Battlefield Hardline is a developed by and published by . It was released in March 2015 for , , , and . Unlike the previous games in the , Hardline focuses on crime, heist and policing elements instead of military warfare.
Upon release, the game received a mixed critical reception, with critics praising the game's multiplayer mode, accessibility and voice acting, while criticizing the game's plot, stealth and narrative. It is the final Battlefield game to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. It was also the last game to be developed by Visceral Games before the company shut down in 2017.
The focus of the game is the "", breaking away from the military setting that characterized the series. As such, the main factions in Hardline are the police and . Players have access to various military-grade weapons and vehicles, such as the , as well as having police equipment such as and .
Hardline also uses the "Levolution" mechanic from . For example, in the map "Downtown" players can send a crashing into the building, ripping down debris from the central buildings in downtown, which falls down on the streets of Los Angeles. This time, every map features multiple Levolution events, both small and large.
Many new game modes are featured in Hardline, including "Heist", "Rescue", "Hotwire", "Blood Money", and "Crosshair" Mode
