Battlefield 2042 is causing havoc on Xbox Series X

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Battlefield 2042 isn’t even out yet, but early access players aren’t happy

Battlefield 2042 beta screenshot
(Image credit: YouTube)

The remastered GTA Trilogy isn’t the only high-profile release that could have done with a bit longer in the oven. Battlefield 2042 isn’t technically out until November 19, but it’s already taking heat from those with early access (via pre-orders of the Gold and Ultimate versions, and EA Access members) for delivering a generally unsatisfying experience. 

As is now the norm for player protest, the Metacritic user scores are the outlet for player frustration with — at the time of writing — scores of 4.1, 2.6 and 2.5 for the PS5, PC and Xbox Series X versions respectively. 

Confusingly, EA said it will be issuing an “optional update” to address the bug on November 17, and that it will become mandatory on November 23. Why there needs to be a six-day gap between the two — especially when the full game is released to the world in the middle — isn’t something that the company addressed. 

To add more confusion to the mix, Microsoft added that “you can already download this update in the OMEGA Ring as part of the Xbox Insider Program.” The post was ambiguous as to whether this was the same patch, but if it is, then it hasn’t worked for plenty of players who’ve applied it and are still enduring system crashes.

There’s a certain amount of good will that comes from pre-ordering a game. For many of the players affected by this, it may well be a case of ‘once bitten, twice shy.’

Alan Martin
Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.