Ive played 1,500 hours of Battlefield heres why Battlefield 4 is still the most essential entry in the series

Date:
Sat, 15 Aug 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Description:
Battlefield 6 Season 3 is a love letter to the series' roots I went back to Battlefield 4 to see if it still holds up.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Ive played a lot of
Battlefield. Across the series, Ive spent more than 1,500 hours running and gunning through its virtual combat zones* thats about 0.7 per cent of my entire life.

And as our Battlefield 6 review details, 2025s flagship first-person+ shooter from Battlefield Studios has put the long-running franchise back in the spotlight after an extended off-season. It even beat Call of Duty : Black Ops 7 to become the best-selling FPS game of 2025. However, Battlefield 6 didnt release with a huge amount of content, and not everyone loved the games compact maps, weapon balance, or seasonal update cadence. I myself felt let down by the glacial progression system. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

To its credit, Battlefield Studios announced a roadmap in April 2026, led by
a third season designed to stir nostalgia for Battlefields previous present-day installments, Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 .

Having spent a cool 675 hours in-game, Battlefield 4 is one of my most played titles of all time for comparison, Ive put 135 hours into Battlefield 6
since launch. It seems Battlefield Studios is keen to remind us of the good old days, so when Season 3 came around, I plugged in my PS4 to see how far my favorite shooter series has come. (*675 hours in BF4, 510 hours in BF1, 135 hours in BF6, 50 hours in BFV, and an estimated 200 hours in BF3. Sheesh.)
You may like Black Ops 7 wasnt perfect, but Ill be sad to leave behind the best Call of Duty multiplayer experience in years Modern Warfare 4 director explains the huge mechanical changes shaping the next Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 devs describe the game as 'the biggest' and 'most impressive' Call of Duty they've worked on Back to basics (Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future) With my bipod knife equipped, I was ready to jump into Battlefield 4 but finding a game in 2026 isnt as easy as pressing Quickmatch.

Amazingly, there are still a few official PS4 servers, but theyre always empty. The server browser is the best way to find a game via community servers, which means dealing with smaller map rotations, unofficial rules,
and the occasional power-tripping admin. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Battlefield 6 has the opposite issue a server browser is on the way, but
for now, your only option to find a game is to quickmatch into a lobby full
of randoms. Thats a win for Battlefield 4 ; Ive always enjoyed learning the ebb and flow of a server and its residents over the course of a few matches.

Once I got online, I was genuinely surprised by how the game felt. Its much slower-paced than I remembered; the sliding and vaulting and diving that defines Battlefield 6 s movement system is totally absent, maps are larger
and sparser, and it takes longer to get in and out of combat.

All of this speaks to how Battlefield 4 is designed compared to the infantry-focused corridors and choke points of Battlefield 6, older Battlefield games were built from the ground up as huge clashes between coordinated squads of troops, armored ground vehicles, and air support. What to read next Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is one of the best expansions I've ever played here's why Halo: Campaign Evolved review: this once console-defining shooter still makes an impact Modern Warfare 4 comes with a sprawling extraction shooter Here's how DMZ is more than just an extra mode

Furthermore, certain weapons are class-locked in Battlefield 4 , meaning you cant use, say, a sniper rifle and a rocket launcher at the same time. It asks for a bit more thought in how you approach your in-game role, which makes laying down suppressive fire as a Support class or rushing objectives as an Assault player feel more considered and rewarding.

As I settled in on classic maps like Dawnbreaker and Siege of Shanghai, I found myself choosing fights carefully and wordlessly working with my teammates to take objectives. In contrast, matches in Battlefield 6 can often feel determined by the skill of each teams best individual players. Spice of life Battlefield 4's variety of settings, factions, and weapons keeps the
game feeling fresh, even after hundreds of hours (Image credit: Jamie
Richards / Future) Another thing you notice pretty quickly about Battlefield
4 is just how much stuff the game has to offer.

The Premium edition, which includes all five paid DLC packs released in the year or so after launch, has a total of 33 maps and 107 primary and secondary weapons, more than any other entry in the series.

The differences between each weapon are less noticeable than in future games, but this means that gunfights arent always decided by who happened to pick
the right weapon for a certain engagement distance, or indeed whose split-second reactions were fastest.

And then theres the destruction that Battlefield 4 s maps offer while Battlefield 6 will let you knock through a wall or blow up the odd building, Battlefield 4 s maps come with Levolution gimmicks that range from leveling a skyscraper to flooding the entire map.

Some of these maps are amongst the most creative in the series history the jungle terrain of Guilin Peaks, locked-down streets of Propaganda, and crashing waves of Paracel Storm are as inventive as Battlefield gets.
Fidelity and fiction Battlefield 6's fictional universe is much less compelling than its predecessors'. (Image credit: Electronic Arts)
Battlefield 4 looks pretty good for a game released in 2013. The games art direction shines on maps like Hainan Resort and Giants of Karelia, but its low-poly terrain and flat lighting are getting harder to ignore as time goes on.

Theres no real contest with Battlefield 6 , which is simply one of the best looking games Ive ever played. Season 3s revamp of Battlefield 4 map Golmud Railway is a great example its vibrant fauna and detailed villages provide a great contrast to the carnage.

The way I remember Battlefield 4 looking is the way Battlefield 6 actually looks playing both games in sequence makes it clear just how far weve come graphically in the past decade.

Somehow, Battlefield 6 s campaign kicks it up another notch an early-game paratrooper sequence had my jaw pinned to the floor. From a writing standpoint, though, that campaign is more of a mixed bag, with a noticeable lack of real-world grounding.

Battlefield 4 saw the USA, Russia, and China locked in a tense conflict. The characters in its campaign always felt secondary to the overarching geopolitical threat a smart choice when youve only got a few hours to
develop your story.

As such, Battlefield 4 s online matches gain another layer of emotional investment from its worldbuilding.

In contrast, Battlefield 6 features a vaguely American NATO, and the
fictional Pax Armata private military company engaged in seemingly random skirmishes across the globe, which doesnt have quite the same gravitas. Warfare, modernized Call of Duty has had a huge impact on Battlefield's newer entries, and Modern Warfare 4 could pose some strong competition to the franchise when it releases later this year. (Image credit: Activision) Battlefield 4 is still the quintessential Battlefield experience, the benchmark from which the series future efforts are measured. Despite its slower gameplay and aging visuals, it still offers a rewarding mix of arcade and tactical shooter elements that subsequent entries havent quite matched.

Im still a huge fan of Battlefield 6 s faster, more constrained experience, and Im keeping a keen eye on upcoming seasons, which promise five new maps
and the introduction of naval combat by the end of 2026.

I think its important that Battlefield Studios makes this mix of vehicle and infantry a priority. Theres no denying that the rebooted Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series had a massive impact on the series latest entry, and with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 set to land later this year, Battlefield would be best served by updates that emphasise its difference from Activisions
champion franchise.

If youve yet to experience Battlefield 4 , Id suggest picking it up as soon
as possible the multiplayer servers for spin-off Battlefield Hardline shut down on 22 June, and while Battlefield 4 is still supported, theres no
knowing when that could change.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/ive-played-1-500-hours-of-battlefield-heres-w hy-battlefield-4-is-still-the-most-essential-entry-in-the-series


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