Key points
- The GameSpy online server browser has been shut down. See Online play support.
- Official modding tools and a wide selection of mods available, often with bot support for co-op play.
General information
- Battlefield Wiki
- Planet Battlefield
- Steam Community Discussions
Availability
Source |
DRM |
Notes |
Keys |
OS |
Retail |
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SafeDisc v3 DRM[Note 1]. Can be redeemed on Origin through the EA Support. |
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- SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
DLC and expansion packs
Name |
Notes |
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Armored Fury |
Included in the latest patch and the Battlefield 2: Complete Collection. |
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Euro Force |
Included in the latest patch and the Battlefield 2: Complete Collection. |
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Special Forces |
Included in the Battlefield 2: Complete Collection. |
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Version differences
- The disc based version requires a CD-key which has to be typed in when installing. Individual CD keys are required for each expansion.
- Battlefield 2: Complete Collection includes the expansion pack Special Forces, along with two content add-ons, Armored Fury and Euro Forces, included for free in the latest patch. Only one CD key is available for all the expansions.
Essential improvements
Patches
- The Origin and Steam versions are already patched.
- Version 1.41 has to be installed beforehand.
- Removes the disc check DRM and adds widescreen support.
- Includes the Armored Fury and Euro Forces expansions for free.
- Fixes a crash issue when using Alt+Tab ↹ to switch to desktop.
- Includes a new map, fixes bugs and exploits.
Online play support
Download and install the BF2Hub client[3]
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Notes
- Changes done by the client can be reverted at any time.
- Includes fixes for crashes on startup.
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PunkBuster updates
- Support for the anti-cheat software PunkBuster in BF2 has been discontinued by Evenbalance.
Update PunkBuster manually[3]
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- Make sure the PunkBuster service is installed and working properly by using the PunkBuster Service Installer (pbsvc). A reboot is required if it is installed for the first time.
- Download the PunkBuster files for Battlefield 2.
- Extract the contents to
<path-to-game>/pb/ , overwriting any older files.
- Enable PunkBuster in-game in the lower right corner of the server browser.
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Skip intro videos
Game data
In-game general settings.
Configuration file(s) location
Video settings
Template:Video settings
- Included in version 1.5 of Battlefield 2.
Use console command[3]
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- Press ~ and the in-game console will appear.
- Type
Game.LockFps XX where XX is your desired frame rate (e.g. Game.LockFps 0 ).
- Press ↵ Enter to activate the console command and press ~ again to close the console.
Notes
- Has to be repeated each time the game is launched.
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Ambient occlusion (HBAO)
Use Nvidia Inspector tool[4]
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- Download the NVIDIA Inspector Tool.
- Extract the files to any new folder.
- Open
nvidiaprofileinspector.exe .
- From the drop down list next to Profiles select
Battlefield 2 .
- Select the
Ambient Occlusion compatibility line.
- Set
SettingValue to 0x00000003 (Fallout 3) from the drop down menu.
Notes
- This tweak might not work with the previous 1.4 patch.
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Input settings
In-game general control settings.
Template:Input settings
Audio settings
Template:Audio settings
Surround sound
- Creative X-Fi cards support surround sound by selecting Creative X-Fi as audio renderer in the in-game audio settings.[3]
Replace OpenAL files[5]
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- Launch the game and set the audio renderer to Hardware.
- Go to
<path-to-game> and create a backup of the file BF2OpenAL.dll .
- Install OpenAL.
- Copy the file
OpenAL32.dll from %WINDIR%\SysWOW64\ (when using a 64-bit OS) or %WINDIR%\System32\ (32-bit OS) to <path-to-game> and rename it to BF2OpenAL.dll .
- Download and extract OpenAL Soft to a temporary directory and copy the file
soft_oal.dll from inside bin\Win32\ to <path-to-game> .
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Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
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Dutch |
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French |
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German |
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Italian |
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Japanese |
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Traditional Chinese |
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Korean |
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Polish |
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Spanish |
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Swedish |
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Thai |
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Network
- Servers can optionally use PunkBuster anti-cheat protection.
Multiplayer types
Connection types
Ports
Protocol |
Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
TCP |
80,1024-1124,4711,27900,29900,29901 |
UDP |
1024-1124,1500-4999,16567,27900,27901,28910,29900,55123-55125 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
VR support
In-game Novint Falcon settings.
