Spectator Mode

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A spectator in the Battlefield series is a player in a Multiplayer server who cannot participate in the action, but can observe the match. Spectators can view the match through a free-moving camera controlled by the player, or through the viewpoint of any active player.

Spectating in Battlefield games

Refractor engine

Many Refractor-powered games have Spectator mode. The similar Battlerecorder feature allows players to spectate saved matches, if such saves have been enabled by the server.

Frostbite engine

Spectator mode has not been available in any Frostbite-powered game. Certain professional gaming leagues have overlooked recent Battlefield games because of the lack of spectator mode.

Starting with Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the Killcam allows players in Normal matches to spectate the enemy player that killed them. It views the enemy player from the front. The killed player can relay the enemy's position to surviving teammates via chat.

Battlefield 3 spectator glitch

A rare glitch in Battlefield 3 allows a player to spectate through a squadmate. The squadmate must spawn onto the player as he stands on a Radio Beacon. The glitch may also occur if the squadmate cannot be revived due to physics engine collisions, though it is not clear what actually causes the player to spectate in this case.

During the glitch, the squadmate is unaffected, but the player's view is now locked onto the squadmate in third-person view. The player's character is still active and controllable, but difficult to control without the first-person camera.

The player may continue spectating until his own character is killed. If enemy encounters can be avoided, the player may continue spectating the squadmate even if the squadmate dies, with view returning as the squadmate respawns. It is not yet known if the spectating ends if the other player leaves the squad.