Which Edition of Battlefield 2042 Should You Buy?

Needless to say, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the community in our excitement for Battlefield 2042. The reveal trailer (when it was eventually released) looked incredible, as did the gameplay trailer that followed shortly after. But with only a few days left until the game's full release, you're probably wondering: is it worth it? And if you do buy-in, which edition should you get? Luckily, EarlyGame is here to help.

How Much Does Each Edition Of Battlefield 2042 Cost?

On Consoles:

• Standard Edition (PS5 / Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S): $69.99, €79.99, £69.99 (USD / EURO / GBP)
• Standard Edition (PS4 / Xbox One) : $59.99, €69.99, £59.99 (USD / EURO / GBP)
• Gold Edition: $99.99, €99.99, £89.99 (USD / EURO / GBP)
• Ultimate Edition: $119.99, €119.99, £109.99 (USD / EURO / GBP)

On PC:

• Standard Edition: $59.99, €59,99, £49.99 (USD / EURO / GBP)
• Gold Edition: $89.99, €89,99, £79.99 (USD / EURO / GBP)
• Ultimate Edition: $109.99, €109,99, £99.99 (USD / EURO / GBP)

We wanted to get the price out of the way first, so it doesn't give you such a shock later. It's expensive, we know. Perhaps one of the most expensive games we've seen, but this is 2021 and next-gen is this–gen. Let's get into whether those prices are justified.

What Does Each Version Of Battlefield 2042 Provide?

Every edition gave players access to the open Beta - really the big draw of pre-ordering - but the Gold and Ultimate edition will be worthwhile to players who are confident they will stay with Battlefield throughout Year 1.The Gold and Ultimate editions come with each season's Battlepass effectively pre-ordered for Year 1. They also provide access to Battlefield 2042 a week before everyone else gets the game on November 19.

Early–Access To The Full Battlefield 2042 Launch

The two more expensive editions of the game got access a week before everyone else on November 12. This is a lot longer than we often see for early–access. Usually, developers would avoid dividing the community for so long, but they must have been feeling confident about a lot of pre-orders this year.

Verdict: This is going to appeal to the impatient and to the hardcore grinders. One week will be more than enough time to get weapons leveled and to get an advantage over the chumps starting from level 1 on November 19.

Pre-order Cosmetics

All editions come with the Bacu ACB–90 knife, the "Mr. Chompy" Weapon Charm, the "landfall" player card, and the "Old Guard" Tag. These are purely cosmetic items, and they look like this:

Verdict: These exist to pack out the pre-order bundle, there will be more appealing cosmetics available very quickly upon launch, and honestly you should just ignore these items when making your decision about pre-ordering.

Battlepass For Each Season Of Year 1

We know there will be 4 Battle Passes available throughout Year 1 of Battlefield 2042, so this is potentially a huge saving. Let's assume that EA follows in the footsteps of their closest rival, Call of Duty, and they price the Battlepass at around ten dollars a season. That would equate to $40 in Battlepass savings, and the jump from Standard to Gold Edition is only $30.

However, many Battlepasses allow you to earn in-game currency towards the next season's Battlepass if you play enough and complete enough levels. So for someone playing a lot, they might actually only need to pay $10 for season 1 and then $2.50 for each subsequent Battlepass. So they may in fact only really be getting $17.50 in value out of this benefit.

Verdict: This is good future-proofing for the hardcore fans, but it's also a big commitment, it assumes that you will play regularly for an entire year post-release. You'll have to make up your mind on this one, but we're not certain this benefit is as good as it first looks.

Midnight Ultimate Bundle

The Midnight Ultimate Bundle is an Ultimate edition exclusive, and it contains three items: the "Shadow Stalker" Legendary Outfit, the "Obsidian" Legendary Weapon Skin, and the "Onyx" Legendary Vehicle Skin. This is a nice addition but the jump from Gold to Ultimate is very expensive if this is all you're after, and you don't care for the Soundtrack or Artbook.

Verdict: This is not worth the twenty-dollar jump in price. It provides a black cloak for your character, a black skin for an AR, and a black robot dog. Better cosmetics will be more cheaply available almost instantly we imagine.

Digital Soundtrack, Digital Artbook

The digital soundtrack and artbook are just that, you'll be sent a download link for some audio files and some images. We don't know how extensive these are, but we can say that Battlefield has never been famous because of its soundtrack or its art style.

Verdict: These items are for people who want to support the game devs and show their allegiance to Battlefield. It's for hardcore fans who like to have a shrine of sorts to their favorite franchises. For most players, it's absolutely not worth it.

Final Verdict: Which Edition Of Battlefield 2042 Is Right For You?

We think for the vast majority of players the standard edition is enough, and the more expensive editions won't save you much in real-term value.The biggest draw we can see to going Gold is if you're so confident you will play the game for a year that you're willing to invest in the Battle Passes. That or you're just too excited not to get early–access.

Update: EA Play

Since this article was first published, we've been shown the full extent of EA Play benefits in regard to Battlefield 2042. You will not get Battlefield 2042 for free with EA Play, but, you will get the following:

• 10-hour trial starting November 12, 2021
• Early access to the Open Beta
• Exclusive member-only rewards every month
• 10% off your pre-order

It might seem slightly underwhelming, but joining EA Play for one month is a great way to get the open beta early and then 10% of the purchase if you enjoy the playtest.

If you wanted to get Battlefield anyway then EA Play isn't doing much for you, but it's an option for those less certain about BF2042.