Ever since the original Battlefield 1942 released back in the summer of 2002, EA and DICE’s large-scale multiplayer warfare series has consistently been among the most critically acclaimed and popular first-person shooters ever made. Thanks to its constant reinvention, Battlefield has felt forever fresh, cycling through a number of different eras and locations, pushing the player count to support over 100+ players on the map at once, and bolstering its core multiplayer-first design with singleplayer narratives that cover some of the grittiest aspects of warfare. All this considered, it’s really no surprise that Battlefield is still holding strong after two decades, even if it’s had a couple of missteps along the way.<br><br> Whether you're a fan of the series’ original WW2 setting, enjoy the modern warfare eras, or prefer to fight on the frontlines of Miami’s drug war, there's something in this series for everyone. But which game is the best? That’s what we’re here to find out. With the heated firefights of Battlefield 6 on the horizon, let’s look back over the series and choose the top 10 Battlefield games.
<b>10. Battlefield 2142</b><br><br> Let’s start with a cult classic. Battlefield 2142 was the first and only entry in the series to take Battlefield into a futuristic sci-fi setting. When it launched in 2006, it arguably felt like a really, really good mod for Battlefield 2, so closely did it emulate its predecessor’s formula. But look beyond those similarities and you’ll find something that has a distinct character, thanks to an improved progression system, refined class choices, and – here’s the big one – Titan mode, which saw teams breach the shields of the enemy’s looming spaceship from the ground, then board the vessel to eliminate its crew and destroy the central core. Such a unique mode makes this early entry of the now long-running series still worth checking out, although you’ll have to do it via unofficial servers these days.
<b>9. Battlefield Hardline</b><br><br> If there was ever a black sheep of the Battlefield series, Hardline is it. Exchanging the globe-trotting modern warfare settings of Battlefields 3 and 4 for the sun-soaked, neon-drenched streets of Miami, Hardline pivots the series to the War on Drugs with its cops and robbers gameplay. Back in 2015 it was met with a ton of skepticism from long-time series fans, and a certain amount of that was justified. The multiplayer featured Battlefield’s typical large-scale chaos, which perhaps doesn’t gel with cars and downtown as much as it does tanks and bunkers. Nevertheless, the setting did introduce some interesting new modes such as Hotwire, Blood Money, and Heist, all of which have a distinct "crime" flavor.<br><br> But, in a novel twist for this PvP focused series, it’s Hardline’s single-player campaign that proves the highlight. It’s presented like a police procedural TV show in the same vein as Law & Order and CSI, and you get to choose if you're a good cop or bad cop, either arresting everyone or shooting everything in sight. It’s a very different take on Battlefield’s typically Call of Duty-like campaigns, although certainly not short on explosive setpieces.
<b>8. Battlefield 1943</b><br><br> While Battlefield Hardline was a dramatic shift in where Battlefield was played, our next game was a dramatic shift for how Battlefield was played. Battlefield 1943 was one of the first major console games exclusively available via digital download, which was a big deal back in 2009 when most digital-only titles were small indies.<br><br> You can see the limits imposed by that distribution model, though. Back then internet speeds were slower and digital-only games were restricted in size, so Battlefield 1943 is essentially a scaled-down version of the original Battlefield 1942. Despite this, it was still seen as an excellent entry into the series. Classic Pacific theater maps were rebuilt on the then-brand-new Frostbite engine, which allowed for cutting edge graphics, destructible environments, and fast-paced, 24-player matches. While this may not be the most beloved Battlefield game, in part due to its stripped-down map and class roster, it still successfully captured the unique essence of the series, and brought the important parts of the Battlefield 1942 PC experience to a new console audience.
<b>7. Battlefield 1942</b><br><br> What's a list of the top Battlefield games without the original that started it all? Battlefield 1942 was ground breaking when it launched in 2002, offering large-scale, 64-player online battles to a world accustomed to 6v6 or 12v12 matches. Eschewing deathmatches for the sprawling, objective-focussed Conquest mode, Battlefield 1942 was the stage for an innovative class-based system that gave distinct roles to each player – from the damage-focused Assault to the vehicle-repairing Engineer. There really wasn't anything like it at the time, especially its seamless transitions from infantry to vehicular and flying combat. And while the series has grown tremendously over the last 20 something years, 1942 is still immediately recognisable as Battlefield if you play it today. The impact of its large-scale gameplay and class system contributed to a shifting of the winds that changed shooters forever.
<b>6. Battlefield: Bad Company</b><br><br> Battlefield: Bad Company was an important milestone for the series. It was the first game to utilize the Frostbite engine, which has gone on to be the defining bedrock of modern Battlefield thanks to its destructive capabilities. It was here that crumbling buildings and deformable terrain were first established, paving the way for collapsing skyscrapers in later years. Using smaller, more refined maps, it successfully built upon what made the series so great up to that point, this time for a console-only audience.<br><br> While PC was abandoned for this entry, the transition to console brought with it Battlefield’s first-ever narrative-driven campaign, which is best known for its goofy storytelling. Bad Company traded the seriousness of war for a lighter-toned tale that follows a ragtag squad who steal a super powerful gun and shoot their way out of the mess they got themselves into. The dialogue is cheesy (and perhaps a bit inappropriate, considering the setting and what's happening on screen) but the decision to pivot the franchise to an action-comedy direction makes Bad Company one of the most memorable Battlefield experiences, and sets itself apart from everything else in this list.