Somehow there's never been a Battlefield map set in Sweden until now

Battlefield 2042's third season starts on November 22 and will bring with it the usual new stuff: a new specialist, new guns, and a new map. I was mildly surprised to learn that the map, called Spearhead, will be the first official Battlefield map set in Sweden, where lead Battlefield developer DICE is based.

Looking back, I guess none of the past Battlefield conflicts had a great reason to venture into Sweden. The country was ostensibly neutral during WW1 and WW2, and Battlefield's fictional modern conflicts have centered on the US, China, and Russia. There's no Sweden vs Canada subplot or anything.

Sweden's entry to the world of near future Battlefield conflict features a pair of high-tech factories that have been plonked down in the wilderness. It's featured heavily in the trailer embedded above.

Battlefield 2042 Season 3: Escalation will also include a couple of the launch map reworks DICE has been releasing in response to player criticism. Sometime mid-season, Manifest and Breakaway will be replaced with redesigned versions which, among other things, increase the amount of cover available for infantry. The Breakaway rework looks pretty dramatic, bringing the oil rig closer to shore and reshaping the icey cliffs. The Specialist system, which mostly replaced traditional Battlefield classes, will also be revised mid-season to create a more traditional class structure—more details on that here.

Also notable: Battlefield 2042 is coming to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and will be free-to-play for a week after the start of the third season. On Steam, you can play free from December 1-5.

There's more stuff coming in Season 3, including an interesting new tank that can switch to "Siege Mode" to slow down and increase its turret's rate of fire. Head to the Battlefield 2042 official site for the full list of upcoming additions.

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.