Despite what its name suggests, Global Warming doesn't lead to a rise in sea levels. Instead, the polar ice caps expand, rapidly covering half the planet beneath a giant glacier. Instead of coming together to combat the problem, factions of humanity unify to battle one another for the remaining habitable space and resources. Welcome to the future of war, Battlefield 2142 style.

The game mechanics of 2142 are so similar to Battlefield 2 that it might be confused with a very elaborate mod. Controls are practically identical, so it's shouldn't be a problem for BF2 players to jump right into combat. Uniforms have been updated to reflect the future military powers. The EU represent western powers like Europe and the United States (or whatever they might be in frigid 2142), while the PAC are a conglomerate of Russian and Asian forces. There is no third faction this time. Difference between the two teams are generally superficial, with slightly higher damage from EU assault rifles and faster firing rates for the PAC guns. For the most part, the factions are mirror images of each other except with different art, and teammates crying out in Russian when playing for the PAC.

What catapults the Battlefield series into the future are the unlockables, earned through different feats during online play. Just like in Battlefield 2, players have a chance to earn equipment by racking up kills (extra bonuses for knifing an opponent) and rising in rank. This could lead to anything from more powerful guns to active camouflage that will make you practically invisible. All the familiar roles are found again in 2142. Kits include the main Assault infantry, Recon snipers, anti-armor Engineers who can repair damaged vehicles, and Support soldiers who carry the extra heavy firepower. There are no medical units in the future. Instead, the Assault kits will allow players to use the defibrillator to wake critically wounded players up. Furthermore, they can throw packs onto the ground that will quickly recover hit points for all players standing nearby. It's a one-use item, but it's rare to find a player who ends up missing it for very long. Similarly, Support soldiers can toss packs down to re-arm their allies.

Built-in voice-over-ip communications makes a come back in 2142, along with the squad-based mechanics from Battlefield 2. Commanders get a global view of the combat zone, and they may issue commands, drop supplies, reveal enemy movements, or call down devastating area attacks like the Orbital Strike.