Fan project brings Battlefield 1943 to PC for the first time

A PC version that never shipped

Electronic Arts and developer DICE released Battlefield 1943 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 17 years ago. A PC version was planned but never reached the market, and EA shut down the console servers in 2023.

A fan project called Battlefield 1943 Reborn now makes the multiplayer shooter playable natively on PC for the first time. According to GameZone.de, it uses a static recompilation of the Xbox 360 version's code rather than classic emulation.

The public alpha is available to download now. It includes its own server infrastructure for multiplayer matches.

What the alpha includes

All four maps from the original release are present. Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Wake Island offer classic conquest battles, while Coral Sea focuses on air combat.

Each server supports up to 24 players. The project includes a server browser and automatic matchmaking.

The fan developers also added support for mouse and keyboard alongside controllers. Graphics options include 4K resolution, higher frame rates, an adjustable field of view and improved lighting.

The catch: you need the original game

The alpha is free, but it does not contain the original game data. Players must own a copy of the Xbox 360 version of Battlefield 1943 to play; the PS3 version does not work.

GameZone.de notes that this is an early alpha. Crashes, technical errors and bugs are possible, and player statistics may be reset.