Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 is a first-person shooter from DICE that combines modern military operations with large vehicle battles. The game includes a story-driven single-player campaign, cooperative missions and competitive multiplayer matches. The Frostbite 2 engine enables destructible parts of the environment and combines infantry combat with tanks, helicopters and fighter jets.

Battlefield 3 was released in Germany on Oct 28, 2011 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In North America, sales began as early as Oct 25, 2011. The later release on Steam is another distribution form of the PC version and not a separate game.

Battlefield 3 was originally released for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PC version is available through the EA app and Steam. Xbox One or Xbox Series compatibility is not a separate native version; a dedicated PS4 or PS5 version of the original Battlefield 3 was also not released.

Infantry, vehicles and teamwork interlock in Battlefield 3. Players fight from a first-person perspective, use cover, switch between weapons and equipment, and take on mission objectives or strategic points depending on the mode. Tanks, helicopters and jets affect battles just as much as combat on foot.

Five major expansions add to Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand with reworked classics, Close Quarters with urban combat, Armored Kill with large vehicle maps, Aftermath with war-torn locations, and End Game. Battlefield 3 Premium bundles this content and other extras. The Premium Edition is a package of the base game and additional content, not a standalone sequel.

The original minimum requirements call for a dual-core processor at around 2 GHz, 2 GB RAM, a DirectX 10 compatible graphics card and 20 GB storage. Recommended are a quad-core processor, 4 GB RAM and a DirectX 11 graphics card such as the GeForce GTX 560. These figures come from the original Windows version; current launchers may require a newer operating system.

The single-player campaign tells an international military conflict from several perspectives. Missions include operations with US Marines in the Middle East, while Russian agent Dmitri Mayakovsky works to stop a looming attack in Paris. The missions switch between infantry, tank and other scripted operations.

Battlefield 3 combines large maps with infantry squads and vehicles. Conquest and Rush reward coordinated advances, securing objectives and teamwork in a squad. New weapons, attachments and other equipment are unlocked as you progress. The PC version is separate from the discontinued online service on the old consoles.

Four classes cover different roles: Assault soldiers heal and support allies, Engineers fight and repair vehicles, Support soldiers supply ammunition, and Recon soldiers spot the terrain from a distance. The classes differ in weapons, gadgets and their importance to the team.

Tanks, armoured vehicles, transport and attack helicopters, and jets are a key part of many battles. Crew and infantry must work together to protect vehicles against rockets and enemy air strikes. The Armored Kill expansion focuses especially on large-scale vehicle combat.

The Frostbite 2 engine lets parts of buildings and cover be damaged by explosions and gunfire. This changes lines of fire and safe positions during a match. The game combines this technology with lighting, animations and spatial sound effects.

Alongside the campaign, Battlefield 3 offers standalone co-op missions for two players. These missions are separate from competitive multiplayer and require coordinated play. On PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the former online co-op has not been available since the online services were shut down.

The original release includes nine multiplayer maps. Later expansions added, among other things, remastered locations from Battlefield 2 and additional maps with close-quarters urban combat or especially large vehicle battles. Content from expansions is not automatically part of every edition.

Online features for Battlefield 3 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were shut down on Nov 7, 2024. Digital sales of these two console versions had already ended on Jul 31, 2024. The single-player campaign remains playable on these devices. The PC version was not affected by this specific shutdown.

Battlefield 3 supports German alongside English, French, Spanish, Italian and other languages. The exact selection depends on the distribution platform and the specific edition.