Halo Infinite and Battlefield 2042 are probably the two biggest shooters coming this year. But which of the two games will take the title of best shooter 2021? Tarek Zehrer, a freelance author at MeinMMO, believes that Halo Infinite will win the battle.
This year, there’s finally some real competition in the shooter space. With Halo Infinite and Battlefield 2042, two heavyweights are coming. However, while Battlefield is generating a lot of hype, Halo Infinite has also been making its mark.
At E3 2021, there was new information about both shooters, and quite a bit of it. After looking at pretty much everything and writing extensive overviews about Halo Infinite and Battlefield 2042, I now believe: Halo Infinite could be the best shooter this year, even ahead of Battlefield.
Why the comparison? I am aware that both are completely different shooter franchises. However, regardless of that, both are competing against each other due to their release timelines. Both will be released at the end of 2021.
Halo 4 and Battlefield 3 are also among my absolute favorite shooters and were the last multiplayer shooters I actively played over several years. The release of Halo 4 was now a good 9 years ago, and Battlefield 3 even 10.
Of course, all of this also depends on personal preferences. However, there are some things that Halo has over Battlefield for me as a lover of both franchises.
Halo is suitable for every type of player
Here’s why Halo is interesting for various players: Halo is the type of shooter that is easy to learn but hard to master. You can learn the basics relatively quickly and play some fun matches whenever you want.
However, those looking for greater challenges will find them as well. Halo can be played both casually and in ranked modes against tougher opponents. The various modes also offer something for every taste.
- There is a game mode called Big Team Battle that takes place with larger groups on larger maps.
- There are various arena modes that confront you with your opponents in tighter spaces.
- SWAT requires your precise handling of weapons.
- The Forge is for those who enjoy creating their own maps.
- For newcomers, Halo Infinite now has an extensive Academy mode that introduces you to the mechanics of the game.
In Battlefield, the expectations for new players are already considerably higher. Here, coordination with the team on large maps, clear role distribution, and other strategic factors are more important. This may have been more crucial in older titles than today.
Nevertheless, it remains part of the gameplay. While you will now also be able to practice with bots in Battlefield 2042, it remains to be seen whether it will be as extensive as Halo Infinite’s Academy mode.
As it stands now, the game modes will be less varied than in Halo. That may not be a bad thing if one enjoys the Battlefield principle. However, for those who want outlandish game modes, the Halo multiplayer is likely to serve them better.
This is already due to the setting: Halo is a sci-fi shooter while Battlefield has a more realistic approach and doesn’t venture far into the future. Thus, Halo has significantly more freedom while the competitor is predominantly bound by physical laws and the current technological state.
Halo Infinite offers crossplay and the same content on old and new Xbox consoles
What does that mean? Halo Infinite will be released on both the Xbox Series X|S and the Xbox One, meaning it will be available on both the new and old Xbox consoles. Aside from graphics and FPS, there will be no differences in content.
Additionally, there will be crossplay between all platforms on which Halo Infinite will be released, i.e., between PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox Cloud.
While Battlefield will also be available on older consoles, it will also have significant differences. Instead of 64vs64 player matches, there will be a maximum of 32vs32 players. Additionally, the maps will be significantly smaller.
A tradition in Halo is the splitscreen mode for four players, which allowed for couch co-op and multiplayer matches. This was sorely missed in Halo 5: Guardians, but the popular mode is returning in Halo Infinite. While there is no splitscreen on PC, you can still play your matches locally in LAN parties.
Battlefield 2042 traditionally does not offer splitscreen; as of now, local multiplayer is not included in the game. Whether there will be crossplay is still unknown. If a crossplay feature makes it into the game, it will likely only work between Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.
Halo Infinite will be Free2Play
What Halo does differently than Battlefield: The multiplayer part of Halo Infinite will be completely free to play; only the campaign costs the usual full price. If you are interested in the story, you can either buy it separately or download it through Xbox Game Pass.
Thus, anyone who wants to dive into the multiplayer battles can simply get started. This is new for shooters of this magnitude; only CoD Warzone has pioneered this approach. And that focuses on battle royale, while the typical CoD multiplayer is only included in CoD Cold War – a full-price title.
Halo Infinite, on the other hand, will make its entire extensive multiplayer offering freely accessible to everyone. This, of course, includes numerous maps and many game modes, just as Halo veterans already know.
On Xbox Series X|S and One, this also likely means that not even a Gold membership will be required. Because just in April 2021, Microsoft made over 50 free-to-play titles such as Fortnite available even for non-subscribers.
This is how Battlefield 2042 does it: As usual, you will have to purchase the latest installment of the Battlefield series at full price. This was expected in advance, but now stands in competition with a free-to-play Halo and the also free CoD Warzone.
