Battlefield V returned the series to World War 2. Image: DICE / Electronic Arts
Battlefield V is DICE's World War 2 shooter, released on 20 November 2018. It launched thin — only eight maps — and was heavily criticised for it. But free updates ran until June 2020 and roughly tripled the content, including a full Pacific theatre. Judged on its finished state rather than its launch, it is one of the better modern Battlefield games.
Battlefield V at a glance
| Developer | DICE |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Released | 20 November 2018 |
| Platforms | PC, PS4, Xbox One (playable on PS5 and Series X|S) |
| Players | Up to 64 online |
| Support ended | June 2020 (Chapter 6: Into the Jungle) |
Was Battlefield V finished at launch? No — but that was 2018
This is the most important thing to understand, because most Battlefield V coverage still online was written in November 2018 and describes a game that no longer exists.
At launch it shipped with eight maps — the smallest Battlefield launch line-up ever — a main menu advertising unreleased modes, and the battle royale mode Firestorm delayed to March 2019. The criticism was deserved.
What arrived afterwards, free:
- Chapters 1–6 of Tides of War, running from December 2018 to June 2020
- The Pacific theatre (Chapter 5, October 2019) — Iwo Jima, Wake Island, Pacific Storm, Solomon Islands, plus US and Japanese factions
- Firestorm, the 64-player battle royale, in March 2019
- The Last Tiger, a fourth War Story following a German tank crew
- A large number of additional maps, weapons, vehicles and modes
By the time DICE stopped development, the map count was several times the launch figure. If you read a review complaining about content, check its date.
Important: Battlefield V had no premium pass and no paid map DLC. EA dropped the season-pass model for this entry — every post-launch map, weapon and mode was free to all owners. There is no “All DLC” edition to hunt for, because there was never any paid DLC to begin with.
What are the War Stories like?
The single-player campaign is split into short, self-contained chapters rather than one continuous narrative — a format carried over from Battlefield 1.
Their strength is subject matter. Rather than another Normandy landing, they cover:
- Under No Flag — British Special Boat Section sabotage in North Africa
- Nordlys — the Norwegian resistance under German occupation
- Tirailleur — Senegalese colonial troops fighting to liberate France, whose contribution was largely erased from post-war accounts
- The Last Tiger — a German tank crew confronting the collapse of the Reich, added in December 2018
Tirailleur is the standout, and genuinely unusual subject matter for a mainstream shooter.
The gameplay is more ordinary. Linear missions are focused and work well, but the wider open sections feel empty, with long stretches between objectives and enemy AI that often ignores nearby explosions. Each story runs about an hour, so the weaker moments pass quickly.
Multiplayer is why Battlefield V still has players in 2026.
How is the multiplayer?
This is the reason to play it, and it is where DICE was at its most confident.
The 64-player sandbox is the familiar Battlefield formula — infantry, vehicles, aircraft and destructible environments — tuned rather than reinvented. Time-to-kill is shorter than Battlefield 1, which makes positioning matter more.
Grand Operations is the flagship mode: a multi-round campaign played across several in-game days, where the outcome of one round changes the conditions of the next. Matches can run close to an hour, and it is the mode most worth your time.
Alongside it sit Conquest, Breakthrough, Team Deathmatch, Domination and Frontlines, plus the co-operative Combined Arms.
Two systems define the feel:
- Attrition — you spawn with limited ammunition and must resupply from stations or squadmates. It forces teamwork and slows the pace.
- Fortifications — players build sandbags, barricades and gun emplacements mid-match, so objectives physically change as they are contested.
Is Battlefield V still worth playing in 2026?
Yes, with realistic expectations.
In its favour: the game is complete, cheap, and frequently included with EA Play, which is bundled into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It runs well on modest hardware and looks strong for a 2018 release. The Pacific maps are among the best DICE has produced.
Against it: with Battlefield 6 out, the population has thinned. Popular modes on major platforms still fill, but expect longer queues for niche modes and off-peak times. Firestorm in particular is effectively empty — treat it as a curiosity, not a reason to buy.
If you want a WW2 shooter with large-scale combat and can accept a smaller player base, it is very easy to recommend at its usual sale price.
Where can you buy Battlefield V?
- PC — Steam and the EA App
- PlayStation — PlayStation Store (PS4 version, plays on PS5)
- Xbox — Microsoft Store, backward compatible on Series X|S
The genuinely free ways to play
Battlefield V is regularly included in the EA Play catalogue, which comes with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no extra cost — if you already subscribe, check before buying anything. It also discounts very heavily in EA and Steam sales, frequently to a few dollars. And remember: every map and mode released after launch was free, so the standard edition is the complete game.
A note on cracked “All DLC” builds: beyond being illegal and a known malware vector, they are pointless here. Battlefield V is an online-first game — pirated copies cannot connect to official servers, which removes the entire reason to play it. IGGG Guides does not link to pirated software.
Battlefield V FAQ
Is Battlefield V still online in 2026?
Yes. Official servers remain up and popular modes still populate on major platforms, though queues are longer than at peak and niche modes can be quiet.
Did Battlefield V have a season pass?
No. DICE dropped the premium pass for this entry. All post-launch maps, weapons and modes were free.
How many maps does Battlefield V have?
It launched with eight and grew substantially through the Tides of War chapters, including the four Pacific maps added in October 2019.
Is the single-player campaign worth playing?
For the subject matter, yes — particularly Tirailleur and The Last Tiger. Each story is about an hour, and the whole set runs roughly five to six hours.
Is Firestorm still playable?
Technically yes, but the population is minimal. Do not buy the game for the battle royale mode.
Does Battlefield V run on low-end PCs?
Reasonably well. The Frostbite engine scales sensibly — lowering mesh quality and post-processing recovers the most frames. Multiplayer is more CPU-bound than the campaign, so large 64-player maps are the hardest test.
The verdict
Battlefield V was judged on a launch that deserved criticism, and that judgement stuck even after DICE spent eighteen months fixing it. The finished game — Pacific maps included, all of it free — is a considerably better product than its reputation.
Buy it in a sale or play it through EA Play, expect a smaller community than in 2019, and you will find one of the more distinctive large-scale shooters available.
Best for: players who want 64-player WW2 combat and enjoy squad play.
Skip if: you need a busy player base at all hours or want a strong single-player campaign.
More from IGGG Guides:
- Battlefield 6 — everything you need to know
- Battlefield 6: can it dent Call of Duty?
- Call of Duty is giving up
Last updated: 6 September 2026