Battlefield V

Battlefield V brought the series back to World War II and aimed for a rawer, less flashy portrayal of the conflict than earlier entries offered. The War Stories campaign continued the concept from the previous entry with several shorter stories, this time focused on lesser-known episodes of World War II, while multiplayer again offered large maps with infantry, tanks, and aircraft, and a new Grand Operations mode simulating the front's advance across several days of fighting. The game also introduced the Companies system, letting players customize the look and loadout of individual military specializations and vehicles throughout their career.

On the Frostbite engine, the game once again excelled with destructible environments and dynamic weather, complemented by an emphasis on physically accurate projectile behavior and the ability to build makeshift fortifications and trenches directly in combat, giving players greater control over defending positions. The sound design remained a traditional strength of the series, with an emphasis on authentic period weapon and vehicle sounds. However, the game was criticized at launch for a lack of content in the first months and for the absence of a battle royale mode, which was added only later under the name Firestorm and played out on a large standalone map for dozens of players.

Initial reception was more mixed than for the previous entry - the game was dogged by discussions about the pace of post-launch support, even though its content grew significantly over the following years. Over time, the community's rating improved as developers added further fronts and content. Today, Battlefield V is seen as a solid, if not flawless, entry in the series, praised especially for its atmosphere and battlefield sound design, and later updates added a Pacific theater with further fronts and vehicles, gradually bringing the game closer to the scope players had expected from a major Battlefield title at launch.

Why play it: For patient players willing to wait for the game to gradually gain further fronts and content - today it offers a solid battlefield strong on atmosphere and sound, even though its launch was mixed.