Platform comparison

Battlefield 2042: which platform plays it best?

What changes between PC, PS5, Xbox, PS4: resolution, FPS per mode, what each official store publishes and the FPS we measured on PC.

  • 4platforms compared
  • 2,89 €cheapest key, on Xbox
  • 3video comparisons

Quick verdict

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PC takes Battlefield 2042 on DLSS and ray tracing, and on console the choice is sharpness on PS5 or resolution on Series X.

Best graphics experience PC DLSS on quality and the only ray-traced ambient occlusion
Best console experience PS5 cleaner temporal reconstruction and none of Series X's frame time spikes
Best for the money Xbox Series S the steadiest frame rate of the three, at 1260p and lower settings

What PC gives you

It is the only version with ray tracing, applied to ambient occlusion and limited to Nvidia cards. Maxed out with DLSS on quality on an RTX 3080, the image lands above the temporal reconstruction the three consoles rely on.

PS5 against Series X

There are two readings here and both are measured. PS5 applies temporal reconstruction better and looks slightly sharper, while Series X holds a higher resolution scene by scene. On performance, PS5 collects more occasional drops, but the large frame time spikes only show up on Series X.

Series S does the job

Series S outputs 1260p and cuts textures, shadows, vegetation, draw distance and reflection resolution. In exchange it is the steadiest of the three, and in a 128-player shooter that counts for a lot.

The two analyses do not agree: one sees PS5 as sharper thanks to its reconstruction, the other measures more pixels on Series X. These consoles are very close.

Updated 4 Dec 2021

Price on each platform

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Battlefield 2042 on PS5, Xbox Series and PC: graphics comparison

  • PS5 and Series X output 2160p at 60fps with temporal reconstruction; Series S drops to 1260p using the same technique.
  • The PC version is captured with every setting maxed and DLSS on quality with an RTX 3080.
  • PS5 applies temporal reconstruction better and lands a slightly sharper image than Series X, though below PC's DLSS.
  • Ray tracing for ambient occlusion is PC-only and needs an Nvidia card.
  • Series S holds a practically perfect frame rate; PS5 and Series X take occasional drops, more often on PS5.
  • Textures are similar on PS5 and Series X, and PS5 sometimes sits closer to PC; Series S drops texture quality.
  • Series S also cuts shadows, vegetation, draw distance and reflection resolution, while Series X has a slight anisotropic filtering edge over PS5.
  • His conclusion is that the differences between versions are anecdotal and the work is solid on every platform.

Battlefield 2042 on PS5, Series X and Series S: frame rate test

  • The versions tested were 1.000.004 on PS5 and 1.0.71.536 on Xbox Series, using 128-player matches.
  • Very large frame time spikes turn up on Series X and are not found on PS5 or Series S.
  • PS5 and Series X use a dynamic resolution from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, with counts at 1440p being rare.
  • Series S sits between roughly 1440x810 and 2272x1278.
  • Counting the same scene on both consoles, Series X comes out ahead of PS5: 3733x2100 against 3584x2016, 3648x2052 against 3456x1944 and 3342x1880 against 3093x1740.
  • All three consoles use a form of checkerboard rendering to reach those figures.
  • PS5 and Series X improve undergrowth quality and LOD transition distance over Series S.

Battlefield 2042 on PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One S and Xbox One X

  • Testing was done on Update 2 or Update 3 across the four consoles, in 64-player Conquest and Breakthrough.
  • PS4 uses a dynamic resolution from 1600x900 to 1920x1080, and counts at or near 1080p are common.
  • Xbox One S drops further, from 1280x720 to 1920x1080.
  • PS4 Pro runs from 1920x1080 to 3200x1800, though the top figure is rare.
  • Xbox One X reaches 3840x2160 from 2560x1440, and 4K counts are rare too.
  • All four consoles use a form of checkerboard rendering to hit those resolutions.
  • Series X improves on One X with better undergrowth, ground detail and indirect shading, and adds screen-space reflections that One X does not have.

Full platform comparison

Resolution, modes and FPS come from the video analyses above. The rest is published by each platform's official store and by the game's technical sheet on PC. Where nobody publishes the figure we put a dash, not a guess.

Feature PC PS5 Xbox PS4
Output resolution Unlocked2160p2160p on Series X · 1260p on Series S—
Measured resolution on current-gen —Dynamic, 2560x1440 to 3840x2160Same on Series X · 1440x810 to 2272x1278 on Series S—
Measured resolution on last-gen ——1280x720 to 1920x1080 on One S · 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 on One X1600x900 to 1920x1080 on PS4 · 1920x1080 to 3200x1800 on PS4 Pro
Frame rate target Unlocked6060—
Image reconstruction DLSS on qualityTemporal, with checkerboardTemporal, with checkerboardCheckerboard on all four last-gen consoles
Ray tracing Yes, for ambient occlusion, Nvidia cards only———
Frame rate stability —Occasional drops, slightly more frequent than Series XOccasional drops and large frame time spikes on Series X · near perfect on Series S—
Textures ReferenceLevel with Series X, and closer to PC in some scenesLevel with PS5 on Series X · lower on Series S—
Anisotropic filtering —Below Series XSlight edge on Series X · below on Series S—
Shadows —Same setting as Series XSame setting as PS5 on Series X · lower resolution on Series S—
Vegetation —Level with Series X and PCLevel with PS5 on Series X · thinner on Series S—
Draw distance Close to consoleIn line with the restIn line on Series X · slightly shorter on Series S—
Reflections ReferenceAppear lower quality than Series X and PCLower resolution on Series S · no screen-space reflections on One X—

Xbox is the Series X column unless Series S is stated. Resolution, modes, FPS, VRR and download size come from the videos; HDR, ray tracing and PC features from the technical sheet and the official Xbox catalogue.

Frequently asked questions about Battlefield 2042

Which platform does Battlefield 2042 look best on?

PC. It is the only version with ray tracing, though only for ambient occlusion and only on Nvidia hardware, and with DLSS on quality on an RTX 3080 the image sits above the temporal reconstruction used on console.

PS5 or Xbox Series X?

They are very close and each analysis favours a different thing. PS5 reconstructs more cleanly and reads slightly sharper; Series X holds more pixels scene by scene, with counts such as 3733x2100 against PS5's 3584x2016. On stability, PS5 takes more occasional drops while Series X carries large frame time spikes.

How does it run on Xbox Series S?

It outputs 1260p and lowers textures, shadows, vegetation, draw distance and reflection resolution. In return it is the steadiest of the three, holding a practically perfect frame rate in full matches.

Is it worth it on PS4 or Xbox One?

Only if that is the console you own. PS4 runs between 1600x900 and 1080p, Xbox One S drops to 720p, PS4 Pro reaches 3200x1800 and Xbox One X 4K, all through checkerboard. Last-gen also loses ground detail, undergrowth quality and screen-space reflections.

Are the differences between versions big?

No. Outside Series S the analysis calls them anecdotal: textures, shadows and vegetation are practically identical on PS5, Series X and PC, and what really changes is the final resolution and the reconstruction technique.

Video analysis by El Analista de Bits. The videos play from their own channel. PC data according to PCGamingWiki and our own FPS measurements; Xbox features according to the official Microsoft catalogue.