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If you're looking for a Battlefield 2042 campaign mode or single-player story experience, then we've got some bad news for you. Although many online shooters also have a campaign mode attached for you to play through a linked storyline, Battlefield 2042 is exclusively a multiplayer game, so you'll need to team up with friends or other random players for it. There is still a narrative running through it, with the world plunging into environmental devastation and governmental collapse in the next two decades, then a global blackout leads to a worldwide blame game followed by inevitable wat between the United States and Russia. You play as a No-Pat Specialist soldier fighting for one of those two sides, so here's everything you need to know about the Battlefield 2042 campaign, plus the overarching story of the world in 2042.
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Does Battlefield 2042 have a campaign?
Battlefield 2042 does not have a campaign mode of any kind, and the game is strictly multiplayer only. Unless you really want to play solo or cooperatively with just a squad of friends, your only option is to play in custom matches with bots, but Battlefield games are always best enjoyed online and with friends. There are three different broad Battlefield 2042 modes, each with unique game modes. You can try Conquest in All-Out Warfare, play classic Battlefield 3 modes in Portal, or try the new Hazard Zone mode.
While Battlefield 2042 doesn’t have a story campaign, there is still an overarching narrative that sets the stage for the game’s forces of the US, Russia, and the No-Pats. When you boot up the game, you’ll be shown a cutscene narrated by Kimble “Irish” Graves, played by Michael K. Williams who unfortunately passed away in 2021. This cutscene paints a pretty grim picture of the future, full of horrific natural disasters and collapsing societies. If you’re interested in learning more about the world of Battlefield 2042, here’s what you need to know.
What is the story in Battlefield 2042?
In the two decades between now and 2042, Earth has suffered horrific environmental damage from natural disasters, leading to global destabilization. Record temperatures, rapidly rising sea levels, and the world’s first category six storm reaching the US all hit the news before 2028. By 2030, Florida is mostly underwater, Eastern Europe has been ravaged by wildfires, and nations and currencies have started to collapse. As countries crumble all over the world, mass immigration becomes commonplace as millions of refugees seek a new home. Many of these refugees are known as No-Pats – soldiers with no state that fight for survival.
Technological revolutions in the 2030s led to some stability by the end of that decade. The world started to rebuild with reclaimed farmland, coastal walls, and desert irrigation systems, but No-Pats had become a permanent fixture. In 2040, the world suffered a sudden blackout, causing more destruction and political tensions to flare up. In the aftermath of the blackout, a geopolitical war between the world’s last two superpowers, the US and Russia, is what’s left in 2042. Both sides have armies of No-Pats that they’re ready to deck out with military hardware for their war efforts.
In-game, you’ll also hear a short bit of dialogue at the start of every Battlefield 2042 match explaining the situation and why you’re fighting in your current location. You can learn more about Battlefield 2042’s world and story by listening out for these lines and by reading and watching what’s available here on the Battlefield 2042 website.
