Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone Game Mode Revealed, ‘High Stakes, Squad-Based’ Intensity

Battlefield 2042 is launching with three fun multiplayer experiences. All-Out Warfare’s two classic game modes, Conquest and Breakthrough, showcase the power of next-gen technology by dropping 128 players into massive arenas on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The Battlefield Portal is reminiscent of Halo’s Forge. The community can create unique playlists of their own by customizing the rules of engagement while implementing weapons, factions, and more from the franchise’s past, present, and future. The final, mysterious game-type, Hazard Zone, was revealed today and offered a new take on the battle royale formula where kills take a back seat to objectives and survival. This game mode is all about “high stakes, squad-based” intensity. 

2042 is a year of political conflict as the US and Russia fight for intel. With only a few low-orbit satellites left – these space capsules are responsible for collecting aerial photography, heat map imagery, ID scanning, etc. – both nations are fighting to secure copious amounts of data. Luckily, the satellites are falling back down to Earth, but who will claim them first? 

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That’s where you and your three squadmates come in. Hazard Zone is all about using operators, gadgets, and tactical upgrades (or passives) to win. You’re more than just a trigger-happy mercenary as you’ve been charged with securing as many fallen data drives as possible and extracting them from the battlefield. Of course, this is easier said than done since seven other teams (32 players in all, including your crew) will be duking it out on next-gen consoles and PC. Hazard Zone will be a 24-player mode on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. There’s also a “storm” closing in on the arena, so you’ll have to make wise decisions throughout each of Hazard Zone’s five phases:

        <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-copy field--type-text-long field--label-hidden gi5-field-copy gi5-text-long field__item"><span><span>Before the operation starts, your team will select their operators. Do you prefer Mackay's grappling hook to get to high ground and out-of-reach vantage points, or is Boris' Sentry Gun the perfect defensive turret to secure data drives as well as the extraction point? Even Micheal K. Williams' Irish is returning (and playable) in memory of the late actor. </span></span>

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        <div class="field field--name-field-list-item-title field--type-string field--label-hidden gi5-field-list-item-title gi5-string field__item">Insert</div>
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        <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-copy field--type-text-long field--label-hidden gi5-field-copy gi5-text-long field__item"><span><span>Deploy and complete the primary objective!</span></span>

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        <div class="field field--name-field-list-item-title field--type-string field--label-hidden gi5-field-list-item-title gi5-string field__item">Retrieve</div>
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        <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-copy field--type-text-long field--label-hidden gi5-field-copy gi5-text-long field__item"><span><span>Retrieve data drives using your intel scanner, a gadget that you've (hopefully) equipped during the first phase. Only one teammate needs to carry it. </span></span>

The intel scanner reveals approximate locations of data drives; if you’re carrying one, be aware of your surroundings. Extracted data drives dish out Hazard Zone-specific currency called Dark Market Credits which are used to purchase more weapons, gadgets, and tactical upgrades.