Set between 2027 and 2028, the game features a conflict between a fractured NATO and Pax Armata, a private military company. The multiplayer mode features four character classes: Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon, who each specialize with different weapons and combat strategies, and has several returning game modes with the new Escalation mode being added.
Following leaks from March 2025 to July, Battlefield 6 was officially revealed later that month. The open beta periods were held in August, with the first attracting over 500,000 concurrent players on Steam. The game received generally positive reviews and sold over 7 million units in 3 days from release.
Gameplay
Similar to its predecessors, Battlefield 6 is a first-person shooter. The game features four character classes: Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon. The Assault class is proficient with assault rifles and grenade launchers and favors a run-and-gun playstyle with faster health regeneration. The Engineer class uses submachine guns, can repair friendly vehicles, and specializes in destroying hostile vehicles with rockets. The Support class excels with light machine guns and supports teammates by resupplying ammo, placing makeshift cover, and healing and reviving allies. The Recon class can carry out battlefield reconnaissance, uses sniper rifles, and is ideal for long-range engagements as a headshot kill prevents opponents from being revived.[2] While any class can use any weapon, each class has unique gameplay perks when using specific weapons. For example, Recon players can hold their breath while aiming with a sniper rifle.[3] Weapons can be extensively customized with mods, but each weapon has a designated attachment point limit that cannot be exceeded.[4]
Battlefield 6 also introduces several quality-of-life improvements, including a new movement system called the "Kinesthetic Combat System", which allows players to lean around cover, hitchhike onto vehicles, and drag fallen soldiers to safety before reviving them.[3] As with previous entries in the series, the game emphasizes environmental destructibility. Buildings can be demolished with explosives, and obstacles or floors can be destroyed to create new paths. Maps are sprawling, suitable for both infantry and vehicular combat. Each map also includes "Combat Zones"—smaller, more confined areas designed for close-quarters combat.[5] At launch nine maps are available, with additional maps planned for release through post-launch updates.[6]
Battlefield 6 offers multiple multiplayer modes, including returning modes such as Conquest, Breakthrough, Rush, Team Deathmatch, Squad Deathmatch, Domination, and King of the Hill. A new mode, Escalation, pits two teams against each other as they seek to control capture points in a map. However, the number of points gradually decreases, funneling players into specific map areas.[7]
Portal
The Battlefield Portal feature returns in Battlefield 6 with a complete overhaul from its Battlefield 2042 iteration. In 2042, Portal was limited to a basic visual block editor and web-based configuration options. Battlefield 6's Portal is powered by the Godot engine, providing map creation and game logic tools that represent a significant advancement over the previous system.[8] The new editor enables creators to build custom game modes, design original maps using Battlefield 6's existing map foundations and assets, and script complex gameplay mechanics.
EA showcased Portal's capabilities prior to launch with demonstrations including a recreation of Counter-Strike's "Dust II", complete with bomb defusal mechanics, as well as various custom modes such as zombies survival and racing challenges.[9] Within two days of Battlefield 6's October 10 release, the community had already produced notable creations, including a remake of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's Shipment map and a Star Destroyer constructed from in-game assets, demonstrating the editor's versatility.[10] Portal experiences can be shared through a dedicated community browser where players can discover and play user-generated content.[11]
Battle royale
A free-to-play battle royale mode, titled Battlefield RedSec, was released on October 28 alongside the game's first season. It also includes a knockout elimination mode called "Gauntlet" and support for Portal.[12]
Synopsis
In September 2027, NATO forces prepare to evacuate Georgia to make way for the private military company Pax Armata, ostensibly in a peaceful transfer. While preparing for a briefing, U.S. MarineRaider Gunnery Sergeant Dylan Murphy (Jay Walker) and his squad Tempest 1-2 are ambushed by Pax forces in an unprovoked offensive. Murphy rallies his squad to destroy critical cybersecurity installations to prevent Pax Armata from acquiring them; they succeed, but their extraction helicopter is shot down, leaving Murphy the sole survivor before his rescue.
Over the next few months, the NATO Secretary General is assassinated by Pax Armata, and after no response from NATO, twelve nations leave the alliance in favor of allying with Pax. Meanwhile, Murphy is reassigned to a new Marine Raider squad, Dagger 1-3, under the command of CIA handler Melissa Mills (Erica Luttrell). In March 2028, Dagger's squad leader Master Sergeant Haz Carter (Damon Dayoub) and sniper Staff Sergeant Simone "Gecko" Espina (Ashley Reyes) are deployed to Gibraltar to assist a British squad against Pax's occupation, before linking up with Murphy and Dagger's medic Staff Sergeant Cliff Lopez (Jack Murillo) on the main offensive. At city hall, they witness the British squad's capture and execution by Pax's local field commander, Alexander Kincaid (Tony Curran), who subsequently escapes.
