If you haven’t heard, the Battlefield sequence has been via a rocky interval. The final title, Battlefield 2042, was a crucial dud and fan sentiment grew amazingly bleak. Seeing this, EA went all-in for the most recent entry. Battlefield 6 allegedly has a finances of round $400 million, making it one of the crucial costly video games ever developed (and a case for potential mismanagement with a touch of potential improvement hell). Nevertheless, the ultimate result’s a vastly improved expertise throughout the board.
The bread and butter of the style has all the time been the chaotic, objective-based multiplayer providing. All of the basic Battlefield components are right here of their (roughly) basic kind: harmful environments, tense engagements, maps that encourage strategic teamwork and so forth. With a number of maps and eight modes, there’s quite a bit to get acquainted with in Battlefield 6.
Conquest, Breakthrough, Domination, and King of the Hill all return in grand trend. Conquest and Breakthrough happen inside big maps stuffed with tanks, helicopters, you identify it, and sometimes require 20 to 40 minutes. With groups of 32 gamers every, it’s simple to run into opponents typically, even on these giant, spread-out maps. Squad and Crew Deathmatch happen in a lot smaller maps for 16 gamers, good for these on the lookout for faster matches with out autos or goals aside from driving up kill depend.
Escalation, a brand new mode, takes the large-scale mayhem of Conquest and injects a little bit of battle royale into it. Two groups of 32 are nonetheless preventing over seize factors, however this time it’s seven as an alternative of 5. The royale factor comes into play as seize factors disappear and the play space shrinks. I just like the finality of efficiently capturing some extent to 100%. In Conquest, you continue to must defend some extent you captured, leaving me with an unrequited feeling just like the job isn’t carried out. However right here, capturing a zone provides a rating to your crew and removes it from play, forcing everybody to maneuver to different contested zones or die out of bounds. I really discover myself preferring this new Escalation mode to returning ones like Conquest and Breakthrough, so kudos to the crew for enhancing an already nice components.
“Not solely is every Class virtually nearly equally helpful to play as, however they’re not narrowly restricted in customization both.”
Rush is a little more distinctive. As an alternative of capturing factors, you need to destroy them – the franchise’s penchant for environmental destruction manifested into an precise goal. Nevertheless, two groups of 12 every make parts of those giant maps really feel unused and overly naked, defeating their objective. The pacing in Rush is usually unnecessarily sluggish as a result of there are simply not a whole lot of opponents on the sphere.
Now, this tempo and crew/map dimension discrepancy has been considerably addressed and tuned to a level. For instance, spawn factors have been adjusted a bit nearer to the opposite crew to make sure lengthy journey instances to the target aren’t a factor. A lot of the motion is occurring round these goal factors anyway, so there’s not a whole lot of wandering round, however the total sentiment is that it will be higher with extra gamers, like the perfect iterations of the mode.
All this discuss of modes, and we haven’t even lined the core gameplay. Nevertheless, earlier than leaping into matches, the very first thing to do is interact in some coaching and preparation with the 4 Courses.
Even with combined opinions on steadiness, making every Class really feel helpful is one thing Battlefield has sometimes excelled at, and Battlefield 6 is not any completely different. Make no mistake – the distinct capabilities and tools every Class brings to the desk is likely one of the coolest issues about this entry.
Assault items excel up shut, equipping an additional Major weapon, increasing on their choices considerably, whether or not it’s dashing with a shotgun or coping with extra ranged threats. Help retains squads equipped and revived like every basic medic. Engineers deal with autos and heavy weapons, getting access to launchers and restore torches, whereas Recon gives long-range sniping and recognizing.
Every feels purposeful and satisfying to make use of, with sufficient choices to tailor one’s loadout. Not solely is every Class virtually nearly equally helpful to play as, however they’re not narrowly restricted in customization both.
If that wasn’t sufficient, they every provide two coaching paths, which have their very own passive capabilities and lively talents. The system feels well-balanced—each match contributes meaningfully to your total development, and there’s a satisfying sense of momentum as you play, the ability of the Class scaling as you immerse deeper into the function. Additionally, say what you’ll about Open vs Closed Weapons, the previous is enjoyable for messing round with completely different sorts of loadouts. In the meantime, the latter gives a extra conventional Battlefield expertise, the place embodying your Class and mastering its nuances is the highest precedence. Having each accessible is sweet, although time will inform how steadiness considerations in a single may impression the opposite.
