Best Battlefield games ranked: is Bad Company 2 number one?

My top 10 Battlefield games, counted from the bottom of the list to the top, end with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at number one. It's my pick for the best game in the franchise. DICE's Battlefield series has been running since the early 2000s, and it has gone through many different styles and tweaks to its formula over the years.

With any long running franchise, people want to debate which game is the best and which is the worst. That's especially true of Battlefield, so I've done my best to narrow it down. This was not an easy list to construct.

Battlefield 4 lands at number 10 despite its disastrous launch

Kicking off the list is Battlefield 4 (2013). This placement may upset some people, but hear me out. Unfortunately, the game is mostly remembered for its disastrous launch. After things were patched up, it finally got to where it was supposed to be in the first place. From there it easily deserved a place on this list, or at least a mention.

Battlefield 4 didn't introduce many new things to the series. Instead, it was a very good version of existing elements. Nearly everything people loved about previous Battlefield games was there in full force. It's a shame the game had such a terrible start, because in the state it reached after those fixes, it's a very good game.

Battlefield 2142 jumped the gun on the science fiction shooter

At number 9 is Battlefield 2142, released in 2006 for PC and Mac OS X. It jumped the gun on the science fiction FPS subgenre that later got huge. The game took place during an ice age, in what it called the cold war of the 22nd century. The EU and a rival faction battled over the land that hadn't been frozen or destroyed by an environmental disaster.

The game featured Battlefield's signature large scale combat and added futuristic vehicles like hovercrafts and walkers. I know many of us were burned out on the whole multiplayer science fiction shooter feel. Even so, I thought it would be cool to see DICE make a sequel within a few years. Maybe when people wanted to get back on the futuristic bandwagon, DICE could pop off a Battlefield 2142 and a half. I don't know.

Battlefield 1943 is a smaller game, and DICE made that work

At number 8 is Battlefield 1943, released in 2009 for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network store. It's a much smaller game than other Battlefield games, in variety and in the size of the game itself. That's definitely not a bad thing, because DICE made the change work in its favor. You play as either the US Marine Corps or the Imperial Japanese Navy in 12 versus 12 battles on one of four maps.

Battlefield 1943 also offered three classes for players to choose from, as opposed to the wider variety in other games in the franchise. Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, considering how much smaller it is than the other Battlefield titles. Battlefield 1943 became the best selling digital game on both Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network soon after release.

As a discount Battlefield game, it was definitely a good way to capitalize on the multiplayer FPS craze going on at the time. It sits toward the bottom of the list because there wasn't much content in it.

Battlefield Vietnam stayed close to Battlefield 1942, and that wasn't a bad thing

At number 7 is Battlefield Vietnam, released in 2004 for PC. It was the follow up to Battlefield 1942, and it shifted the setting to the Vietnam War. The maps were all based on specific battles of the war, such as Operation Flaming Dart, the Battle of Hue and the Fall of Saigon, and many more.

On release, Battlefield Vietnam was criticized a little for being very close to Battlefield 1942 in mechanics and maps. That's not too much of a bad thing, given how good that game was. Developers have to find a fine line. If you have a successful original launch, you have to follow it up with a part two. You also have to capture what made the first one successful while still making it innovative. Walking that tightrope isn't easy.

The servers were shut down in May 2014, so unfortunately you can't play it anymore. It still deserves a spot on the list.

Battlefield: Bad Company changed the established formula

At number 6 is Battlefield: Bad Company. The first Bad Company game was a very ambitious entry in the Battlefield franchise, because it seemingly changed everything in the established formula. It was developed for consoles instead of PC. It also focused more on the single player campaign than on multiplayer, although the multiplayer was still great.

The campaign was very comedy focused, and it was surprisingly funny. No one was expecting that from the serious tone of Battlefield games. The game also amped up the destructibility of its multiplayer maps. That contributed to the Battlefield formula people know now, since the series is known for how destructible its maps are.

If you like good FPS campaigns, you should definitely give Battlefield: Bad Company a try. "I promise you will love the storyline of this game."

Battlefield 1942 took everybody by surprise with its size

Opening the top five is Battlefield 1942, the first game in the franchise. It took everybody by surprise with its enormous size and the unique gameplay elements in its multiplayer. When it came out, 64 player lobbies were a very new concept. On top of that, the huge maps had tons of vehicles to make gameplay even more dynamic and make every match unique.

Battlefield 1942 was such a big success, financially and critically, that it got rave reviews and earned over 27 million dollars by 2006. At the time I made this ranking, the community for the game was still alive and well. Plenty of players love keeping this classic alive and up to date with all types of new mods, which is very good to see.

Battlefield 2 brought modern weaponry and made Battlefield a triple A franchise

At number 4 is Battlefield 2, the third game in the franchise. It came out in 2005, and by then the series had competition in the form of Call of Duty and Medal of Honor. Battlefield 2 was the first game in the series to feature modern weaponry and a console release, as Battlefield had been PC exclusive up to that point.

Battlefield 2 definitely didn't disappoint. It was met with critical acclaim and fantastic sales, thanks to how it blended the large scale battles of the previous games with elements of tactical shooters. It forced people to work together and communicate in order to succeed. The console version was a little less well received, but it still got solid reviews and great sales, solidifying Battlefield as a triple A franchise.

Battlefield 3 is one of the most polished games in the series

At number 3 is Battlefield 3, the long awaited sequel to Battlefield 2. It launched in October 2011 on all platforms and was met with widespread acclaim, selling over 5 million copies in its first week on shelves. Following up the Bad Company series was a hard task. After finishing those two titles, DICE went back to the main series.

Battlefield 3 returned to huge maps and large scale combat. It had 64 player lobbies and vehicles like fighter jets and tanks, on top of the normal weaponry and equipment. It also had a very solid campaign that put players in various roles in the US military, giving you a more in depth way to experience large scale combat. "I would say it's one of the most polished all-around titles out of the Battlefield franchise that we've ever seen."

Battlefield 1 went back to World War I and stood out for it

At number 2 is Battlefield 1. EA and DICE started to realize that people were getting burned out on futuristic shooters. They decided to go way back to the First World War, and the result quickly became one of the most popular games of the year.

Battlefield 1 was extremely fun, largely because it was so unique compared with other games on the market. How many World War I shooters do you know of, let alone ones this good? It had a great campaign showing major battles of the war and a massive multiplayer mode. Players got historical weapons and vehicles, and DICE put a fresh twist on existing Battlefield game modes and play styles. It's one of the most beautiful Battlefield games to date.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is the best game in the franchise

At number one is Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Following up the first Bad Company game wasn't going to be easy, but DICE pulled it off. It ended up making what many consider to be the best Battlefield game to date. Bad Company 2 launched on March 2, 2010, to critical acclaim.

That acclaim came from how it amped up just about every aspect of the first game, which was already over the top in its own right. The game also looked amazing, thanks to its graphical upgrade and engine update. The great story, the engaging multiplayer, and some of the best and most destructible maps in Battlefield history made Bad Company 2, in my opinion and many others', the best game in the franchise.