Battlefield 2042 was not a highly regarded entry in the Battlefield series, but the 2021 game is seeing a new boost in players recently, and it has to do with Battlefield 6.Numbers on SteamDB show that Battlefield 2042 recently reached the highest peak concurrent-player numbers since 2023--reaching about 75,000 players on August 24. The game's all-time peak was 107,376, which was achieved in October 2023. At launch, in 2021, the game peaked at about 105,000.What's prompting this latest surge in players? No doubt it's the Road to Battlefield 6 update, which added a reimagining of the fan-favorite Iwo Jima map and dozens of rewards redeemable in Battlefield 6. The promotion runs through October 7, so players have plenty of time to unlock everything.Battlefield 2042 had a challenging launch in 2021, with the game beset by numerous issues. EA steadily updated and improved the experience over time, and supported it with multiple seasonal updates. People also complained about the game being multiplayer-only with no campaign.Battlefield 2042 is steeply discounted right now on Steam, where it's marked down to $3. It's also under $5 on Xbox right now, while PlayStation players can get it through PlayStation Plus Extra. Additionally, Battlefield 2042 is included with EA Play, which is part of Game Pass Ultimate.Battlefield 6 launches on October 10 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, and so far, things are looking promising, with sentiment around the recent open beta coming in pretty positive. The game also features a campaign inspired by the movie Civil War and the TV series Lioness, while a battle royale mode is coming later.