What it is
Star Wars: Battlefront II is Pandemic Studios’ large-scale shooter sequel, released for Xbox in the UK on Monday, 31 October 2005. It turns the series’ cinematic ground battles into a broader package with playable Jedi and Sith, space combat, a story-led campaign, local multiplayer and a substantial selection of skirmish modes. The Xbox version remains available digitally on modern Xbox hardware through backward compatibility, although its original online service is no longer officially supported.
- UK release
- 31 October 2005
- Platforms
- Xbox; playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility
- Developer
- Pandemic Studios
- Publisher
- LucasArts
- UK price
- £8.99 digital on Xbox Store
- PEGI
- 12
- Genre
- Shooter
- Online mode
- Yes — original Xbox had Xbox Live multiplayer; current Xbox One/Series version is local-only
- Local multiplayer
- 2–4 players with shared or split-screen play
Story and setting
The Rise of the Empire campaign follows the 501st Legion, beginning with the final battles of the Clone Wars and carrying through Order 66, the fall of the Republic and the Empire’s early campaigns. Its clone-trooper narration gives the game a stronger sense of continuity than its predecessor, while still allowing the action to move between familiar film events and battles seen from the ground level.
The campaign covers locations including Geonosis, Mygeeto, Coruscant, Felucia, Kashyyyk, Utapau and Mustafar. It is not a character-driven adventure in the modern sense, but it provides a useful thread through the game’s large catalogue of battles and explains the transition from Republic clone to Imperial stormtrooper.
How it plays
Battlefront II is a first- and third-person shooter built around objective-based battles. You choose from different soldier classes, capture command posts, manage reinforcements and make use of vehicles ranging from AT-STs and tanks to speeder bikes and starfighters. Heroes and villains can also enter the fight, letting you briefly play as characters such as Yoda, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, Luke Skywalker and Boba Fett.
The major addition over the 2004 game is space combat. Dogfights take place around capital ships, and successful pilots can land inside enemy vessels to attack them on foot. Galactic Conquest adds a strategic layer across a campaign map, while Instant Action lets you set up individual battles with customisable rules. Split-screen multiplayer supports two to four people on one console, making the Xbox version particularly well suited to local sessions.
What was added after launch
LucasArts expanded the Xbox version with downloadable content. The first free package added Hero Assault to Kashyyyk, while the later expansion introduced Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress, four maps from the original Battlefront and further Hero Assault locations. The added maps are Yavin 4: Arena, Bespin: Cloud City, Rhen Var Harbor and Rhen Var Citadel.
Those extras were originally distributed through Xbox Live, with the larger pack sold as premium content in 2006. Microsoft later made the expansion available free to owners of the backward-compatible Xbox version through a 2019 content update. That is the most important modern addition to the Xbox release, rather than a new campaign or a remaster.
Platforms, price and performance
The original release was on Xbox, with the same version now playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility. The Microsoft Store listing marks it as Xbox One X Enhanced, so it receives a higher-resolution presentation on compatible hardware while retaining the original game’s assets and mechanics. It remains a 2005 production, however, and there is no modern control overhaul, rebuilt animation system or contemporary matchmaking layer.
The UK Xbox Store lists the digital version at a standard price of £8.99. There is no current pre-order or launch edition to consider, and physical copies are now second-hand purchases. The listing carries a PEGI 12 rating and advertises local multiplayer and shared or split-screen play. Online play was part of the original Xbox release, but Xbox Live services for backward-compatible Original Xbox games are not available, so the supported modern experience is offline.
Reception and verdict
The critical response was positive overall, although it was not unanimous. The Xbox version holds an 83 Metascore on Metacritic, while GameSpot awarded it 8.1 out of 10 and Official UK Xbox Magazine gave it 9 out of 10. Reviewers generally praised the amount of content, the inclusion of space battles and the appeal of controlling Star Wars heroes, while criticisms centred on familiar AI and design rough edges inherited from the first game.
In 2026, Battlefront II’s age is obvious in its shooting, presentation and mission structure, but its breadth still gives it a clear identity. The campaign is worthwhile, the Galactic Conquest and Instant Action modes remain useful offline options, and the Xbox backward-compatible release includes the old expansion content. It is best approached as a generous early-2000s console shooter rather than a modern online service game.
Star Wars: Battlefront II: your questions
Is Star Wars: Battlefront II the 2005 or 2017 game?
This page covers the 2005 game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts. It is separate from DICE and Electronic Arts’ 2017 Star Wars Battlefront II.
Can you play the 2005 Battlefront II on Xbox Series X or Series S?
Yes. The Xbox Store version is backward compatible with Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and it is marked as Xbox One X Enhanced.
Does the 2005 Battlefront II still have online multiplayer?
The original Xbox release included Xbox Live multiplayer, but Microsoft does not provide Xbox Live services for Original Xbox games in backward compatibility. On current Xbox consoles, the official version is therefore limited to offline play and local multiplayer.
Does the Xbox version include Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress?
Yes. The backward-compatible Xbox release received the expansion content that added Kit Fisto, Asajj Ventress, four maps from the original Battlefront and the Kashyyyk Assault mode.
Is Star Wars: Battlefront II on Xbox Game Pass?
The current UK Xbox Store listing presents it as a separate digital purchase at £8.99 rather than as a Game Pass title.
