanetSide 2 and EverQuest Next would be using SOE's proprietary ForgeLight engine to support seamless worlds and realistic physics using Nvidia's PhysX API.

[36][37][38] Rather than a direct sequel, the game was revealed to be a reimagining of PlanetSide with faster-paced first-person shooter mechanics, "triple-A" graphics, and a greater focus on capturing and defending territories.

[39] SOE announced later in 2011 that comic book writer Marv Wolfman would be authoring episodic stories to establish the game's background and expand upon PlanetSide's original backstory.

[40] Throughout the game's development, John Smedley and creative director Matt Higby have cited Eve Online as well as both the Call of Duty and Battlefield series as major influences for PlanetSide 2.

[49] Early in the game's development, the ownership of PlanetSide 2 by a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment led some to speculation regarding a release for PlayStation branded consoles.

[56] Cross-platform play between the PlayStation 4 and PC versions of the game would not be possible due to update delays, but the ability to transfer player accounts between the two platforms would be considered.

[57][58] Creative director Matt Higby also mentioned the possibility of porting PlanetSide 2's mobile app to the PlayStation Vita with additional interactive features.

A companion app for iOS and Android devices in development would allow players to view guides, use the in-game voice chat, track their character, and see a real-time PlanetSide 2 world map.

The upgrade would provide significant improvements to performance, enable better support for modern hardware and allow future optimiziations according to producer Nick Silva.

[77] During PlanetSide 2's development, SOE president John Smedley said the game would "not sell a more powerful gun or vehicle," with purchases using real-life money being only an alternative to unlocking items through gameplay.

In 2012, creative director Matt Higby elaborated on PlanetSide 2's business model, stating that "no weapon, vehicle, attachment, continent, class or certification" would be inaccessible by free-to-play characters post-launch.

[78] The system was initially received negatively by players due to perceived unfairness, leading the development team to entirely redesign the feature.

[83] A version of the game localized for China was released in June 2013 by The9, and had higher initial player counts than the US servers according to SOE president John Smedley.

Hancock noted that the game "doesn’t do a great job of explaining the many systems at play" and criticized the lack of long-term goals for a player to achieve.

[9] Though Griffin McElroy of Polygon praised PlanetSide 2's gameplay and scale, they noted that, for microtransactions, "prices escalate quickly" and that the amount of time needed to unlock a single item with in-game currency could be "excessive.

"[15] Jonathan Leack of GameRevolution noted frequent glitches, with "people teleporting and rubber-banding," which led the game to feel like a "rushed job" at times.

"[112] Likewise, Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot praised the game's "fantastic massive battles" but found that its enjoyment "rests on how forgiving you are of technical hiccups you would properly expect to be vanquished.