Sadly, the method of customizing loadouts can really feel cumbersome because of the UI. You’ll be able to’t toggle between particular person gun parts within the customisation menu, rising the variety of button presses simply to see new upgrades. It’s irritating having to examine weapon parts one after the other with no instantaneous toggle. The shortage of any indicators for brand spanking new attachments can also be irritating, particularly after unlocking new choices. There’s that glitchy blur animation upon citing a weapon—it’s disorienting and annoying.
After I’m searching weapons within the loadout menu, I would like crystal-clear visuals at a look, not some disorienting cutesy animation that blurs what I’m making an attempt to look at. The weapon background within the Loadout menus can also be fairly horrible. They typically characteristic glitched-out lighting that disorients the view of the weapon particulars. And that animated flicker that occurs when loading a weapon every time is downright nauseating.
I do like which you can be taken on to the taking pictures vary to check any of your unlocked weapons. Nevertheless, it inexplicably leaves out devices, missile launchers, and grenades for gamers to check. I didn’t have entry to the Portal, so I couldn’t apply maps in a no-stress environment. Since lots of the maps are gigantic and fairly intimidating, I’d have liked to have a free coaching mode with no opponents, simply to get a lay of the land.
All that apart, Battlefield 6 options some genuinely enjoyable multiplayer maps that accommodate a variety of play types. You may have the tight, close-quarters skirmishes, the huge scale that accommodates autos, and every thing in between. Whereas the range between particular person maps is powerful, the general collection of “theaters of conflict” can really feel restricted. The 5 predominant environments can begin to really feel repetitive—particularly after enjoying the marketing campaign, which reuses the very same areas. Nonetheless, what’s right here is commonly sensible.
“The one nag in all that is the minimap. It lacks directionals, forcing you to depend on the compass, which I get is the purpose, however the latter typically blends into the sky and might be laborious to learn within the thick of fight.”
Liberation Peak stands out as a showcase for the sport’s vehicular fight. It’s expansive, well-balanced, and ideal for tanks and jets to dominate whereas infantry battles over well-placed goals. Nevertheless, I gravitate extra in direction of close-quarters maps. Saint’s Quarter in Gibraltar is a spotlight, with its colourful streets, slender alleyways, and layered vertical design that mixes rooftop sniping with gritty street-level firefights.
I particularly benefit from the skirmishes that erupt within the drained river beneath the contested bridge—it’s chaotic, tense, and filled with inventive cowl spots. Combating upward via the trench-like riverbed to achieve the bridge feels uncooked and dynamic. There’s a satisfying steadiness of canopy, verticality, distinctive interiors, and scenic backdrops.
The one nag in all that is the minimap. It lacks directionals, forcing you to depend on the compass, which I get is the purpose, however the latter typically blends into the sky and might be laborious to learn within the thick of fight. It’s a small however noticeable quality-of-life concern that provides pointless friction to navigation.
Automobiles are one other combined factor of stage design. The choice is spectacular and balanced, although the driving physics depart one thing to be desired. Tanks can dominate when supported by teammates, but rapidly fold beneath 4 anti-tank missiles. However, jeeps are virtually ineffective past fast transport, providing minimal safety. Tanks management as you’d count on, and there’s even the choice to make use of Warthog-like directional motion or conventional motion that follows the digital camera.
Air autos, nonetheless, are the place I actually struggled to benefit from the controls. Jets really feel sluggish and blocky, with stiff maneuvering that makes tight turns and evasive techniques really feel practically unimaginable. Turning management help on helps considerably because it automates hover, however even then, flying feels extra like piloting an airborne tank than the agile, responsive plane from basic Battlefield video games.
That brings me to the weapons. I actually don’t have something damaging to say about weapon really feel and management. The variability can also be spectacular, with 45 weapons throughout eight classes. Nearly each weapon sort right here, though some extra melee choices could be good in addition to the knife and hammer. Automated rifles have the type of recoil one would count on, with choices to toggle hearth fee. The extraordinary kick of a shotgun blast, the spray of an SMG, the recoil from a sniper shot – all of it feels appropriately visceral and satisfying. I’m no gun skilled, however their sounds additionally go my audio authenticity check. The general result’s punchy and life like with out going excessive.
“By way of graphics, Battlefield 6 is a formidable showcase.”
The final motion additionally feels very good. It’s a way more fluid and fast-paced Battlefield expertise due to a number of new additions. Not solely do you dash quicker, however it’s also possible to dash slide, which is useful when taking cowl. Leaning in cowl and on partitions additionally feels nice, not interrupting the general fluidity or fight circulate. Mounting weapons with sure underbarrel attachments to ledges and canopy can also be fortunately nonetheless right here, making for some gentle turret motion together with your gun.
