Battlefield 3

Overview

Battlefield 3 is a 2011 first-person shooter developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the twelfth installment in the Battlefield series and a sequel to Battlefield 2 (2005). It was released on Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2011. The campaign follows two characters, Henry Blackburn, a U.S. Marine, and Dimitri Mayakovsky, a Spetsnaz GRU operative.

The game combines single player, co-op and multiplayer. It brings back fighter jets, the prone position and 64 player battles on PC, which the Bad Company games had dropped. To suit the lower player count on consoles, the ground area is smaller on Xbox 360 and PS3, though the flying space stays the same. Maps take place in Paris, Tehran and other parts of Iran, Sulaymaniyah in Iraq, New York City, Wake Island, Oman, Kuwait City and the Persian Gulf. Multiplayer has four roles, Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon, and modes that include Conquest, Rush, Squad Deathmatch, Squad Rush and Team Deathmatch. The co-op mode is online only, with no split screen.

The campaign starts in March 2014 with Blackburn's squad in Iraqi Kurdistan, then moves to an Iranian coup and an American invasion. The squad learns that an Iranian paramilitary group has Russian suitcase nukes, and the plot follows the hunt for them across Tehran, Paris and New York.

Development began in 2009 after Battlefield 1943. The game uses the Frostbite 2 engine, which can destroy buildings and scenery and handle dense urban areas, and an animation system called ANT that was already used in EA's sports games. The PC version was the lead platform at first, then the focus shifted to consoles midway through. The Xbox 360 version ships on two discs. An open beta ran from 29 September to 10 October 2011.

It was revealed on 3 February 2011 and released in North America on 25 October 2011, in Australia on 27 October and in Europe on 28 October. New console copies came with an online pass for multiplayer. Five DLC packs followed, Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, Armored Kill, Aftermath and End Game. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions were delisted from their stores on 31 July 2024 and the online servers closed on 7 November 2024.

Reviews were mostly positive. Critics praised the multiplayer and the graphics and were less kind to the campaign and co-op modes. EA said it sold 5 million copies in its first week, its fastest selling game up to then, and 15 million by June 2012. It was the fourth best selling game of 2011 in the United States. The sequel, Battlefield 4, followed in 2013.

Official trailer

Battlefield 3 Launch Trailer (New Gameplay Video), Battlefield. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

BATTLEFIELD 3 | Xbox 360 Gameplay, BenedictPlays. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

First-person shooter

Developer

DICE

Publisher

Electronic Arts

Series

Battlefield

Engine

Frostbite 2

Composers

Johan Skugge, Jukka Rintamäki

Writers

David Goldfarb, Adrian Vershinin

Producers

Aleksander Grøndal, Lo Wallmo

Directors

Tom Keegan

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

Yes

Release dates

Editions

Buy this game

Subscription history

Achievements

Achievements63 (1,600G)

1000G possibleNo

Total

63

Gamerscore

1600

100% time

90 to 120 hours

Difficulty

6 out of 10

Playthroughs for 1000G

2

Playthroughs for 100%

2

1000G without online

No

Online trophies

43

Online note

43 achievements need co-op or multiplayer. The servers closed on 7 November 2024.

DLC has trophies

Yes

1000G includes DLC

No

100% includes DLC

Yes

DLC still for sale

No

DLC note

Five map packs add 25 achievements worth 600G. All need multiplayer, and the packs are no longer sold.

