Even with how good Bad Company 2, Battlefield 4 (post-fixing all the launch issues), and Battlefield 1 were, DICE’s flagship first-person shooter franchise wasn’t exactly on our radar heading into 2025. Blame Battlefield 2042 all you want (and I have), even after all the patches turning it into an enjoyable, though not incredible, multiplayer experience. The long gap between releases also didn’t help, especially when fans were ready to move on from the near-future premise.
Yet, there’s something special about Battlefield 6. Battlefield Studios, made up of Ripple Effect, Criterion, DICE, and Motive, talked a lot about how this was the biggest Battlefield ever. And with one open beta, it proved that a fun Battlefield experience was still possible. Even in early access, the beta crossed 334,000 peak concurrent players on Steam at launch. After it became available on all platforms, it went even further beyond, peaking at over 521,000 concurrent players on Steam.
Not only has that surpassed the lifetime peak of the Call of Duty app, which provides access to the latest experience, but it’s also the biggest beta for the Battlefield franchise ever. Again, this is only on Steam for the first weekend. It’s likely (but not confirmed) that the player counts are much higher when factoring in consoles. All of a sudden, Battlefield is back.
But aside from the fact that it’s Battlefield, why so much enthusiasm for the open beta? Electronic Arts and DICE did their fair share of hyping up the multiplayer, what with an extensive reveal event and whatnot. The fact that many signed up for Battlefield Labs and couldn’t access it is also doubtless a factor, especially given the sheer turnout when it was first announced.
I think it comes down to the fact that Battlefield 6 is offering what fans have wanted for a long time. A return to a more contemporary combat experience without all manner of futuristic gadgets. No more Specialists and Classes right off the bat. That tense atmosphere of being part of a bigger conflict which rages all around you, backed by impressive real-time destruction and stellar sound effects. It sounds so shockingly simple that you have to wonder how DICE missed the forest for the trees when it released 2042.
However, even some of the new additions to the formula, as straightforward as they seem, are pretty cool. Dragging your fallen allies, for example. The running joke about Battlefield players not resurrecting their teammates still holds, but being able to drag them to safety adds to the overall realism. Strategically, it’s a huge game-changer as well. After downing an enemy, do you push to secure the kill before they disappear around a corner? Do you rush them, risking death from their allies providing cover?
Alternatively, if you’re the one doing the dragging, you have to consider all this and whether it’s worth risking your skin, especially when the grenades go flying. But a successful revival could very well surprise the enemy when they try to rush in, that one second of hesitation ultimately serving as their undoing.
And while I’m not a fan of DICE keeping open weapons, where every Class can use any weapon type, their overall approach is a nice compromise. A separate playtest specifically for closed weapons would have been enough, and yet, additional benefits for those who stick with Signature weapons, certain weapon types being available to all Classes alongside their “preferred” options are just the cherry on top.
There are still many issues to iron out ahead of launch. Complaints of the current selection feeling too small, time to kill and time to death (especially when it feels like you’re sometimes instantly shredded), the shotgun having insane range, equipping a Stinger and an RPG in the same kit, the UI as a whole, and the lack of a server browser. The jury is still out, but for the first time in what feels like a long time, the beta moniker seemingly fits.
Battlefield global community manager Kevin Johnson already confirmed that the shotgun and Stinger/RPG loadout issues have been resolved in a different build. Principal game designer Florian Le Bihan is soliciting footage of “unexpectedly fast TTD” based on feedback. And while the server browser technically falls under Portal, it utilizes persistent servers per lead producer David Sirland. He also confirmed that matchmaking will follow previous titles, prioritizing ping while skill remains “far down the list.” If that wasn’t enough, complaints about multiplayer modes using AI soldiers ultimately ended up unfounded – they’re actually employed in training.
This isn’t to say that Electronic Arts won’t mess up the game in some capacity, like monetization. If you’re not a fan of the seasonal approach and battle passes, Battlefield 6 will have both of those. On the bright side, at least DICE is committed to realistic cosmetics and not going off the deep end like Call of Duty. At least, for now.
There remains the question of the campaign, especially considering all the reported problems thus far. I’m skeptical about battle royale since Firestorm failed to take off (and the genre as a whole feels cold these days outside of the established titles).
Reports also indicate that the publisher has some unhealthy expectations – 100 million players over an unknown period, allegedly to compete against Roblox and Fortnite. Even for a beta that’s done remarkably well and sets the game up for a successful launch, I don’t think Battlefield 6 is getting anywhere near that number, especially with a $70 price tag. It could still perform very well by Battlefield franchise standards. However, you have to wonder if the typical EA attitude will eventually slip in and attempt to exploit it as much as possible to justify all the time and resources spent to reach this point.
There’s no denying the hype, and even with all these issues and potential concerns, one can’t deny the beta’s popularity, especially in the face of Call of Duty, which hasn’t had any legitimate financial competition in years. As with previous titles – and yes, that includes 2042 – I’m hoping that DICE sticks to its commitment of building the game alongside the community. It certainly won’t get everything right, and once the honeymoon period is over, you can likely expect a litany of nigh-unending complaints about every single aspect of the game.
That’s not even considering how they have to please those who want a compelling single-player campaign. Or future content plans and the game’s post-launch support. Will we see other classic mechanics return and, more importantly, will they be the right ones? Will Battlefield Labs still be around to potentially test new content (as will be happening with the upcoming battle royale playtests)? One wrong balance change could unbalance the entire community and turn them against the team, even if it’s the right choice in the long run.
Nevertheless, for now, it’s nice to be excited for a new Battlefield game, and several fans, even those raising the loudest complaints, agree. Its gritty atmosphere and realistic combat, especially the responsive gunplay, are like nothing else out there. As far as fans are concerned, Battlefield 6 is a triumphant return for the franchise and a solid step forward. All that’s left now is to deliver on that potential when the full game launches on October 10th.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
