Battlefield 5's Lockdown Double XP Saga: A 2026 Look Back

Back on March 30, 2020, I was one of millions of gamers stuck at home, staring at a Battlefield 5 menu and wondering why DICE wouldn't just flip the switch on a double-XP weekend. The world was in self-quarantine because of the coronavirus pandemic, and titles like Rocket League were pulling players back in droves. I was grinding Battlefield 5, but the weekly Reddit news update had no double-XP or community events listed. A fan named Beta1548 asked the developers exactly what I was thinking: why no events while "everybody is locked down at home"? Community Manager Jeff Braddock answered. He said "the tech isn't there" to create double-XP events in Battlefield 5, but the team was looking into possible options.

That answer hit the community like a stray grenade. 🎮 I remember reading it and thinking, "No double XP? That's a kick in the teeth." But Braddock didn't stop there. He said he "totally agrees" community events are necessary in these trying times. The developers had something planned for the end of March that did not work properly and was currently being tested. They were also discussing the addition of more playlists and login rewards. For a game that had recently added tank customization, that would have been a real boon.

Here's the scoreboard from that moment:

What players wanted	What DICE said
Double XP	"The tech isn't there"
Community events	Totally agree, but a planned event failed and is being tested
More playlists	Under discussion
Login rewards	Under discussion

Meanwhile, the gaming industry moved to use its large platform to make a difference. Humble Bundle released a COVID-19 bundle that donated all its proceeds to charity. Battlefield 5 was available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. EA also confirmed Battlefield 6 for PS5 and Xbox Series X. In 2026, that confirmation is old news: Battlefield 6 has since arrived on PS5 and Xbox Series X, and live-service expectations are through the roof. But back then, a simple double-XP event felt like a lifeline.

From my first-person view, I checked Reddit every week, hoping for a login reward or a playlist I could sink my teeth into. The phrase "the tech isn't there" became a running joke in our squad. We'd say it when someone asked for a revive: "Sorry, buddy, the tech isn't there." 😂 It was funny because it was true. Battlefield 5's backend wasn't built for easy global XP multipliers. DICE was candid about that. The honesty was both frustrating and refreshing.

Also related was Battlefield 5 reversing time to kill changes. That whole saga showed DICE was listening, even if slowly. The TTK drama had players up in arms, and the reversal was a peace offering. Then came tank customization, which gave vehicle players more to chew on. But double XP? No dice. The community wanted a reason to keep logging in during lockdown, and DICE was scrambling to build one with duct tape and a prayer.

In 2026, I look at modern Battlefield and other shooters, and I see seasonal battle passes, login bonuses, and double-XP weekends as standard. The tech is definitely there now. But in 2020, during a global lockdown, the lack of those features felt like a missed layup. Braddock said they were testing something that didn't work properly. I appreciate that they didn't ship broken events just to check a box. Still, as a player, I wanted something—anything—to make the quarantine grind feel less lonely.

The pandemic changed gaming forever. Rocket League saw droves of returning players. Humble Bundle turned a bundle into charity. Battlefield 5, for all its flaws, was a place where my friends and I could squad up when we couldn't meet in person. The double-XP saga wasn't a big news story, but it was a small window into how live-service games struggled to pivot during a crisis. Some studios moved fast. Others, like DICE, hit a wall.

Now, in 2026, Battlefield 5 is a legacy title. Battlefield 6 is on PS5 and Xbox Series X. If I load BF5 today, I still remember that Reddit thread. Beta1548 asked a simple question. Jeff Braddock gave a simple answer. "The tech isn't there." It wasn't the answer we wanted, but it was the truth. And sometimes, in a lockdown, the truth is all you've got—along with a good squad, a few rounds of conquest, and the hope that maybe, just maybe, double XP will drop next week. 🪖