Highlights

  • Battlefield 2042 had a rocky launch and post-launch updates, but failed to impress fans and critics.
  • Online multiplayer servers for Battlefield 3, 4, and Hardline on PS3 and Xbox 360 will shut down on November 7, 2024.
  • Console gamers can still enjoy multiplayer in Battlefield 4 and Hardline on PS4 and Xbox One, at least.

Sadly for fans of EA's Battlefield franchise, three more games in the series are having their online multiplayer servers shut down on November 7. Battlefield is one of EA's longest-running and most successful franchises. There have been many highly successful Battlefield games released over the years, though the most recent entry in the franchise was mostly panned by fans and critics alike.

Battlefield 2042 had an extremely rough launch, releasing to significant criticism for its technical problems and lack of worthwhile content. Battlefield 2042 failed to reach the heights as its predecessors, and while post-launch updates helped the game reach a better state, many longtime fans have turned to playing the older games instead.

Battlefield 2042 Strike Team promo screenshot, soldiers face-to-face-1
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Instead of playing Battlefield 2042, many franchise fans have stuck with Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V. Others have returned to even older games in the series, like Battlefield 3, 4, and Hardline. Unfortunately, EA has announced that online multiplayer servers for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Battlefield 3, 4, and Hardline will be shut down on November 7, 2024. The offline content in the three games will remain available, but from that point forward, their online multiplayer features will cease to function. Online multiplayer is the main selling point for the games, and so having those shut down will effectively make them pointless for many retro gamers still playing on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Battlefield Multiplayer Servers Shutting Down on November 7

  • Battlefield 3 (PS3/Xbox 360)
  • Battlefield 4 (PS3/Xbox 360)
  • Battlefield: Hardline (PS3/Xbox 360)

The good news is that the PS4 and Xbox One servers for the games are staying online for now, meaning Battlefield 4 and Battlefield: Hardline multiplayer will remain available to console gamers for some time to come. Battlefield 3's multiplayer servers being shut down means console gamers will lose access to the most important features of that particular entry, as it was never ported to PS4 or Xbox One. PC gamers should still be able to play Battlefield 3 multiplayer online after the November 7 shutdown date, at least.

Regardless, longtime Battlefield fans will no doubt be sad to see the online multiplayer servers shuttered for these games, even if the impact is restricted to the PS3 and Xbox 360 crowd. These shutdowns will come roughly one year after other Battlefield games had their multiplayer switched off, with EA doing the same to Battlefield 1943, Battlefield: Bad Company, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on December 8 of last year. Not only did those games have their online servers shut down, but they were also removed from the EA Play library.