Battlefield 2042 has had a rocky launch. Despite having a strong initial release, questions regarding certain design elements and polish have led to mixed feelings regarding the online multiplayer shooter. The release of Battlefield 2042's Rush mode has helped create some positivity surrounding the game with its fast-paced action. However, Rush was always intended to be a limited-time offering and now that time has reached its end. Battlefield 2042 has removed the official Rush playlist.
Rush has been included in the game for so long that many were beginning to believe Rush would remain a permanent fixture in Battlefield 2042. That's obviously now incorrect, with DICE finally pulling the plug on the limited-time mode. It's now been replaced with Gunmaster and Free-for-all game modes which will also only be available for a limited time. That hasn't stopped Battlefield 2042 players from asking for Rush back.
To be fair to DICE, there is a Rush mode still available in Battlefield 2042, it's just not the standard Rush or the generation-spanning Rush of Ages modes that have previously been available. Instead, a Battlefield Bad Company 2 version of Rush is currently featured in Battlefield 2042's Portal browser and will remain so for some time. Battlefield 2042 community manager Kevin Johnson even confirms that Rush of Ages is certain to return in the future.
In other words, it very much sounds like DICE is working around its plans to deliver what Battlefield 2042 wants while still doing what it wants, too. A version of Rush mode is available, even if it's not the ones players prefer, and Battlefield 2042 gets other temporary modes, too.
That raises the question as to why certain Battlefield 2042 players and portions of the community are so angry at EA DICE. The answer isn't simple. Part of it is that Battlefield 2042 didn't meet expectations, it's clear. But a bigger part of it appears to be a cycle of discontent within the Battlefield 2042 community, where vocally unhappy players both refuse to quit and yet criticize every addition or change made by DICE. The game's subreddit may even be shut down due to its leadership condemning hostility within the community.
There's no easy solution to the problem at hand. While Rush is a focus of the moment, it's just a temporary issue. Rush is still available and will be back in different forms going forward, after all. At this point, all DICE can do is continue trying to make Battlefield 2042 as good as it can be as it envisions it and that players that aren't caught in a cycle of discontent will enjoy it for what it is.
Battlefield 2042 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.