Is Battlefield 2042 Worth Playing on PS4 in 2024?

In its continued disappointing state over a year post-launch, I cannot recommend Battlefield 2042 to most PlayStation 4 owners seeking a quality first-person shooter experience. Severe technical compromises undermine gameplay, while an unimpressive live service model shows little care for the veteran Battlefield fanbase.

However, at a heavily discounted price, Battlefield 2042‘s basic sandbox fundamentals may provide some simple enjoyment for players willing to overlook its profound flaws in optimization, design, and content.

Release Woes: An Unoptimized Disaster at Launch

Battlefield 2042‘s launch state on PS4 in late 2021 could be described as nothing short of a disaster, with clear signs thedated hardware was not able to properly run DICE‘s ambitious vision.

The game notoriously crashed frequently – either failing to load matches properly or losing connection during gameplay. Unplayable frame rate drops below 30 FPS plagued intense scenes of high player density. Bullets seemingly disappeared, while movement inputs felt delayed and unresponsive.

After months of patches, Battlefield 2042 has certainly become more stable and optimized on PS4, but still falls short of a smooth 60 FPS target. Multiplayer matches average around 45-50 FPS by Digital Foundry‘s analysis, with frequent screen tearing.

Comparatively, other multiplayer FPS titles on PlayStation 4 like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Battlefield V manage to consistently hit 60 FPS benchmarks with solid stability.

Key Takeaway

• Severely unoptimized performance leads to an objectively worse gameplay experience filled with disruptive hitches, screen tearing, and input delay.

Stripped Down, Less Epic Battlefield Gameplay

Perhaps an even bigger issue than shaky technical execution – Battlefield 2042 on PS4 lacks the large-scale intensity the series built its reputation upon. PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC enjoy expanded 128 player battles.

Yet outdated PS4 hardware limitations shrink Battlefield‘s signature conquests down to just 64 players – forcing smaller map sizes that lose the intended sense of all-out war. Developer DICE cited positional audio struggles and visibility issues in their reasoning.

With 33% fewer combatants, matches emphasize random lone wolf shootouts over tactical squad-based teamwork. Combined arms warfare seems diminished without air and ground vehicles colliding in the shrunken space. Key differentiators like levolution events also lose their spectacular impact.

Longtime Battlefield fans regard the loss of the hectic frontline pushes as stripping away the heart and soul of the multiplayer experience. This leaves behind merely a hollow shell of standard online first-person shooter gameplay lacking in distinctive personality without proper fan service on PS4.

Key Takeaway

• Avoiding the technical shortcomings still leaves a product lacking the distinctive Battlefield magic feeling on PS4 many remembered so fondly from the series’ legacy.

Unfulfilled Live Service Promises Destroy Remaining Goodwill

DICE‘s post-launch content support and updates for Battlefield 2042 have failed to meaningfully improve public perception or player retention numbers since its heavily criticized reception at launch.

The introductions of simple quality-of-life features like a proper scoreboard dragging out until June 2022 symbolized the turmoil and mismanagement behind the scenes.

The above visualization outlines DICE‘s originally touted live service model:

Compared to the output seen by year‘s end, nearly all content plans outright collapsed as 2042 player counts dwindled. Seasons 3 and 4 seem cancelled entirely with the game now set to receive undefined sporadic updates.

This abandonment reeks of publisher EA cutting losses on 2042 to shift priorities elsewhere once monetization forecasts appeared unprofitable. Veterans used to continuous Battlefield support feel rightfully frustrated by the unfulfilled promises.

Key Takeaway

• The live service model feels more an excuse to ship an unfinished product, with no real incentive for DICE to deliver on roadmapped content once sales momentum stalled shortly after launch.

Cheaper Cost of Entry Could Allow Simplistic Enjoyment

For all its stability woes, stripped back gameplay, and abandoned support – Battlefield 2042 arguably still delivers functional large-scale combined arms warfare for the current cut-rate asking price around $20.

The core sandbox fundamentals primarily remain intact, allowing some mindless FPS run-and-gun enjoyment akin to an early access experience. Players mainly seeking uncomplicated action over tactical depth may find enough value to justify the discounted cost.

Custom Portal modes open up additional possibilities for silly fun. The added flexibility lets you tailor simpler game variants like infantry-only Team Deathmatch more suited to smaller PS4 player counts.

So costing mere pence per hour of entertainment time, Battlefield 2042 on PS4 can offer casual enjoyment for those with low expectations going in. But far better shooters exist for those desiring polish and depth.

Key Takeaway

• The pure ingredients for basic Battlefield enjoyment survive, allowing budget-conscious fans to mindlessly enjoy the franchise’s large-scale combat freedom at a low entry point cost if they set expectations accordingly. But optimization issues persistently drag down engagement.

Vastly Superior PlayStation 4 Shooters Exist

While potentially scratching a large-scale warfare itch for some on a budget, Battlefield 2042 pales mightily in direct comparison to other PlayStation 4 multiplayer FPS alternatives releasing far more engaging, content-rich experiences.

Titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Battlefield V simply outclass Battlefield 2042 on PS4 by massive margins in production polish, stability, gameplay innovation, and long-term support commitment.

COD MWII retains a vibrant community engagement with over 2 million concurrent players, while Battlefield V sees 4-5x the continued retention of 2042. Their sustained populations speak to hitting the mark where BF2042 clearly missed.

Quite frankly, 2042 offers nothing compelling enough over past titles or competitors to recommend playing on PS4 when better optimized and supported options exist for the platform.

Key Takeaway

• Other industry leading FPS titles significantly outshine Battlefield 2042 on PS4 in nearly all facets of design, delivery, and post-launch support.

The Verdict: Difficult To Recommend Playing on PS4

I cannot endorse Battlefield 2042 as a satisfying PS4 experience for most gamers given a woeful lack of proper hardware optimization seriously affecting engagement. Combined with stripped back gameplay altering核心 series tenets and unfulfilled content promises – there‘s little incentive to play over superior alternatives.

However, for existing fans of Battlefield‘s fundamentals who manage expectations accordingly, the game delivers enough of the franchise‘s large-scale multiplayer vehicle chaos at a budget price point to potentially merit some simplistic enjoyment.

So in summary:

• Severe technical issues hamper enjoyment significantly
• Core gameplay alterations partly undermine what makes Battlefield special
• The current cut-rate cost may allow simplistic run-and-gun enjoyment for some

I score Battlefield 2042 a 5/10 on PlayStation 4 in its disappointing state as of 2023. Consider your affinity for the franchise carefully before purchase. Vastly better optimized military shooters exist unless you must scratch that large-scale combined warfare itch.

Let me know your thoughts on if BF2042 seems worth playing on PS4 down in the comments! I‘m happy to discuss further.