BattleBit is a 254 player, low poly FPS coming for Battlefield’s crown

BattleBit Remastered aims to pick up the crown that Battlefield 2042 has seemingly dropped as its developer runs a series of public, free-to-play stress tests for the low-poly, massively multiplayer FPS game. Putting function over form, BattleBit Remastered aims to emphasise that gameplay is king in the competitive FPS genre – and, given that many top players in games like Modern Warfare 2, CS:GO, and Overwatch 2 crank their settings down to minimum for optimal performance, perhaps they’re right.

BattleBit Remastered offers numerous modes across several maps, with matches ranging from tight 8v8 encounters up to 254-player warzones. Intriguingly, the team says that map layouts have the potential to adjust to the current numbers of players in a server – so if there aren’t quite as many people as expected, you should still see plenty of action.

Much like the Battlefield games it clearly draws inspiration from, players are separated out into small squads with a designated squad leader, and can choose which class to play as from a list of Assault, Medic, Engineer, Support, and Recon. Each class comes with their own unique gadgets, in addition to the “more than 35 weapons” currently on offer to customise your loadout. You can also hop in a range of vehicles to get into the action quickly, and environments are almost fully destructible, allowing you to shape the battlefield with some explosive play.

As mentioned previously, there are currently regular stress tests being run for BattleBit Remastered. The last took place on November 19 and we took the opportunity to see how the game is coming on. It’s certainly incredibly hectic, but it’s undeniably got that same general rhythm that you’ve come to know and love from games such as Battlefield – which may well be enough to spark joy in a year where EA is hoping that Battlefield 2042 season 3 can reinvigorate a player base that has been returning to Battlefield 1 rather than playing the latest entry.

We’d of course be remiss if we didn’t take this opportunity to recall the PS3’s MAG – Massive Action Game – which offered 256-player battles. Back then, however, the fights were divided up significantly more to help keep things under control. BattleBit Remastered seems to be embracing the chaos whole-heartedly – but, from what we’ve seen so far, it appears to be doing rather a good job of it. Watch out, Battlefield.

BattleBit Remastered is planned to release on Steam Early Access in Spring 2023. You can sign up now to take part in the free multiplayer stress tests – the next one at the time of writing is scheduled to take place on December 3.

We’ve taken a look at the new Battlefield 2042 map Spearhead, set in the Swedish countryside and offering tighter terrain that’s ideal for smaller matches of Breakthrough or Conquest. We’ve also got plenty more of the best multiplayer games on PC for you, as well as more of the best indie games if you want to try something a little more niche.