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Over the past year, Battlefield 2042 has held on with a modest but loyal player base, usually only a few thousand strong.
Its Steam population usually hovered in the 3,000 to 5,000 range, and peak counts almost never topped 10,000.
But in August 2025, the game suddenly experienced a massive turnaround. The reason wasn’t a major patch but the combination of Battlefield 6’s open beta and a linked update.
Why Did Battlefield 2042 Suddenly Surge?
With the Battlefield 6 beta over and nothing left to play until release, fans chose Battlefield 2042 as the next best thing. That turned out to be Battlefield 2042, which was still receiving updates from DICE.
Almost overnight, Steam’s player count jumped by more than 500%, reaching over 20,000 concurrent users—the best numbers the game had seen in nearly a year.
That number came just from Steam, while adding Xbox, PlayStation, and EA’s app pushed the total far higher. The surge shows the Battlefield community still wants large-scale combat despite 2042’s rocky past. The beta worked as both a display of promise for the series and a bridge that sent players back to previous installments in the meantime.
What Did Update 9.2 Bring to the Game?
DICE took advantage of the timing with Update 9.2, bringing not just bug fixes but also fresh weapons, vehicles, and the return of the classic Iwo Jima map.
But the biggest hook was the “Road to Battlefield 6” initiative, a crossover system designed to reward players for spending time in Battlefield 2042.
As part of this event, all players were given access to a 60-tier free battle pass. The tiers held no filler, only 24 exclusive rewards that carry straight into Battlefield 6 at launch.
These include weapon skins, soldier outfits, and even vehicle cosmetics. EA made it clear that these rewards are single-use exclusives, never coming back in the store, which makes them a big draw for Battlefield 6 players.
Players have until October 7 to finish the pass, with Battlefield 6 launching on October 10. Anyone who completes the objectives and links their account will find their earned items automatically waiting for them in Battlefield 6.
Has Battlefield 2042 Changed Since Launch?
Coming back to Battlefield 2042 now feels like picking up an entirely new game.
Since its rocky 2021 debut, DICE has been fixing systems, rolling out new content, and trying crossovers like Mass Effect–themed cosmetics.
While the game may never escape the reputation of its launch, it now plays smoother, feels more complete, and offers far more variety than it did three years ago.
Battlefield 2042’s resurgence is more about momentum than raw figures. With Battlefield 6 set to launch in October, DICE has successfully turned a fading title into a launchpad for the future.
Fans are grinding the free battle pass, dropping into familiar maps, and reconnecting with the franchise just as anticipation for the sequel grows.
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