By way of graphics, Battlefield 6 is a formidable showcase. It’s not the best-looking recreation I’ve ever seen, however it’s nonetheless a very great-looking first-person shooter. The lighting throughout matches and the marketing campaign is fairly phenomenal, particularly in high-contrast areas the place beams of sunshine penetrate the darkness. And even when the extent of destruction isn’t an enormous step up over earlier entries, it nonetheless appears good, feeding into the chaos that makes a correct Battlefield match. Efficiency on PS5 noticed the occasional body drop however remained stable, which is all of the extra spectacular given the sheer mayhem unfolding.
I additionally don’t have anything however reward for the sound design. I don’t assume I’ve heard directional sound so distinct and clear as on this recreation. You’ll be able to clearly hear the course of footsteps, gunshots, and even differentiate between somebody sprinting, strolling, or simply crouching. The tinnitus impact occurs a tad too typically, however might be toggled off in settings, so I can’t even knock that.
Development is fairly typical of reside service shooters, however extra spectacular than most with how linear and honest the rewards are in your efforts. Expertise achieve scales at a gradual tempo, although finishing particular person match challenges helps. After practically each large-scale battle, I unlocked one thing tangible—often a weapon attachment, and sometimes a brand new firearm altogether. Even help actions, corresponding to repairing autos or recognizing enemies for teammates, grant worthwhile XP, which makes each function really feel helpful and rewarded.
“Beginning or loading right into a mission takes practically two minutes of watching a black display screen with no loading indicator. For a serious launch in 2025, that is merely unacceptable.”
Nevertheless, all of the weapon skins and charms have a really excessive weapon mastery requirement. Your first doesn’t unlock till you attain Mastery Stage 10, which might take many hours of constant play. In any other case, emblems, stickers and so forth, unlock at a fairly honest clip.
Final however not least, we arrive on the marketing campaign, simply probably the most substantial single-player expertise the sequence has seen since Battlefield 4. It’s full-length and cinematic, consisting of 9 missions and 4 issue choices.
Nevertheless, there are some notable points, beginning with the absurd load instances. Beginning or loading right into a mission takes practically two minutes of watching a black display screen with no loading indicator. For a serious launch in 2025, that is merely unacceptable. When you’re lastly in, the marketing campaign does profit from stable mid-mission checkpoints that always put you near the place you died.
Structurally, the missions are fairly linear. Forking pathways and open-ended fight zones are uncommon, changed as an alternative by scripted corridors with the occasional medium-sized skirmish. All the things from the pacing and story beats to the extent design feels predictable. Even for gamers who don’t sometimes play many first-person shooter campaigns, it’s clear that there’s little new right here. It’s nonetheless a well-crafted expertise with good mission selection and a decent quantity of content material.
The marketing campaign’s character rotation additionally helps hold issues partaking. Every mission includes a completely different specialist—one second you’re a car skilled blowing up enemy convoys, the following you’re a stealthy sniper or an assault trooper in close-quarters fight. This constant change of tempo retains the gameplay recent, even when the narrative struggles to keep up momentum.
“There’s nonetheless work to be carried out, as is all the time the case with a multiplayer shooter, and the jury remains to be out on Portal and battle royale.”
Story-wise, Battlefield 6 doesn’t do itself many favors. The plot begins in probably the most predictable method conceivable, adopted by a clichéd, Hollywood-style conclusion to the primary mission. The tone is overly self-serious regardless of its reliance on countless cinematic explosions. I additionally didn’t like how the marketing campaign depends on flashbacks as a serious plot system on account of a scarcity of correct context or emotional grounding. The frequent jumps between previous and current fail to construct significant connections with the characters or the overarching plot, leaving gamers indifferent from any stakes. That mentioned, a number of missions stand out from a gameplay perspective and, with out delving into spoilers, elicit quite a lot of smiles.
Regardless of its flaws, Battlefield 6’s marketing campaign gives an honest quantity of content material, some robust mission design, and sufficient selection to make it price enjoying. Even with all these flaws, Battlefield 6 appears like one of the crucial full entries the sequence has seen in years. Its marketing campaign, warts and all, feels substantial. The category system is well balanced, bringing one thing new to the desk whereas sticking to every thing followers love. The development feels largely rewarding with out being exploitative. The maps are a visible and tactical showcase, even when some modes and car dealing with quirks reveal tough edges.
There’s nonetheless work to be carried out, as is all the time the case with a multiplayer shooter, and the jury remains to be out on Portal and battle royale. Nevertheless, I can simply see myself coming again, if just for the immersive environment and sheer chaos on a grand scale that solely Battlefield can present.
This recreation was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.
