Battlefield 2042 is a shooting game in the Battlefield series. This version of the game focuses just on multiplayer and doesn't have a single-player campaign. It's set in a near future with weapons and gadgets like deployable turrets and drones along with drivable vehicles.

Play is like other first-person shooting games, where you aim to shoot opponents in vulnerable parts of their body to kill them. This year, players can request a vehicle to be dropped to them in any location. There's a new weapon system that enables you to customize attachments while you play.

You play a specialist of one of the classes: Assault, Engineer, Medic and Recon. Each can use all the weapons you have unlocked but have their own unique skills and gadgets: Wingsuit, Healing Pistols and the like. There are 10 characters (specialists) and 7 maps to start with, although more will be added over time.

Destructive environments and extreme weather add some variety to play, both in terms of the aesthetic and things like tornadoes and sandstorms which can lift players off the ground and kill them.

There is a player-driven customisation mode called Battlefield Portal where players create bespoke multiplayer modes they enjoy, mixing and matchings modes, maps and equipment from the previous games. This will also enable players to modify core gameplay elements such as health, weapon loadouts, and movement through a web-based scripting application. Although this is not a full-on game creator, this ability to create these customised experiences comes close.