In June, Mills assigns Dagger to extract biometrics CEO Fayek Selim (Wessam Eldein) from Pax occupied Cairo, with help from Ibrahim Al-Khatib (Adam Lindo), leader of Egyptian Army special forces Unit 777; the mission goes awry, resulting in Selim's death, though the squad extracts the intel needed from Selim's RFID chip in his thumb. The chip reveals Kincaid is planning an attack on New York City, where a NATO summit is being held. Dagger is deployed to Brooklyn to neutralize the Pax cell planning the attack, while Kincaid is revealed to be an ex-SAS operative who previously served with Carter, before the latter was forced to leave Kincaid behind during a mission. While Dagger manages to neutralize the initial attack, they realize Kincaid's real target is U.S. President Fernandez (Benito Martinez). The following morning, Pax ambushes Fernandez's motorcade; Dagger manages to extract the President and lead him to safety, but Kincaid ambushes Murphy and Carter, resulting in Kincaid fatally stabbing Carter. Before Carter dies, he makes Murphy squad leader of Dagger.
In the aftermath, Fernandez announces the creation of a NATO global response force while declaring war against Pax Armata. In July, Al-Khatib leads an Egyptian tank column to break through Pax's lines on the outskirts of Cairo. In September, with the addition of CIA operative Lucas Hemlock (Nikolai Nikolaeff), Dagger is deployed to Tajikistan to neutralize Pax's air defenses near their home base, before joining NATO on the main assault, where they destroy hypersonic missiles containing the explosive and extremely destructive nano-compound NXC. Dagger apprehends Kincaid, who reveals that Pax Armata was secretly backed by the CIA, while also claiming that he was Mills' asset inside Pax, implicating her role in Pax's rise. Kincaid attempts to pull a knife, but is shot dead in self-defense by Hemlock. Mills cuts contact with Dagger and calls in an airstrike to cover up loose ends, though the squad manages to escape.
Three days later, Dagger infiltrates Mills' home in McLean, Virginia, where they put together the pieces surrounding their missions: Pax Armata attacked NATO in Georgia because they were after "Project Veles", technology which could black out satellite imagery and which was housed in the installations Murphy destroyed; the operation in Gibraltar was their second, successful attempt at acquiring it, allowing them to operate unseen in critical operations like in Cairo, Brooklyn, and Tajikistan; and Selim was selling to both sides by providing Pax with the intel they needed to conduct their Brooklyn assault. Together, Mills and Selim supplied Pax with the NXC and the intel on Veles. Under duress, Mills reveals that Pax Armata was intended by the CIA to consolidate all anti-American movements under one banner and serve as a common enemy for the United States, with the intention of eventually having one of Mills' assets take over the organization, and that Kincaid was indeed one of Mills' moles. After Dagger eliminates a Pax Armata team sent to extract Mills, Murphy, under orders from Dagger's new anonymous handler, executes her.
