- Image of Battlfield 2042, Courtesy of EA DICE

The Worse Battlefield Game Steam Player Count Hits 74K

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Mollie Dominy | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 9:06 PM ET

Look who’s laughing now! Remember when everyone collectively decided that Battlefield 2042 was gaming’s equivalent of ordering a pizza and getting a cardboard box instead? Yeah, that same game is now flexing harder than a gym bro in January, boasting a player count that would make Call of Duty developers question their life choices.

The Underdog Story Nobody Saw Coming

Okay, calling Battlefield 2042 the “worst” in the franchise isn’t exactly hot gossip at this point. With its whopping 68 on Metacritic (ouch!), it’s been the black sheep of the Battlefield family since launch. But here’s where things get juicy: this supposed failure is now pulling numbers that have Call of Duty sweating bullets.

At the time of writing, BF2042 is sitting pretty with over 60,000 concurrent players on Steam alone, hitting peaks of 74,000 in a 24-hour period. Meanwhile, Call of Duty’s Steam presence? A measly 66,000 peak. That’s right—the game everyone loves to hate is literally outperforming one of gaming’s biggest juggernauts!

Why This Player Count Surge Actually Makes Perfect Sense

Before you start thinking the gaming world has gone completely mad, there’s actually a brilliant strategy behind this resurrection. EA and DICE pulled a move that’s equal parts genius and shameless: they’re bribing players with Battlefield 6 rewards for playing BF2042.

It’s like your mom promising you ice cream if you eat your vegetables, except the vegetables turned out to be surprisingly decent once you actually tried them. The player count explosion isn’t just about freebies—people are genuinely rediscovering what made Battlefield special, even in its most criticized entry.

The Numbers Don’t Lie (But Context Matters)

Image of Call of Duty Black Ops 7, Coutesy of Activision

Now, before Call of Duty fans start crying into their energy drinks, let’s keep it real. These Steam numbers don’t include Battle.net, consoles, or other platforms where COD traditionally dominates. It’s like comparing apples to slightly different apples that happen to live in different grocery stores.

But here’s the thing that should have Activision’s executives raising their eyebrows: this surge represents something bigger than just temporary hype. The player count spike coincided perfectly with the Battlefield 6 open beta, which apparently went so well that fans are willing to revisit the franchise’s most controversial chapter.

What This Means for the Future of Both Franchises

This isn’t just about bragging rights (okay, maybe it’s a little bit about bragging rights). EA just demonstrated something powerful: when you give fans what they want and show genuine commitment to improving, they’ll come back. The player count numbers prove that the Battlefield community never really left—they were just waiting for a reason to believe again.

For Call of Duty? Well, this should serve as a wake-up call. When a game that was universally panned at launch can suddenly outpace your current offerings on a major platform, maybe it’s time to reevaluate what players actually want.

The best part? This whole situation perfectly captures the chaos that we call the gaming industry. One day, you’re the punchline of every gaming forum, the next you’re the dodgeball comeback kid everyone’s talking about (you finally dodged the wrench, congrats!). If that’s not peak gaming drama, I don’t know what is!

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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