You probably don’t need a reason to suit up and start throwing some smoke grenades in the Battlefield 6 open beta, but just in case: The next playtest is bringing a number of quality of life changes to the game, EA says. The tweaks address some major player concerns for Battlefield 6‘s full launch, while also offering more control over the experience that is currently available.
Here’s the bad news. Despite ample banging on pots and pans from fans over the addition of a server browser, the next iteration of the beta won’t have one. However, there’s reason to have hope. In a blog post detailing the changes people can expect from Aug 14-17, EA describes a new feature called Custom Search. Players will be able to select whatever combination of maps and modes they’d like, and the beta will try and connect them to a game that fulfills the requirements. That’s great and all, but what’s got players celebrating is the last line in that section of the blog: “Note that this is not a Server Browser (which is not being tested this week.)”
This isn’t an outright confirmation that Battlefield 6 will get a server browser, which allows users to select instances based on preferences like player count, ping, and vibes. But publishers and game developers are careful about how they word things such that players won’t walk away with the wrong expectations, generally speaking. Phrasing the question of a server browser as something that isn’t coming “this week” reads like a tacit acknowledgment that the full Battlefield 6 release might get the feature down the line. Whether that will coincide with the launch remains to be seen.
Beyond offering more options, the beta will switch things up with new challenges, a new Empire State map, and a rotating selection of modes. Here’s EA, listing it out in full:
- Day 1, Thursday 14th
- Conquest
- Rush
- Attack & Defend (Breakthrough, Rush)
- Close Quarters; Fast-paced playlist on smaller maps (Domination, King of the Hill)
- Closed Weapons All-Out Warfare (Conquest, Breakthrough)
- Day 2, Friday 15th
- Conquest
- Squad Deathmatch
- Close Quarters; Fast-paced playlist on smaller maps (Domination, King of the Hill, Squad Deathmatch)
- All-Out Warfare; Epic battles across expansive maps (Conquest, Breakthrough, Rush)
- Closed Weapons All-Out Warfare (Conquest, Breakthrough)
- Day 3-4, Saturday 16th – Sunday 17th
- Conquest
- Close Quarters; Fast-paced playlist on smaller maps (Domination, King of the Hill, Squad Deathmatch).
- All-Out Warfare; Epic battles across expansive maps (Conquest, Breakthrough, Rush)
- Closed Weapons All-Out Warfare (Conquest, Breakthrough)
Overall, it sounds like EA is keeping its ears close to the ground for Battlefield 6. The blog post notes that the beta switches things up daily so that EA can get a better understanding of what people like, and to ensure fan-favorite combinations are available at launch.
Beyond playlists and server selection, Battlefield Studios is also considering the time to kill issue, it said earlier in August. The open beta will include infantry-only modes that might make the experience feel even more aligned with the fast-paced, kill-focused Call of Duty, but fortunately it also means players can self-select based on what they prefer. Additionally, EA says, it is dealing with hundreds of thousands of cheaters ruining the game for others. EA has also promised that it will try and learn from the open beta and then come back to the community to share what they’ve learned – and what types of changes Battlefield 6 will have in store.
The Battlefield 6 beta opens on Thursday, Aug 14, at 1am PDT / 4am EDT / 9am BST.