Development
Battlefield 6 is developed by DICE, Criterion Games, Motive Studios and Ripple Effect Studios, under the collective branding of Battlefield Studios.[13] Before the studio's closure in 2024, Ridgeline Games was also involved in the development, focusing on the single-player campaign.[14] DICE leads the multiplayer development. Motive and Criterion lead the development of the single-player campaign, with Motive also contributing to multiplayer map design. Ripple Effect Studios is currently leading the development of the battle royale mode.[15] Following the negative response to the previous installment Battlefield 2042 (2021), focus was put on attempting to improve that game and developing a new entry via Battlefield Studios under Vince Zampella, who was installed as overall head of Battlefield weeks after the launch of 2042.[1] In July 2025, Ars Technica reported that the game faced significant development challenges, including team burnout and exhaustion, cultural clashes among the four studios, unrealistic sales expectations from EA, and a ballooning budget far exceeding $400 million.[16] This would make Battlefield 6one of the most expensive video games to develop, described by EA CEO Andrew Wilson as an "all-in as a company" effort.[1]
Following the response to 2042, EA launched "Battlefield Labs", a closed-access worldwide playtest for Battlefield 6, allowing DICE to collect feedback from players and make gameplay adjustments.[17]Battlefield 3 (2011) and Battlefield 4 (2013), described by Zampella as the "heyday" of the franchise,[18] were cited by the team as their main sources of inspiration, and the team added that the game will have a "serious" tone.[19]Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (2010) influenced the creation of the "Tactical Destruction" system,[20][21] and the team made an intentional design choice to prevent players from destroying all buildings in a map.[22] Given the limits to the system memory of the Xbox Series S, the development team had to implement software optimization to accommodate the technical limits, the benefits of which technical director Christian Buhl said applied to the game as a whole.[23]Battlefield 6 will be the first mainline Battlefield game since Battlefield 4 to include a linear narrative campaign.[24] Motive further added that Lioness and Civil War, stories about "talented but ordinary people put in extraordinary situations", inspired the team.[25]
Battlefield 6 utilizes EA's new kernel-level anti-cheat Javelin, which requires that secure boot be enabled in the computer's firmware.[26] An earlier version of Javelin was first introduced into Battlefield 2042 in late 2023, with earlier Battlefield titles receiving updates in 2024.[27] During the open beta period, which used Javelin, players reported conflicts between Javelin and Riot Vanguard, Valorant's kernel-level anti-cheat software. Phillip Koskinas, the head of the anti-cheat team at Riot Games, stated that while Vanguard can co-exist on the same system with Javelin, Battlefield 6 does not allow the Valorant launcher to be running simultaneously.[28][29] Electronic Arts claimed in August 2025 that the Javelin anti-cheat has blocked over 300,000 attempts to cheat.[30] Following the open beta, technical director Christian Buhl mentioned that Battlefield Studios partnered with Sony and Microsoft to detect cheating on their respective platforms.[31]
Release and promotion
In February 2025, publisher Electronic Arts announced Battlefield Labs and released gameplay from a pre-alpha build.[32] By March 2025, early gameplay footage from Battlefield Labs had been leaked online by playtesters.[33] The title was leaked early in July 2025 when EA sent packages to influencers featuring the Battlefield 6 logo.[34] The game was officially revealed as Battlefield 6 on July 22, 2025.[35][36] Two open beta periods were held in August 2025; progression awarded players with items that could be used in-game at launch.[37] The first open beta period attracted more than 500,000 concurrent players on Steam.[38][39] Following the open beta period, Battlefield 2042 received an update that added a new battle pass. It features items that could be used in Battlefield 6.[40] The campaign trailer debuted at PlayStation's State of Play in September 2025,[41] and a live-action trailer starring Zac Efron, Paddy Pimblett, Jimmy Butler, and Morgan Wallen playing roles based on the game's classes was released on September 28, 2025.[42]Battlefield 6 was released on October 10, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.[1]
Shortly after launch, players reported having issues on Windows, specifically the EA App, where the game, despite being purchased and installed, apparently required the purchase of DLC to play; on Steam, players reported that the game remained unavailable when attempting to download.[43] Battlefield Studios confirmed on Twitter that they were diagnosing the issue; they offered affected players in-game bonuses, with players who bought the "Phantom Edition" gaining access to the following season's battle pass.[44] During the outage, Battlefield director Vince Zampella spoke out on Twitter regarding the situation, calling it "honestly embarassing".[45]
Battlefield 6 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[46][47][48]OpenCritic assessed that 93% of critics recommended the game.[49] In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 35 out of 40.[51]
Sales
On October 16, 2025, EA announced that Battlefield 6 had sold over 7 million units in 3 days since release, making it the biggest launch in the series' history.[62]
1 2 3 4 Spencer, Alex (November 2025). "Rally Point • Why EA is razing Battlefield to its foundations in order to build something new". Edge. No.415. Future plc. pp.54–63.
↑ "EA anticheat and Battlefield". October 21, 2024. Archived from the original on October 22, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2025. As part of our ongoing efforts to create a safe and fair experience for all players we're transitioning Battlefield™ 2042 over to EA anticheat in October 2023, Battlefield™ V in April 2024 and Battlefield™ 1 in October 2024.
↑ Bayne, Aaron (September 17, 2025). "Interview: 'We Don't Consider This a Port': Battlefield 6 Dev on Why It Built the PS5 Version Concurrently with PC". Push Square. Retrieved October 15, 2025. Push Square: Cheating has become a big issue in the FPS multiplayer space. How are you combating that on consoles? Christian Buhl: Yeah, it's unfortunate that cheating has become a problem within the console space, especially with Cronus Zen machines and everything. So we've partnered with PlayStation and both Microsoft in this regard to kind of do detection. We actually have our own level of macro detection and everything.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
