Steam issues refunds for Battlefield 2042 as player count plummets

Sam Comrie
An image of Battlefield 2042 and the steam logo.

Battlefield 2042’s downward spiral continues, leading Steam to break its own rules and provide frustrated fans with a full refund. 

The launch of Battlefield 2024 was incredibly troubled, as months of ill-fated rumors came to fruition. Lacking vital features that were intended to enhance the game, players are now dropping EA DICE’s latest installment completely in favor of older titles.

To add salt to the wound, online games retailer Steam appears to be breaking its own policies to make peace with upset players.

player pointing gun at sky in battlefield 2042
Battlefield 2042 appears to have fallen into the same bad habits as recent entries in the franchise.

Steam breaks their policy for Battlefield 2042

Steam will allow users to apply for a refund for a recently purchased game, within the parameters of their policy requirements. While having purchased the game within 14 days and less than two hours of gameplay are normally fundamental requirements, Steam is bending its own rules to appease disgruntled Battlefield 2042 fans.

The Battlefield 2042 player count continues to drastically plummet, reaching a brutal low of under 9,000 players. November saw a player peak of 100,00 but it has dropped in vast increments over the remainder of 2021 into 2022.

“PlayStation won’t refund. Lucky PC players” said Redditor Dangerous-Case9544. The move is incredibly bizarre for Steam, but players are seeing it as a sign of Battlefield 2042’s failure: “The fact that STEAM ITSELF had to bend its policy from how poor this game did, shows just how badly they did.”

“I’m really bothered I can’t get a refund. Haven’t played the game since November, man. What a f****** disappointment” added Redditor NaughtyNaughtyMod.

Battlefield 2042 isn’t fairing well when it comes to user reviews either, as the game continues to be slammed by players. With over 80,00 reviews live on Steam, the critical consensus has seen a “mostly negative” rating applied to the game.

“You don’t care anymore and have milked enough out of what was originally a classic game that we would all spend 100s of hours on,” said Steam user MattyCamps in his scathing review.

The future remains uncertain for Battlefield 2042’s redemption.

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About The Author

Sam Comrie is a former Dexerto journalist based in South Yorkshire, UK. He has an MA in Multimedia Journalism and joined Dexerto in 2021 after producing content for NME and Red Bull Gaming.