EA reveals crazy Battlefield: Portal sandbox mode for Battlefield 2042

Electronic Arts and DICE revealed Battlefield: Portal as a new community-driven multiplayer mode for Battlefield 2042 in a demo at the EA Play event today.

DICE revealed for the first time that the third multiplayer mode is a sandbox warfare mode dubbed Battlefield: Portal. It lets players create brand new game modes for others to play, said Christian Grass, general manager of EA’s new Ripple Effect game studio in Los Angeles.

You can add weapons, characters, and settings from past Battlefield games from Battlefield 2042, Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield: 1942, Battlefield 3, and others.

The first mode talked about was the 128-player All-Out Warfare mode, while the second mode is a free-to-play Hazard Zone, which is a smaller-scale squad-based mode. The third mode is a “love letter” to fans with access to past games and a century of warfare from past games. EA described it as the “ultimate sandbox experience” with remasters of maps from previous games, with weapons and vehicles from across the franchise showing up in the same battles.

This mode doesn’t emphasize competition or play balance. Rather, it’s a sandbox experience where players can have fun. Laura Miele, the head of studios at EA, hinted at this in a talk she gave at our GamesBeat Summit event in April.

The game is a modern online multiplayer shooter game coming October 22 for the PC, PlayStation, and Xbox (both the newer and older consoles). As mentioned, one mode will feature as many as 128 players on the battlefield at once — the largest number ever for the series — for the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and it will have real-time events that can reshape the battlefield and tactical combat. Up to 64 players can play on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in multiplayer.

It will have new weapons, vehicles, and gadgets that give players the freedom to be strategic and create “only-in-Battlefield moments,” EA said. EA has confirmed the game will not have a single-player mode, but we know the multiplayer will have “narrative” elements and it seems like DICE will likely have its own take on battle royale.

EA previously showed a tornado coming into a map full of skyscrapers, and the storm pulls in helicopters and everything else in its path. You can also ride on wires between the buildings and get into all sorts of military vehicles. The battles were full of “Battlefield Moments” that EA has been touting.

Battlefield 2042 will go up against a new Call of Duty game this fall. Battlefield’s typical advantage will be in its destructible environments, which will reach new levels with weather effects like tornadoes that can destroy the battlefield. That’s one thing DICE’s Frostbite engine gives Battlefield that Call of Duty can only do in a limited way, usually.with more fresh new content.