Battlefield 2042 Review: 6 Ups & 6 Downs

5. Breakthrough Is A Standout Mode

I’ve been a Conquest man through and through for most of my Battlefield career, but call me an out-of-date meme because my head has well and truly been turned by 2042’s rendition of Breakthrough.

For those unaware, this sees an attacking team attempt to take sectors from defenders by capturing a handful of flags in a specific section of a map. If the sector is taken, the teams move to the next sector of the map to capture the flags there, and so forth until finally reaching the defenders’ HQ.

Unlike Conquest, the immediacy of this mode in 2042 makes for an unrelenting experience, as teams throw themselves at each other in focused environments. With that many players in such a small area - and a mix of infantry and vehicular combat - you’re constantly experiencing spectacular, player-driven set pieces.

Coming over a hill with tens of players and a couple of tanks offers the kind of fist-pumping energy this series captures so well, and this mode constantly delivers on those trailer-level moments where firefights are happening all around you, while explosions rain down from the sky.

Balance issues hamper the consistency of this mode (more on that later), but overall Breakthrough gameplay is an impressive, next-gen-feeling feat.