Battlefield 2042 has been trending recently after a sharp increase in its player count.
The numbers look impressive on the surface, with tens of thousands logging back in daily and Steam charts showing some of the highest peaks in years.
To someone glancing at the stats, it might look like 2042 has finally redeemed itself after its rocky launch.
But when you take a closer look, much of this “revival” starts to look more like smoke and mirrors.
Is Battlefield 6 the Real Reason Behind the Spike?
The biggest factor driving this spike isn’t newfound love for 2042 itself, but the incentives tied to Battlefield 6.
EA and DICE designed a special pass that lets players earn cosmetics and rewards now, which they’ll later be able to carry into the new game.
Put simply, people aren’t coming back for 2042 out of loyalty or hype. They’re grinding so they can head into Battlefield 6 with gear already unlocked.
The promise of free rewards has always been a powerful motivator, and this time it has pushed 2042’s player count to heights it hasn’t seen in years.
Why Are AFK Farms Taking Over?
The catch, however, is that many of those players aren’t really “playing” the game at all.
Instead, they’ve turned to Portal mode, which has become overrun with custom servers explicitly built for AFK farming.
These lobbies are filled with players standing motionless while the system slowly dishes out XP.
The demand for such servers has grown so much that the cap on available Portal slots has been maxed out, making it harder for anyone who actually wants to host a proper match.
Players even vent about how little fun they’re having, openly admitting they’re only here for the Battlefield 6 rewards.
Some complain that the grind is unbearable, with later tiers of the pass requiring absurd amounts of XP, turning the event into what feels like a second job.
Others poke fun at how people would rather leave their PCs running overnight in idle servers than actually spend time playing matches.
And when players hop into these farming lobbies, griefing and team-kills usually follow.
Haven’t Things Improved Since Launch?
That’s not to say 2042 hasn’t improved since its launch.
Over the last two years, DICE has reintroduced class-like roles, balanced weapons, and rolled out new maps that make the game more enjoyable than it was at release.
But despite those changes, the reputation 2042 earned early on still weighs heavily on it.
The fact that so many players see the game as something to “suffer through” rather than enjoy says a lot about how deep that stigma runs.
So is Battlefield 2042 really making a comeback? Technically, yes—its numbers are better than they’ve been in ages.
But the numbers alone don’t capture what’s going on—it’s less a real revival and more a short-lived spike driven by FOMO.
Players want the shiny skins and bonuses waiting for them in Battlefield 6, not a chance to rediscover the fun of 2042.
When Battlefield 6 finally arrives, it’s likely that most of these returning players will abandon 2042 just as quickly as they came back.
At the end of the day, the so-called revival looks more like a mirage.
The player count may be up, but the spirit of the game is still weighed down by AFK farms, grind-heavy passes, and a community that treats 2042 as nothing more than a waiting room for the real Battlefield experience to begin.
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