There have been many Battlefield games since the dawn of the Battlefield franchise. In fact, we’re counting just about 15 major releases. For most people, only the most recent games will come to mind.
We thought It’d be interesting to rank all of the Battlefield games from worst to best, including all of the recent games, the classics, and the absolutely terrible third party releases.
#15 – Battlefield Play4Free – Best Battlefield games
So, the basis of Battlefield Play4Free wasn’t actually that bad – it borrowed elements from the Bad Company era, but the trouble was that this game was plagued with microtransactions.
I sincerely hope that the main Battlefield franchise never falls as low as Battlefield Play4Free did, because it was a horrifying experience for anybody that did not want to spend money on the game.
Oddly, players were also forced to play one class per match – you could only pick at the beginning of the match and could not change in the middle of a match.
#14 – Battlefield Online – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield Online was mostly developed by Neowiz for a Korean audience, so DICE is mostly forgiven for this one. Unfortunately, it was still a mess of a game that very few people even remember.
It was once again another free to play remake, this time capturing elements from Battlefield 2. Once again, the free to play elements just ruined what Battlefield has always been about and it never really left Korea before it died a quick death.
#13 – Battlefield Heroes – Best Battlefield games
DICE are great at making Battlefield games, but they’re not great at turning Battlefield into anything it shouldn’t be. Take Battlefield Heroes for example – DICE saw the popularity of Team Fortress 2 and wanted to make a competitor. The maps were terrible, tiny, and suffocating, and the experience was a frantic, frustrating mess. DICE should stick to what they know best – massive large scale warfare, not wacky class-based arena shooters.
#12 – Battlefield Hardline – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield Hardline seemed like an interesting concept – it looked as if DICE were opting to push towards a new direction with their series.
Ultimately, Battlefield Hardline fell flat – it felt like a reskinned version of Battlefield 3 with restricted features and pretty poor level design. Hardline could have been good, but I feel like DICE didn’t assign the right people and resources to pull it off.
#11 – Battlefield 2: Modern Combat – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat was essentially the debut Battlefield game for console players back in 2005. This title included a single player campaign and the classic Battlefield multiplayer experience.
Unfortunately, the overall experience was executed poorly, the performance was very bad, and the game just didn’t translate over to console very well at all. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat was like that one time Valve decided to release Counter Strike: Global Offensive for the Xbox 360.
#10 – Battlefield 2142 – Best Battlefield games
We can’t deny that DICE has always tried to remain creative with their Battlefield releases. Battlefield 2142 launched in 2006 and took the Battlefield franchise to the future.
It had a few pros and a few cons – many fans enjoyed the mech based combat seen in Titan mode, but outside of that, everything else lacked any real shine. The titan mode got boring quick if you overplayed it, and that was really the only part of the game that stood out.
#9 – Battlefield 1943 – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield 1943 wasn’t a bad game, it just lacked content. This was more like a small standalone expansion for Battlefield 1942 more than anything else. Battlefield 1943 released with just four maps.
Thankfully, this game launched on consoles with some good results, making it one of the most memorable experiences for console gamers in the late 2000s. If it had launched with more content, Battlefield 1943 could have easily ranked higher.
#8 – Battlefield Vietnam – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield Vietnam was a great experience because it put players on two vastly different sides of the Vietnam war. Playing the Americans felt familiar to previous Battlefield players – you had a huge arsenal of weaponry and vehicles to use.
Playing the Vietnamese side, however, was completely different. The Vietnamese had less stopping power, but they still had infantry load-outs and anti-tank weapons that made them successful against the US forces.
Battlefield Vietnam was a great depiction of the Vietnam war that managed to present both sides accurately whilst still being a balanced gameplay experience.
#7 – Battlefield 1942 – Best Battlefield games
For many people, Battlefield 1942 will hold the number one spot. It was the game that showcased why Battlefield was just so special. Of course, it feels little outdated now, but back in 2002, this game was revolutionary.
This was the first game of its kind to introduce large scale 64 player warfare across land, sea, and air, and it was a mind blowing experience.
1942 lacked many of the aspects that make Battlefield today more enjoyable and replayable to a casual audience, but it still laid out the path for the future of Battlefield.
#6 – Battlefield: Bad Company – Best Battlefield games
In my opinion, Battlefield: Bad Company was DICE’s first proper mainstream success. It managed to deliver on all fronts of the multiplayer, but DICE also delivered an excellent and engaging story through their singleplayer campaign.
Battlefield: Bad Company also brought some elements that are now core values for all modern Battlefield games, such as Rush mode and more game-changing destructible terrain.
#5 – Battlefield 2 – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield 2 launched during the golden age of console shooters – we had Battlefield, Call of Duty, and Medal of Honor all fighting for space on the market. As a result, DICE really had to put in a lot of work to make their best game yet.
Instead of trying to fight for space on the console, DICE went a different route and created one of the most comprehensive large scale shooter games for PC we’d seen, ensuring they held onto the PC demographic. It expanded massively on the gameplay mechanics laid out by 1942.
#4 – Battlefield 4 – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield 4 was a promising project, but it ultimately struggled due to a range of issues that haunted the game for the first year.
Performance problems, connectivity issues, and major bugs made Battlefield 4 something Battlefield fans purposely avoided. Battlefield 4 was pretty good, overall, but many people still have a sour taste in their mouths and would say it just didn’t compare to the past few releases.
To be fair to DICE, they worked through all of the problems eventually and now Battlefield 4 still stands to be one of the better games in the series..
#3 – Battlefield 3 – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield 3 was one of the best experiences for a larger, mainstream audience. Battlefield 3 still held onto many of the elements that made Battlefield such a hit with hardcore PC FPS players, but it also introduced many progression systems and unlocks that made it a joy to put hundreds of hours into.
#2 – Battlefield 1 – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield 1 is undoubtedly an incredible experience – the game looks absolutely beautiful and it’s one of the most theatrical shooter games I’ve ever laid my hands on. At this point, DICE has really mastered the art of creating immersive war zones.
#1 – Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Best Battlefield games
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 took the franchise further by expanding the story that started with Bad Company 1. It still stands out as one of the best FPS singleplayer experiences I’ve laid my hands on and it had lots of replayability value. The multiplayer experience on Bad Company 2 was perfect as well.
An experience system was implemented that allowed players to unlock weapons and items for carrying out objectives, and in my personal opinion, it had the best progression system out of all Battlefield games.
Summary
Do you agree with this list? If not, how would you rank the games differently?
Battlefield V has also been released, check out our review on the game to see how it measures up to all the rest in our list.
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