Battlefield 2042's Portal Mode Could Have Been So Much More

Battlefield 2042 faced a backlash for not including several features expected at launch, damaging its reputation. However, Portal mode was a strong point of the game from the start, although it suffered from a lack of post-launch support, limiting its potential to reshape gaming experiences. The lack of significant updates for Portal after launch has left fans of the mode feeling abandoned, and it seems unlikely that Portal will continue in future titles, given that it received so little investment in 2042.

It's no secret that Battlefield 2042 was badly damaged by its controversial launch, with the 2021 title having to work hard since then to overcome this and rebuild its reputation. While it's undeniable that the game is in a much better state now than it was three years ago, many of 2042's best launch features have unfortunately been neglected in the title's attempt to add more post-launch content.

Before its release, one of the most anticipated aspects of Battlefield 2042 was its ambitious Portal mode, which aimed to blur the lines between the franchise's most popular entries into highly customizable, time-defying gaming experiences. The concepts behind 2042's Portal mode had huge potential and were very ambitious, but the lack of any real support for the mode throughout 2042's lifecycle means that its future isn't as promising as it could have been.

Related to BF4 and 2042, they introduced pieces of a puzzle that the next Battlefield should finally put together. Battlefield 2042 may not have been the most beloved game in the series, but together with a BF4 engine, it could pave the way for something huge.

Portal mode was designed to be a unique experience, far removed from the purely futuristic gameplay of Battlefield 2042, allowing players to create their own multiplayer matches using a variety of assets from the following Battlefield releases: Battlefield 2042, Battlefield 1942, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3.

These assets included things like maps, weapons and vehicles, potentially seeing games where a force of World War II-era soldiers could face off against a smaller but more advanced troop of futuristic fighters. Portal not only allowed fans to re-experience some of the most beloved Battlefield releases of all time, but gave an immense amount of power to players to tweak the kind of experience they wanted to create and share with others.

Portal was the biggest victim of Battlefield 2042's launch. The pre-launch hype surrounding 2042's Portal was quickly dissipated after the game's release, with many players accusing the release of lacking in the amount of content that a core Battlefield title should have. 2042 famously chose to forgo a single-player campaign, for example, putting even more pressure on its unsatisfying multiplayer. 2042 was released without things like multiplayer leaderboards and the IP's iconic four-class system, with DICE having to work extremely hard to recover a player base that quickly dwindled just weeks after 2042's release.

2042 did a good job of redeeming itself in this respect with its post-launch seasons, going back to the basics of the Battlefield formula while releasing an intense amount of post-launch weapons, vehicles, maps and more. Despite promises of continued post-launch support for Portal, the game mode never received significant updates in terms of new maps, weapons or vehicles, and was essentially abandoned shortly after the release of 2042. With post-launch support for 2042 ending after Season 7, it's hard to see Portal being continued by DICE in future titles, unfortunately cementing it as an underused and underdeveloped mode that could have been a defining experience for the franchise.

Battlefield 2042 is the latest installment in the long-running Battlefield franchise. Featuring game modes and structures similar to previous titles, the DICE-developed title features next-generation graphics and the same iconic large-scale battles that players have become accustomed to. Released on November 19, 2021 by publisher Electronic Arts, the genre is First Person Shooter, rated M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence. The duration for completing the game is not available. It is enhanced for X|S, with a file size of 84 GB (June 2023) and supports crossplay between PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S and PS4 & Xbox One.