Battlefield 6’s Multiplayer Looks, and Feels, Like a Strong Return to Form.

There’s a lot of trust to be earned back in the Battlefield camp, following a mixed reception of 2021’s Battlefield 2042. A myriad of bugs plagued its launch, and certain gameplay changes didn’t quite land with its playbase as intended. But four years on, EA and DICE are ready to try again with Battlefield 6, and I’ve never been more ready.

Battlefield 6’s Multiplayer trailer mastered the art of building hype in a way that spoke to me on an almost primal level. An immense showcase of environmental destruction and frenetic action, all set to Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff.” Pure art, truly. I was shown that trailer just minutes from being let loose into the Multiplayer lobbies, feeling like I was about to make a name for myself at the London reveal event. Sadly, enthusiasm doesn’t translate into skill in my case, but I had a blast, regardless. 

My preview kicked off with Conquest, one of eight modes that are due to arrive in Battlefield 6 at launch. The objective here is to work alongside your squad and wider team to capture areas while killing enemies as you go. Before spawning, you get to choose one of four Classes; Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon. Each Class has its own weapon set you’ll spawn in with. Recon, for example, drops you in with a sniper which, on a map as huge as Liberation Peak, comes in very handy. In most FPS titles I lean towards ARs and fast-combat, but against the sheer amount of expert content creators I was up against, I felt I was becoming a kill-farm. Hanging back with a sniper was the only way I could get a feel for the map for longer than 10 seconds. Skill-based Match Making, I judged you too harshly. 

What strikes you the most about Battlefield 6’s Multiplayer is how immersive it feels straight out of the gate. The controlled chaos pulls you in almost immediately, and the actions you take feel as though they have weight. Do you stay with the squad, slowly advancing through and dragging any downed teammates out of danger for a lucky revive? Do you commandeer a tank or vehicle to cover ground more quickly, allowing the Assaults to get further in? There’s a lot of options for how you can turn the tide of battle, as an individual and part of the wider team.

Each mode is set to take place across the nine launch maps, utilizing space and areas depending on the needs of a particular mode. Some will see matches of a more intimate scale, others sprawling across a bigger field. Players should anticipate a single map having a different feel depending on the mode. In addition to Conquest, the other launch modes include: Breakthrough, Rush, Team Deathmatch, Squad Deathmatch, Domination, King of the Hill, and Escalation — a mode that pushes players into one final climactic battle. 

With the announcement of Battlefield 6, early worries emerged that it would be yet another FPS in an already saturated market. How could it set itself apart from long-standing rival series Call of Duty, especially given the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 later this year. But it’s easy to envision both games co-existing, with their own playerbase. Battlefield 6’s Multiplayer feels very different to Call of Duty’s. Even for casual players, there’s room in Battlefield 6 for more strategy, and a more patient approach to firefights. The destructive environments, one of Battlefield’s most defining aspects, ensures that matches remain varied time and time again. 

Battlefield 6 won’t be a “CoD Killer.” It doesn’t need to be. It is simply a different experience, and one that, for long-time Battlefield fans, will feel like a return to form. Having taken note of the hang-ups and reconnected with the community, EA and DICE seem adamant that they’ve learnt from Battlefield 2042. It’s also evident by the sheer enthusiasm for this launch that the community is willing to forgive and forget, that they have faith in this series because it means so much to them. If it launches in a solid state, combining immersive environments with sleek mechanics and satisfying gameplay, then Battlefield 6 might just win back the hearts of its long-standing community. My personal hope is that the game has longevity, only becoming even more special over time.

Battlefield 6 is set to launch on October 10. Players can get an early look at the Multiplayer through the game's Open Beta Weekends; August 9-10, and August 14-17, 2025. Early Access begins on August 7.