Missable trophies

0

Chapter select fixes a miss

Yes

Separate trophy lists by region

No

Only in a language other than English

No

Languages

English

Online-only version

No

Digital-only

No

Disc-only

No

Players with 1000G

2.1%

Gamerscore, base game

1000

Gamerscore with DLC

1600

Grind

• Rank up in multiplayer
• Ribbons and weapon unlocks

• Not on my watch Protected Chaffin from the soldiers in the street in Operation Swordbreaker 25G 75.17% of players
• Involuntary Euthanasia Killed the 2 soldiers before the building fell on them in Uprising 25G 17.62% of players
• The Professional Completed the street chase in Comrades in under 2 minutes 30 seconds without dying 30G 21.28% of players
• This is the end Failed to prevent the attack 20G Hidden 54.77% of players
• Where are the other two? Found the nuke 20G Hidden 57.78% of players
• Shock Troop Survived the quake 15G Hidden 78.21% of players
• Wanted: Dead or Alive Captured Al Bashir 20G Hidden 50.05% of players
• Army of Darkness Shot out the 4 lights with 4 bullets in Night Shift 30G 23.96% of players
• Practice makes perfect Headshot each of the targets in the gun range in Kaffarov 15G 16.86% of players
• What the hell *are* you? Took a Russian Dog Tag in the forest ambush in Rock And A Hard Place 20G 16.78% of players
• Roadkill Kicked the car and killed the soldiers in Uprising 20G 26.8% of players
• You can be my wingman anytime Completed Going Hunting in a perfect run 30G 6.25% of players
• Scrap Metal Destroyed 6 enemy tanks before reaching the fort in Thunder Run 25G 38.97% of players
• No Escape Captured Kaffarov 30G Hidden 44.08% of players
• Butterfly Took down the jet in one attempt in Rock And A Hard Place 25G 14.27% of players
• Twofor Took down 2 enemies with 1 bullet in Night Shift 15G 49.81% of players
• FlashForward Completed Semper Fidelis 10G Hidden 89.98% of players
• Ooh-rah! Completed the campaign story 30G 43.6% of players
• Between a rock and a hard place Beat Solomon, flawlessly, in The Great Destroyer 15G 38.75% of players
• Semper Fidelis Completed the campaign story on Hard 50G 12.03% of players
• Push On Reached the garage without going into man-down state in Hit and Run 20G Needs online 10.11% of players
• Two-rah! Completed all co-op missions 30G Needs online 17.48% of players
• Lock 'n' Load Unlocked all unique co-op weapons 30G Needs online 15.51% of players
• Car Lover Completed the mission without losing a humvee in Operation Exodus 20G Needs online 17.87% of players
• In the nick of time Disarmed the bomb in under 20 seconds in The Eleventh Hour 20G Needs online 19.33% of players
• Bullseye Saved the hostages without alerting any enemies in Drop 'em Like Liquid 20G Needs online 3.92% of players
• Untouchable Completed the mission without using the fire extinguisher in Fire From The Sky 20G Needs online 28.26% of players
• Army of Two Completed all co-op missions on Hard 50G Needs online 6.48% of players
• Ninjas Reached the VIP without setting off the alarm in Exfiltration 20G Needs online 11.81% of players
• Vehicle Warfare Received all 3 vehicle warfare ribbons 30G Needs online 19.23% of players
• Infantry Efficiency Received all 4 weapon efficiency ribbons 30G Needs online 33.91% of players
• Decorated Received one of each ribbon in the game 50G Needs online 8.41% of players
• It's better than nothing! 3rd MVP in a ranked match 30G Needs online 50.41% of players
• Support Efficiency Received all 4 support efficiency ribbons 30G Needs online 23.83% of players
• Colonel Rank 45 achieved! 50G Needs online 20.73% of players
• 1st Loser 2nd MVP in a ranked match 30G Needs online 47.88% of players
• Most Valuable Player MVP in a ranked match 30G Needs online 43.95% of players
• M.I.A Took your first enemy Dog Tag 20G Needs online 62.03% of players
• Complete Warrior Got a kill with the following weapons in a single life: Assault Rifle, Jet, Tank 30G Needs online 5.74% of players
• Third Tour Got a kill with each of the following vehicles: the BTR-90, DPV and F-35. 20G Needs online 11.12% of players
• Gunslinger Got 10 kills with each of the ten Back to Karkand weapons 20G Needs online 6.36% of players
• Like a Boss Got a kill with the skid loader 30G Needs online 8.41% of players
• Jaws Took a swim in the Oman Hotel swimming pool 20G Needs online 20.49% of players
• Dominator Won a round in Conquest Domination 20G Needs online 17.9% of players
• Deadly tools Without dying, got a kill with a Carbine, Pistol and Rocket Launcher 30G Needs online 12.79% of players
• Grinding the Crack Fell over the edge on Ziba Tower 20G Hidden Needs online 12.74% of players
• Show of Force Got 10 kills with all ten CQ weapons 30G Needs online 7.03% of players
• Man of Calibre Completed a round of Gun Master 20G Needs online 17.33% of players
• Death from above Got one kill with the Gunship 20G Needs online 12.5% of players
• Destroyer Got 10 kills each with Tank destroyers and Mobile Artilleries 30G Needs online 4.66% of players
• Offroad Got one kill with the Quad bike 20G Needs online 8.98% of players
• Superiority Won one round of Tank Superiority 20G Needs online 11.13% of players
• Dropship Destroyed the Gunship 30G Needs online 12.07% of players
• Handyman Unlocked all xbow parts 20G Needs online 6.42% of players
• Bite your finger Found the secret reptile 30G Needs online 8.68% of players
• Home made javelin Destroyed an enemy vehicle using the xbow 20G Needs online 6.11% of players
• Pocket full of death Without dying, got a kill with xbow, primary weapon, and hand grenade 30G Needs online 5.41% of players
• Extreme Hoarder Picked up 50 weapons in Scavenger mode 20G Needs online 9.96% of players
• Transport Pilot Transported a flag carrier in an air vehicle in CTF 30G Needs online 4.93% of players
• Capture The Flag Captured one flag while playing CTF 20G Needs online 9.33% of players
• Its no sidecar Got a kill from the passenger position on a motorcycle 30G Needs online 8.23% of players
• AAs revenge Destroyed an air vehicle using the AA jeeps 20G Needs online 8.69% of players
• Heavy Lifter Killed an enemy after successfully paradropping a vehicle 20G Needs online 7.67% of players

