Battlefield Series

What is the Battlefield series about?

The Battlefield series is a long-running first-person shooter game franchise developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It’s known for massive multiplayer battles, destructible environments, and the mix of infantry and vehicle warfare that sets it apart from other shooters.

Each entry in the game series typically features historical or futuristic conflicts, with modes that focus on team coordination, tactical class roles, and capturing objectives across sprawling maps. Over time, the Battlefield franchise has covered nearly every era of warfare, from World War I to modern and near-future settings.

When did the Battlefield games start?

The first Battlefield 1942 was released in 2002, which was groundbreaking for offering huge online battles with tanks, aircraft, and ships. Since then, the Battlefield series has expanded across platforms and generations, earning a reputation for its immersive, large-scale warfare.

How many Battlefield games are there?

There are currently over a dozen mainline entries in the Battlefield franchise, plus spin-offs and expansions. Here’s the Battlefield series in order of release:

1. Battlefield 1942 (2002)
2. Battlefield 2142 (2006)
3. Battlefield 2: Complete Collection (2009)
4. Battlefield: Bad Company (2010)
5. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (2010)
6. Battlefield 1943 (2010)
7. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (2010)
8. Battlefield 3 (2011)
9. Battlefield Heroes Starter Packs (2012)
10. Battlefield 4 (2013)
11. Battlefield Hardline (2015)
12. Battlefield 1 (2016)
13. Battlefield V (2018)
14. Battlefield 2042 (2021)
15. Battlefield 6 (2025)
16. Battlefield REDSEC (2025)

Some entries, like Bad Company and Hardline, introduced new tones and gameplay structures but remain part of the overall Battlefield experience.

What’s the best order to play the Battlefield games?

The Battlefield games are mostly standalone in terms of story, but there’s a rough game timeline that places them in historical or fictional periods. If you're looking to play the game series in chronological order based on in-universe events, here’s how they line up:

Chronological Battlefield timeline:

1. Battlefield 1 – World War I (1914–1918)
2. Battlefield V – World War II (1939–1945)
3. Battlefield 1942 / 1943 – Also set during WWII, with a more arcade-like tone
4. Battlefield Vietnam – Vietnam War (1960s–1970s)
5. Battlefield: Bad Company – Near-future conflict
6. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Continues the fictional conflict
7. Battlefield 2 – Modern-day (2007 setting)
8. Battlefield 3 – Contemporary warfare
9. Battlefield 4 – Direct sequel to BF3
10. Battlefield 6 – Near-future conflict in Georgia
11. Battlefield Hardline – Crime vs. law enforcement in a modern urban setting
12. Battlefield 2042 – Near-future conflict with advanced tech
13. Battlefield 2142 – Futuristic war in a frozen Earth, farthest in the timeline

Because most entries are multiplayer-focused, you don’t need to play them all in order, but understanding the game timeline can add context and appreciation for the series' evolution.

The best Battlefield games

Many fans consider 3 and 4 the pinnacle of modern warfare shooters and the best Battlefield games, thanks to their tight gunplay and unforgettable multiplayer maps. Battlefield 1 was widely praised for its artistic presentation and WWI setting, while Bad Company 2 remains beloved for its humor, single-player campaign, and dynamic destruction.

Battlefield V had a rocky launch but improved over time with updates, and 2042 brought ambitious changes (like 128-player matches), though the reception has been mixed. Each game has its strengths depending on your preferred era and style of play.

Who are the most iconic Battlefield characters?

Unlike story-heavy franchises, Battlefield puts more emphasis on player experience than recurring characters. However, certain campaigns do feature memorable protagonists:

• Preston Marlowe & the Bad Company squad – Stars of Bad Company 1 & 2
• Recker, Pac & Irish – Main characters in Battlefield 4’s campaign
• Deme Coughlin & Luca Vincenzo – Notable faces from Battlefield 1’s War Stories

In most entries, it’s the multiplayer sandbox, not the characters, that defines the experience.

How often do we get new Battlefield games?

Since it began in 2002, the Battlefield series had near-yearly releases for almost the next 20 years. Sometimes these were major spin-offs that introduced fresh gameplay ideas and new settings, while other times players received numbered main entries set in historical periods, modern times, or even the near or far future. The franchise was seen by Electronic Arts as a major competitor to Call of Duty, so toward the end of each year, players and critics closely compared new releases from both series, often arguing endlessly online about which title was better.

This rapid release schedule was only possible because the series was developed by several different teams. However, as graphics fidelity and technical complexity increased, studios struggled more to deliver high-quality games on time and were often forced to cut features that had been present in older titles, which in turn disappointed many long-time fans. With the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, along with other internal challenges, the Battlefield series moved away from its yearly release cycle.

After the release of Battlefield 2042 in 2021, the series entered a four-year pause before the next installment, during which players received only new DLC content. This extended development period was used to streamline production processes and allow for more thorough quality assurance of Battlefield 6, which was released in 2025 to strong critical and user reception. It is now widely expected that future Battlefield games will be released on a longer cycle, likely every two to three years.