Clearly, the scope of Battlefield may theoretically justify this, and those who cannot connect with the other two shooters will naturally turn to Battlefield. However, particularly new players will first check out the free alternatives before committing to a full-price game.
This leads me directly to the next point: post-launch content.
Halo Infinite follows a smarter model post-release
Here’s the plan for Halo Infinite post-release: Halo Infinite will offer a season model with new content and battle passes. A battle pass has both a free and a paid path.
This is already known from other games like CoD Warzone or Fortnite, but there is one big difference:
- If you purchase a season’s battle pass, it does not automatically disappear once it expires.
- They remain permanent, and you can complete the challenges of these battle passes anytime you like.
- The content is purely cosmetic; no boosts or other items will be available for purchase.
- It is currently unknown how much a battle pass will cost.
Besides that, each season brings new updates and content for all players who have not invested money. The model has been well received by fans, even Destiny fans are enviously looking at the Halo multiplayer.
This is how Battlefield 2042 does it: Despite the full-price model, Battlefield 2042 also relies on seasons and battle passes. So far, four have been announced, and the price per battle pass is not known.
There will be a free and a paid path here as well. All maps that come after release will be free.
This could probably not immediately be deemed unfair since we simply know too little about the content that will come after the release of both games. It is also common practice in games like Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Still, based on what we currently know, it is a drawback: While the Halo multiplayer is free, you will have to pay full price for Battlefield, plus the purchase price for the battle passes.
Battlefield 2042 is falling behind in recent years’ developments
This is why Halo Infinite pursues a smarter strategy: It seems that Halo developer 343 has been closely watching the shooter market for the past six years since Halo 5 and has established a corresponding strategy.
In times when free-to-play games like Fortnite and CoD Warzone are incredibly successful, it seems a bit outdated to release a multiplayer shooter at full price. In contrast to Battlefield 2042, Halo Infinite could at least have used the story campaign as an argument – still, they decided to separate multiplayer and campaign.
A very clever move, as it allows for better organization of resources. Moreover, with the F2P model, which also offers crossplay on PC, Cloud, and Xbox consoles, they are likely to attract significantly more players to Halo Infinite than has ever been the case with any Halo before.
Those who don’t want to bother with the campaign and only want to play multiplayer will no longer have to spend money on the package. Conversely, those who want to play both won’t have to pay double and may already have the Game Pass, thus being able to access the campaign anyway.
This whole model, combined with fair battle passes and the promising seasons, seems well thought out and promising.
Battlefield 2042, on the other hand, seems to have missed the leap into today’s time. Instead, they are sticking to a full-price model, with a battle pass, seasons, and this time without a story campaign. I’m not entirely alone in this opinion; even shooter experts like Shroud and Dr. Disrespect have expressed skepticism about it.
The latter may seem rather positive for many players, as the last campaign was not received so well. Still, the question remains: Will Battlefield 2042 hold its ground against competing shooters like Warzone or Halo Infinite?
With the pricing model, new players will likely think twice about which shooter to try out. Regardless of the quality of both games and how much the shooters differ, I believe that Halo Infinite could seize the shooter throne with its strategy in 2021.
It’s not that important who takes the crown
This is why it’s not that important: I personally am glad that there is finally some movement on the big multiplayer shooter front. In the end, it doesn’t matter so much whether Halo or Battlefield becomes the best shooter this year. What I find more important is that there is finally variety beyond battle royale and Call Of Duty.
Halo still holds a special place among my favorite shooters with its gunplay, setting, arena battles, sandbox gameplay in Big Team Battle, and the weapons and gadgets scattered across the maps.
The feeling of controlling a Spartan, a super-soldier; pulling off daring maneuvers; taking down an opponent from a crazy angle with a plasma grenade — I’m really looking forward to finally getting back into the action! And all of this for free! So far, what 343 Industries has shown me is definitely making me excited for more.
Battlefield caters to a different direction, representing material battles, destruction, and huge maps where I can also have fun/struggle with the helicopter or jet controls. And of course, I’m also looking forward to dueling with enemy snipers from about 1 km away, or crashing tanks into buildings.
Both shooter franchises have not been so strong lately but could potentially return to their former glory. Therefore, I already look forward to both titles as soon as they are released.
When do the two shooters actually release? Battlefield 2042 has a specific release date of October 22.
So far, we only know that Halo Infinite should be released in “Holiday 2021”, meaning at the end of the year. A further delay is unlikely according to 343, and the targeted release window is expected to be secure.
What do you think? Are you excited for Halo and Battlefield? Or do both shooter franchises leave you cold? Discuss with us in the comments!