Space and patches

Space neededabout 1.5 GB (optional high resolution texture pack)

Update patchTitle update 5

Mandatory

No

The title updates on record for this game.

DLC

Five map packs followed the game, all for online play: Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, Armored Kill, Aftermath and End Game. The servers closed on 7 November 2024, so the packs no longer work, and they are no longer sold.

Items

Name	Adds
Back to Karkand	Released 13 December 2011. Four maps remade from Battlefield 2 (Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Wake Island, Sharqi Peninsula), three new vehicles and ten new weapons. Free with the Limited Edition. 5 achievements. Sold for US$15.
Close Quarters	Released June 2012. Four infantry maps, ten weapons, HD Destruction and the Conquest Domination mode. 5 achievements.
Armored Kill	Released 11 September 2012. Tanks, ATVs, mobile artillery, vehicle maps and the biggest map in the series. Xbox 360 Premium members first, everyone else from 25 September 2012. 5 achievements.
Aftermath	Released 4 December 2012. New maps and a crossbow with custom scopes and bolts. Xbox 360 Premium members first, everyone else from 18 December 2012. 5 achievements.
End Game	Released 12 March 2013. Final expansion, developed with Visceral Games. Xbox 360 Premium members first, everyone else from 26 March 2013. 5 achievements.

Playable today

Playable offline todayPartly

The campaign plays offline. Co-op and multiplayer ended when the servers closed on 7 November 2024.

Online

Online servers runningNo

Plays offlinePartly

The Xbox 360 and PS3 online servers for Battlefield 3 were shut down on 7 November 2024, so multiplayer and co-op no longer run. The campaign is offline.

Services

Service	Status	Shutdown date
Xbox 360 online multiplayer and co-op servers	closed	2024-11-07

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale	Reviews
Metacritic	Xbox 360	84	100	57

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
IGN	9	10
GameSpot	8.5	10
Eurogamer	8	10
Official Xbox Magazine	9	10
Joystiq	4.5	5

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Director	Tom Keegan
Producer	Aleksander Grøndal
Producer	Lo Wallmo
Writer	David Goldfarb
Writer	Adrian Vershinin
Composer	Johan Skugge
Composer	Jukka Rintamäki

Notes for collectors

• The Xbox 360 version ships on two discs, and the optional high resolution texture pack is on the second one.
• The Xbox 360 list is 63 achievements for 1,600 gamerscore. 38 are in the base game and each of the five DLC packs adds 5. All the DLC ones, the co-op ones and the ranked multiplayer ones need online play, which no longer works.
• New copies carry a single-use online pass for multiplayer. Used copies needed a separately bought pass or a 48 hour trial.
• Back to Karkand came to PS3 a week before Xbox 360, and the later packs reached Premium members first on both consoles.
• Iran banned the sale of the game because of how it shows Iranian locations.
• The Physical Warfare Pack was meant to be a pre-order exclusive. After fans complained, EA made it free to everyone later in 2011.

Credits

Publisher

Electronic Arts

Developer

DICE

Director

Tom Keegan

Released

2011-10-25

Age rating

M (Mature)

Disc ID

45410950

Region

US

Time to beat

about 6 hours

Copies in the shop

• Battlefield 3 (XBOX 360) CA$14.99