10th Anniversary: Download and play Battlefield 1942 for free!

11.05.12 [DICE] H Brun | 83 comments

Thank you Battlefield fans! In celebration of the ten year anniversary of the Battlefield series and Battlefield 3™ Premium surpassing 2 million members, we give you Battlefield 1942™.

We are very happy and proud to be able to give you Battlefield 1942, the game that started it all. Now available for free* on Origin as a digital download for the first time, everyone will be able to download and play this original PC game that helped define DICE and the multiplayer shooter genre.

Karl Magnus Troedsson, Vice President and General Manager of DICE, has a message to all of our fans:

“Since the beginning, the reception to the Battlefield series has been incredible thanks to our amazing fans. Every day, we strive to provide our community with great games and new ways to play as evident with Battlefield 3 Premium. We wanted to thank our fans who have supported us throughout the years with a chance to go back and play the game that started it all.”

If you have any questions on this release of Battlefield 1942, check the FAQ below.

To further commemorate the 10th anniversary of Battlefield, we are releasing a rare compilation of concept artwork from the development of Battlefield 1942. This electronic art booklet contains a number of concepts showing visual and gameplay targets that the DICE team had more than ten years ago when they set out to create the game of their dreams. Just click here to download it, but be prepared for a hefty download – it’s all in 1920×1080 and weighs in at over 150 megabytes.

We are truly grateful for our fans and the support you have shown us through the years. Now let’s honor the heritage by once more joining the original Battlefield!

If you missed our series of retrospectives and other anniversary features celebrating the history of Battlefield, check out these earlier blog posts.

Battlefield 1942 Origin Digital Download FAQ
Q: Is it really free?
A: Yes! To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Battlefield 1942, we are offering this full game at no cost. We want everyone to be able to see where it all started.

Q: When is it available on Origin?
A: It’s live now under the free games and demos section! Head to this URL to download it: http://origin.com/demos

Q: Is this a remake of Battlefield 1942?
A: No. This is the original game Battlefield 1942, for the first time available as a digital download on Origin.

Q: Does this free digital download version include an of the expansion packs originally released for Battlefield 1942 (The Road to Rome and Secret Weapons of WWII)?
A: No.

Q: Can I play online against players who have the original disc-based version?
A: Unfortunately, no. This Origin digital download version can only be played against other players who are using the same version. But since it’s free for everyone, everyone can download their own copy of the game. This version of the game will only show applicable (new) servers in the server browser.

Q: What are the differences between this version and the original disc-based version of Battlefield 1942?
A: No practical differences. We have done some under the hood work to make this game from 2002 work as a digital download title on Origin.

Q: Can I run a server for the game?
A: Yes, you can easily run a server from the front end menu within the game client. This server will be visible to all other players via the server browser.

Q: Can I run a dedicated server for the game?
A: Yes, you can run a dedicated server by running the file “DedicatedServer.exe”. It is located in the folder where you installed Battlefield 1942 through Origin. This will present you with all available settings, maps and modes for you to customize before pressing the button “launch server”. This server will be visible to all other players via the server browser.

Q: Do you have official servers set up?
A: We are setting up new servers specifically for this release of the game. You should find them by searching for the phrase “EA PUBLIC”.

Q: I have problems connecting to online games
A: Please note that a sudden surge of players into Battlefield 1942 may make online play temporarily unstable. If this happens, please try again later.

Q: Can I use this version of the game together with old Battlefield 1942 mods?
A: This is officially untested and we cannot guarantee any mod functionality. Sporadic testing leads us to believe that Desert Combat 0.7 works, as well as Eve of Destruction 2.5. For more discussion on popular mods, head to the new Battlelog forums we have set up specifically for this release of Battlefield 1942. Please share your findings on which mods work and which do not.

Q: Will I need to manually patch this version of the game?
A: No. This version includes any updates needed. If we were to update this version of the game in the future (this is not likely), we will do so via Origin.

Q: I have a question that is not answered here. Where do I go?
A: Please note that while we are proud to present this game to all of our fans after 10 years, we are not able to actively support it from a customer support standpoint. Tailoring this disc based game to work as a digital download title has been a labor of love from us at DICE, and we are very proud to be able to offer this classic to everyone for free.

However, we are not able to support it the same way we are supporting Battlefield 3 and its expansion packs. We are hoping that those who find Battlefield 1942 interesting will have patience with any issues they experience and that they will help each other on the EA Answer HQ at http://answers.ea.com/.

We are also opening up a new forum section on Battlelog where you can discuss Battlefield 1942 and specifically this Origin release of the game.

* Conditions apply; please visit http://www.battlefield.com/battlefield-1942 for complete details.