BF2042 says goodbye while Battlefield 6 beta steals the show

GAMING NEWS Fyra Frost - 19-Aug-2025, 3:00 pm

With the spotlight firmly on Battlefield 6 following its hugely successful open beta, DICE and Electronic Arts have dropped a surprise parting gift for fans of Battlefield 2042. The game's final major patch, Update 9.2.0, went live on August 18, injecting new life into the title even as the community's attention shifts toward the future of the franchise.

A farewell packed with content

The new update delivers a mix of nostalgia and fresh additions. The headliner is the return of Iwo Jima, a fan-favorite map rebuilt with modern design twists, including an erupting volcano and a mix of bunkers, trenches, and naval landings across its sprawling battlefield. Players also gain access to two new weapons: the KFS2000 assault rifle, a bullpup design built for precision, and the Lynx sniper rifle, a powerful semi-automatic designed for anti-vehicle play. The Lynx, notably, is reserved for those who took part in the Battlefield 6 open beta.

Vehicle enthusiasts aren't left out either, as the A-10 Warthog and SU-25TM Frogfoot swoop into the vehicle roster, offering new options for air combat. Alongside these additions comes the "Road to Battlefield" Battle Pass, a free progression system running until October 7. It features 60 tiers of cosmetics, callbacks to classic entries, and exclusive Battlefield 6 rewards to bridge the transition between generations.

If Battelfield 2042’s final update is a send-off, then Battlefield 6’s open beta is the coronation. The test period has been nothing short of a triumph, drawing more than 5 million players across platforms and peaking at over half a million concurrent players on Steam during its second weekend. Pre-orders reflect the excitement, with analysts reporting 800,000 copies secured on Steam alone and projecting over a million in total. The success has also had a tangible effect on EA's market presence, with company stock hitting record highs as analysts predict sales of around 15 million units in fiscal 2026.

Community feedback has amplified the buzz. High-profile streamer Shroud summed up the contrast with a cutting remark after revisiting 2042: "Either 2042 is that bad or 6 is that good." Fans have praised the tighter squad-based modes and the return of Rush, though not everyone is convinced by the smaller maps and quicker pacing, which some say leans too heavily into Call of Duty territory.

However, the beta wasn't free of problems. Players encountered frame rate issues, refresh rate lock-ins, and missing graphical settings like DLSS, all of which DICE acknowledged and moved quickly to address. Another hot-button issue was the so-called "super-bullet" bug, which skewed time-to-kill values. Developers requested player clips to help track down the problem, signaling their commitment to polish before launch.

A Franchise at a Turning Point

By rolling out one last robust update for Battlefield 2042 while simultaneously showcasing Battlefield 6 at its best, EA and DICE appear to be carefully managing the franchise's narrative. Battlefield 2042 gets a respectful farewell, complete with fresh content and rewards, while its successor looks primed to restore player trust and energy to the brand.

For players, it's a rare moment of overlap: a chance to enjoy a final wave of legacy content while eagerly anticipating a new chapter. For the franchise, long plagued by Battlefield 2042’s rocky debut, it feels like the beginning of a much-needed resurgence. You are still in time to enjoy the novelties in the latest update for Battlefield 2042, but give the proximity of the new game in the series, you may as well check out the cheapest deals for Battlefield 6 instead.