Issues fixed
- TweakGuides has created a comprehensive guide for fixing issues in this game.
Newer version already installed
Can't find install folder
Patch 1.41 won't install ("Can't find install folder")[8]
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- Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Electronic Arts\EA Games\Battlefield 2\ .
- Create a new string by right clicking in the folder and select New > String Value, label this string
InstallDir .
- Right-Click, Modify the string, and in the Data Value field, input the installation folder (e.g.
G:\Battlefield 2 ).
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Game crashes often
Disable desktop composition[9]
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- Right-click
bf2.exe .
- Click options > compatibility tab.
- Run the game with Disable Desktop Composition.
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Set CPU affinity[10]
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- If you are using a multi-core CPU, try running the game on a single CPU core.
- Go into the process list in Task Manager.
- Find
bf2.exe .
- Right click, select "set affinity," and choose one of the cores.
- This shortcut will also do it for you.
[Target: %WINDIR%\System32\cmd.exe /C start /affinity 1 C:\Program" "Files\EA" "GAMES\Battlefield" "2\BF2.exe +restart] [Start In: "C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2"].
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X-Fi related sound issues
- On Windows 7 x64 systems with a Creative X-Fi sound card, severe audio corruption or crashes may occur when running under X-Fi Audio Mode and Ultra sound quality.
Reduce sound quality to high or change it to hardware mode[11]
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Invalid CDKey
- Some people get kicked from every game with an "Invalid CDKey" message. This also happens with the Steam version, where your key is bound to be correct anyway.
- There's a thread on the Steam forums containing some fixes for this. To manually resolve this issue, see this guide from EA.
Black terrain and/or models, objects, black spots on map, other visual graphics issues
- Certain graphics card drivers cause visual issues with the game. [12][13].
Set "Terrain" quality to low[14]
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Download updated shader ".fx" files[14]
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- Download a new "shaders_client.zip".
- Go to
<path-to-game>\mods\bf2\ , make a backup of shaders_client.zip and replace it with the downloaded file.
- Delete the cache folder in
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Battlefield 2\mods\bf2\ . This will force Battlefield 2 to recompile the shaders.
Notes
- Applying this fix will not allow you to play on PunkBuster protected servers anymore.
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Connecting to account server takes a long time
Delete server history[3]
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- Go to the configuration file(s) location.
- Open
General.con with an editor like Notepad.
- Delete all lines starting with
GeneralSettings.addServerHistory .
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Other information
API
Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
Direct3D |
9 |
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Shader Model support |
2 |
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Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
Windows |
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Middleware
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Middleware |
Notes |
Audio |
OpenAL, Speex |
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Cutscenes |
Bink Video, Swiff Player |
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Multiplayer |
GameSpy, PunkBuster |
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Automatic login
Use the Command line argument +playerName YourName +playerPassword YourPassword [15]
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Notes
- It might be necessary to log-in at least once.
- The command and login data is case-sensitive.
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Mods
Forgotten Hope 2 is an award-winning World War II mod for Battlefield 2, covering all aspects of land, air and sea combat, with a focus on realism and historic accuracy.
Project Reality reworks Battlefield 2 to create the most realistic and demanding virtual combat environment for PC gamers possible.
AIX aims to deliver an amazing array of content which is 100% bot compatible for use in single player and coop game modes.
Sandbox is a mod that lets you use the BF2 engine to build structures, set up racetracks, ramps, and much much more. This is all done from an easy Command Rose interface in-game.
Based on the Vietnam war, it features a variety of weapons, over 40 brand new vehicles and diverse maps ranging from dense jungles to overgrown rice paddies.
System requirements
Windows |
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Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
XP | |
Processor (CPU) |
AMD Athlon XP equivalent Intel Pentium 4 1.7 GHz |
AMD Athlon XP equivalent Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz |
System memory (RAM) |
512 MB |
1 GB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
2.3 GB | |
Video card (GPU) |
Nvidia GeForce FX 5700 ATI Radeon 9500 128 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0b compatible
| Nvidia GeForce FX 5700 ATI Radeon 9500 256 MB of VRAM |
Notes
- ↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[1] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[2]
References