Battlefield 5 Firestorm gameplay was finally revealed officially yesterday, as developer DICE and publisher EA showed off real footage from the title's upcoming battle royale mode. Although it certainly takes its cues from competitors like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Apex Legends, though, the showcase also demonstrated a few of the qualities meant to set the mode apart as Battlefield 5 attempts to carve out a niche for itself in one of gaming's fastest-growing genres.

After a number of unofficial leaks began spoiling what was coming, it's about time that Battlefield 5 Firestorm gameplay was officially unveiled by the companies behind its development. The previous leaks had indicated that Firestorm would be a departure from entirely traditional battle royale convention, which promptly lead to speculation about what that might mean. The most prominent and exciting element of the leaks was certainly a focus on using vehicles for combat, and DICE didn't let players down in that regard, as the new trailer definitely focuses on vehicular strategy as a selling point.

The Battlefield 5 Firestorm gameplay trailer revealed most of what fans need to know to make up their minds about giving the game's newest mode a shot. There will be drops into the arena, the circle of fire that surrounds it will shrink and restrict map size as time goes on, players will loot gear of various quality from downed opponents or locations on the map, and there will also be in-game objectives to complete for rewards. Many of these elements are familiar to fans of the battle royale genre, but that's for good reason: they're a staple of what people have come to expect, and make the game mode an easier transition for those willing to give it a shot while also making it more palatable as an endeavor for a company in EA that has seen its stock drop significantly lately.


The elements that separate Battlefield 5 Firestorm gameplay from its competitors are definitely the most exciting parts of the reveal, though. As previously stated by dataminers who had leaked parts of the game's code, Firestorm will place a heavy emphasis on vehicles. There will be 17 different vehicles in total, including a prototype helicopter, an amphibious Schwimmwagen, a tractor, and, of course, tanks, although the latter will be difficult to acquire initially since they drastically skew the balance of battle. Players will also have a pistol to defend themselves with when they're knocked down, meaning that there's an element of risk involved in finishing off an opponent.

Those features will do a lot to help establish Battlefield 5 Firestorm gameplay as a unique entrant into the realm of battle royale titles. The game mode will only have one map called Halvoy, but it's also ten times bigger than the the Hamana map in regular Battlefield 5, so it's not like it lacks in size. The mode will launch in a few short days on March 25, and it will be available for free for those who already own Battlefield 5. Whether or not it can make a dent in a market that's already so well-establish is uncertain, but at the very least, it's attempting to do something new-ish, which should at least tempt those interested to give it a try.