Download Battlefield 1942: World War II Anthology (Windows)

Battlefield 1942: World War II Anthology is a compilation of Battlefield 1942 with both expansions: The Road to Rome and Secret Weapons of WWII. This is the most full version of Battlefield 1942, being used on almost all unofficial servers

The game has been tested on Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 10, it works fine. You may experience some small troubles when you play the game on modern systems, check our Guide and Notes for details

Install & play guide for singleplayer & multiplayer game on modern systems:

• Mount the disc image of CD1. You will need the utility for mounting disc image files, like WinCDEmu, UltraISO, Alcohol 52%/Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools Lite
• Launch the installation and enter CD key. Install the game not in default C:/Program Files/Battlefield 1942 folder, but in some non-system folder, like C:/Games/Battlefield 1942, otherwise you may have troubles with fixes
• Skip the installation of GameSpy, its servers were shut down in 2014 and doesn't work anymore, here's the details
• When the installation process will ask for CD2 - mount the disc image of CD2
• Then the installation process will ask for CD3 with The Road to Rome expansion, and CD4 with Secret Weapons of WWII expansion. Both expansions have separate CD keys, check inside the archive
• Also, make sure to install PunkBuster from the disc, or download it from here
• At the end of installation process you will "EA Register" windows - simply click "Register later" to skip it
• After you installed the game with expansions - make sure to enable DirectPlay if you're using Windows 8, 10 or 11, read this or this guide how to do it
• Now you need to patch the game - first install the patch v1.6.19, then the patch v1.61b
• And now you need to install multiplayer fix - it is available here (Battlefield 1942 v1.61 Retail patched file) or on our website on this page. That fix also works as NoCD and adds widescreen support. Simply copy all files from the archive and put it into game folder, agree to replace original files
• After that install Master Server Patch by Henk - that patch updates the list of unofficial servers from master.bf1942.org and you can connect to them inside the game. Simply copy BF1942.exe from the archive and put it into game folder, agree to replace original file
• Open the directory with installed games and find BF1942.exe. Right click on BF1942.exe - Properties - Compatibility - Set "Run this app in compatibility mode with Windows XP" and "Run as administrator"
• Launch the game and play. If the games doesn't work in compatibility mode with Windows XP - try to launch it in compatibility mode with other version of Windows (Windows 95, 98, 2000, etc.)

If that looks too complicated for you - you can use all-in-one installer by Alvarez-Latino, it is available here or on our website, just install it and use Master Server Patch to get access to unofficial servers. That installer is recommend by Team Simple and BF-League websites

Notes:

• If the installation doesn't start - try to launch Setup.exe in compatibility mode with old version of Windows (98, 2000 or XP)
• It is recommended to install all versions of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and .NET Framework (especially version 3.5) for the correct work of the game
• Also it is recommended to install RAD Video Tools and K-Lite Codec Pack for the correct work of the game
• The game works on DirectX 8, so if you're using Windows 8, 8.1, 10 or 11 - make sure to enable DirectPlay in your system, otherwise the game won't work on modern systems. Go to Control Panel, and select 'Programs'. Select 'Turn Windows features on and off', click on 'Legacy Components' and check the box 'DirectPlay'. Select OK, once the installation is done, restart your computer
• We added text-file with a lot of CD keys, but if none of them work - use keygen to generate new CD key. Keygen may trigger warnings by your antivirus, but it is safe to use, here's VirusTotal scan report. You can run keygen in Windows Sandbox, for 100% safety
• The game was using GameSpy servers for multiplayer, but in 2014 the GameSpy service and its servers were closed. The game will try to connect to "dead" GameSpy servers, to bypass it use Multiplayer fix (Battlefield 1942 v1.61 Retail patched file). That fix also works as NoCD and adds widescreen support. Simply copy all files from the archive and put it into game folder, agree to replace original files
• Multiplayer fix adds support for wide and high screen resolutions, new resolutions are available in game menu. However, if you can't find the resolution of your display - you can enable it manually, by editing the config-files, check this guide for details
• After you installed multiplayer fix also - install Master Server Patch by Henk - that patch updates the list of unofficial servers from master.bf1942.org and you can connect to them through the game menu. Simply copy BF1942.exe from the archive and put it into game folder, agree to replace original file
• Plus you can use GameRanger app to find matches or create the multiplayer match to play with friends
• If you have black screen/crash at launch - try one of these fixes
• Rarely but on some systems the game has graphical glitches, the possible solution could be to use one of DirectX wrappers
• You can tweak a lot of game options through the menu or console (~ button by default), or by editing the config-files. Check TweakTown guide for all possible options
• Don't forget to check PCGamingWiki if you have troubles, it is very useful!