Star Wars Battlefront is an action game played from either a first-person or third-person view; players can switch views whenever desired, similar to previous games, except when controlling "hero" characters or their personal guards.[7] Players traverse planets from the original Star Wars trilogy, such as Endor, Hoth, Tatooine, Bespin, and Sullust, as well as the planet of Jakku introduced in the sequel trilogy. To navigate the game's various maps, players use a variety of vehicles, including both air and land-based vehicles, such as speeder bikes and AT-STs, which can be unlocked during every match by finding tokens that spawn randomly across the map.[8] Battles are planet-based, restricting players from exploring space. The only maps that are space-based were added through DLC, namely in the "Death Star" pack (released in September 2016), which included the titular Death Star, and the "Rogue One" pack (released in December 2016 and based on the movie of the same name), which included Scarif. The game's weapons, characters, gear, and abilities are customizable.[9] As new weapons are unlocked, players have the ability to share them with their teammates.[8] Battlefront does not feature iron sights apart from one blaster, but allows players to zoom in for better accuracy.[10]
The game lets players choose whether to control a Rebel Alliance soldier or an Imperial Stormtrooper. Players can also assume the role of iconic characters from the Star Wars films, which serve as "heroes" and, similarly to vehicles, are unlocked during every match by finding specific tokens across the map. At launch, the hero roster included Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Emperor Palpatine, Leia Organa, and Boba Fett, with Nien Nunb, Greedo, Lando Calrissian, Dengar, Bossk, Chewbacca, Jyn Erso, and Orson Krennic being added later through DLC.[11][12] Non-playable characters such as C-3PO, Admiral Ackbar, and Jabba the Hutt also make minor appearances in the game.[13] The game includes cooperative missions, which can be played offline, but excludes a campaign mode. Players can complete the missions both independently and with bots or another player; the game supports split screen on consoles.[14] The game's online multiplayer mode supports up to 40 players in one match and consists of 16 multiplayer maps. These maps feature five locations from the Star Wars universe: Hoth, Tatooine, Endor, Sullust, and Jakku, with three more locations added through different DLCs: Cloud City on Bespin, the Death Star, and Scarif.[15][16]