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DICE has confirmed Battlefield 2042's Hazard Zone maps will be scaled-down versions of the ones available in All-Out Warfare.
Following leaks earlier this year that Battlefield 2042 would include something called Hazard Zone, DICE has confirmed the new mode will be included at launch. The official reveal of Hazard Zone detailed almost everything about what to expect from the new way to play Battlefield. As expected, the mode does appear to have been inspired by Escape From Tarkov.
One of the more interesting points made during Hazard Zone's reveal was that it will make use of the same maps as All-Out Warfare. The reason that has surprised some is because All-Out Warfare's maps are pretty darn big. They have been designed to house 128 players on next-gen consoles and PC, while Hazard Mode will be capped at just 32.
DICE has since confirmed to The Loadout that although the two modes will share the same maps, Hazard Zone's versions will be scaled down. Hazard Zone matches will last 20 minutes each, which means on a full-sized map there would be a very real chance of rival squads not running into each other at all. Making the maps smaller will obviously increase that possibility.
Exactly how much the map size will be reduced, or if certain sections of Battlefield's maps will be used for Hazard Zone hasn't been revealed. The same goes for All-Out Warfare maps on last-gen consoles. The mode's maximum lobby size will be halved on PS4 and Xbox One, and the maps will be made smaller to reflect that. Hazard Zone's lobby size will be capped at 24 players rather than 32 on older consoles.
As for how Hazard Zone works, squads of four will be tasked with gathering data and escaping the area by making it to an extraction point at a certain time in the match. You will obviously have to fight off other squads trying to do the same thing at the same time, and also avoid being caught by NPCs attempting to defend that data. Battlefield 2042 will launch on November 19, 2021, providing it isn't delayed again between now and then.