Battlefield 2042 dev discusses "on the fly" weapon customisation

Battlefield Portal
(Image credit: EA)

Update: Battlefield 2042 will have "on the fly" weapon customisation to allow players to adapt easily to different situations.

Earlier this week, leaked gameplay appeared to show a player in one of the game's recent technical tests switching out parts of their rifle during a match. Speaking to PLAY Magazine ahead of its upcoming Battlefield 2042 issue, senior design director Daniel Berlin confirmed the existence of a weapon customisation system.

Berlin described the system as "the ability for you to change out the attachments of your weapon on the fly," and said that it had "landed really well in the game." The idea behind the feature was "the constant concept of pushing the sandbox, making you adaptable, making you able to handle situations."

While Berlin says it's the kind of thing that should have been available in Battlefield "all along," it's the cutting edge technology available in new-gen consoles and the game's close-future setting that offered DICE the opportunity to add new ideas to the series.

The next issue of PLAY Magazine, featuring a cover story dedicated to Battlefield 2042, is out on August 23rd, available in newsagents or online via Magazines Direct.

Original story: Battlefield 2042 leaked gameplay has emerged.

Just yesterday on August 18, the video below surfaced on YouTube, showcasing recent Battlefield 2042 gameplay. 

It seems this gameplay has come from the Battlefield 2042 technical test sessions, which were held earlier this month for EA DICE's shooter. This was where a very limited number of people around the world were invited to try out the game early.

Still, this is one of our first proper looks at gameplay for Battlefield 2042, and it looks like a chaotic blast. While Battlefield veterans will no doubt be familiar with the deployment overview screen at the beginning of the video - where players can select their specialist, weapon, secondary weapon, and any other equipment before spawning into the map - once the player is on the map, however, players can edit their custom loadouts on the fly. 

We can see the player switching out barrel and magazine attachment for their assault rifle after they've spawned into the match, for example, which would really switch things up and allow players to change their weapons in real-time to adapt to new scenarios.

Battlefield 2042 launches later this year on October 22 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. If you missed out on the recent technical preview session where this new gameplay originated from, don't worry, because EA will be holding an open beta session for all players on all platforms at some point next month in September, and those who pre-order any edition of Battlefield 2042 will be granted early access.

For everything you need to know about the forthcoming preview session, head over to our Battlefield 2042 beta guide for more.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.