Battlefield 6 Review – Back to Basics with a Bang

The Battlefield series had its fair share of ups and downs in the past decade. With Battlefield 2042 trying to modernise the series with a futuristic setting and weather effects, it also failed to stay true to its roots.

Battlefield was always about large-scale sandbox multiplayer, where everyone could feel useful by reviving teammates, repairing vehicles, or spotting enemies around the map. With the last positively accepted title being Battlefield 1, EA had one last chance to course-correct and bring the franchise back. 

The result is Battlefield 6, a culmination of work done by several studios under the banner of Battlefield Studios, which includes DICE, Criterion, Motive, and Ripple Effect. It promised a return to form for the series after several titles tried to steer away from the core of Battlefield to middling success. With a contemporary setting, 64-player maps, and a campaign added into the mix, does Battlefield 6 stand on its own two legs in 2025?

The following review is based on the state of the game in October 2025.

TL;DR

Battlefield 6 dials back and focuses on the things the series always did well. With fully destructible environments, 64-player maps, and a realistic tone, Battlefield is back in the spotlight. It’s unfortunate that its campaign doesn’t impress as much as multiplayer does.

The Campaign – Unfinished & Uninspired

Even though most people come to Battlefield for the multiplayer, it’s worth talking about Battlefield 6’s campaign for a minute. It’s positioned as a prologue to the larger conflict you participate in online, which is a nice framing device that makes playing the campaign meaningful. However, the story is very carefully crafted so it doesn’t stir up any negative reception online. 

You play as an American marine squad, Dagger 1-3, as they act around the globe under the banner of NATO. In Battlefield 6, NATO and a paramilitary group named Pax Armata fight around the world. One fights for order, the other for freedom. But neither is comprised of clear nationalities, ideologies, or opinions that could be considered controversial in 2025. 

The campaign serves as a tutorial for the game’s four classes, and you’ll complete it in about 6 hours, potentially unlocking a few multiplayer cosmetics. As a standalone story, however, it doesn’t do a good job at illustrating why you’re fighting, who you’re fighting, and why you’re supposed to care for any of it. 

It’s unfortunate because a lot of the levels also feel disjointed, giving the impression that story missions were cut out last minute. If you’re planning on picking up Battlefield 6 for its story, don’t. There are many other military shooters out there with bold, creative stories that will scratch that itch for you.

The Multiplayer – Recapturing the Essence of Battlefield

After several attempts to mimic other popular shooters on the market, Battlefield 6 goes back to the series’ roots. There are 4 classes for you to choose from in multiplayer: Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon. Each is specialised in a specific aspect of battle, allowing each 32-player team to have a diverse roster of characters. 

One difference here is that classes aren’t locked into using unique weapon categories in most modes. You can use any weapon you want with any class you want, but Battlefield 6 will still reward you for using your class-specific weapons. It’s a balance that allows for freedom but rewards those who play the game ‘as intended’. 

At launch, the game is very conservative with its cosmetics, so we couldn’t review the full range of skins in Battlefield 6. As time goes on and players unlock more visual customisation options, the battlefield may look very different compared to how it looks in October of 2025.

Diverse Selection of Maps and Modes

After Battlefield 2042 tried to implement 128-player maps, this game takes it down a notch. EA and Battlefield Studios correctly assumed that 128-player maps just aren’t fun. 

There are too many people running around maps that are not well-designed to support such massive battles. The 64-player design has become a sweet spot for the franchise, and Battlefield 6 fully embraces it. With maps and modes ranging from 64-player to 16-player designs, there is something for every type of player here. 

If you’re looking for a classic Battlefield experience, Conquest and Rush modes have you covered. Players who want fast, exciting matches that focus on eliminations can choose Team Deathmatch or any number of its variations to get their fill. Battlefield 6 aims to provide everyone with the type of experience they’d enjoy, and it mostly succeeds in that regard. 

Matches can still be over too quickly, and moment-to-moment gameplay can feel too fast compared to earlier Battlefield titles. But it’s a sign of the times, as other online shooters embraced this type of gameplay and Battlefield had to follow along to provide modern games with the most optimal experience.

Building your Perfect Weapons

Battlefield 6 launches with 45 weapons. With each class being able to use every weapon, this feels like a much larger selection compared to previous titles. You have your standard assortment of assault rifles, SMGs, LMGs, and snipers here. 

Certain weapons act as gadgets this time around, such as shotguns, allowing you to use them even if you prefer a different weapon as your primary choice. Battlefield 6 features individual levelling for every weapon, meaning you’ll need to unlock attachments and specific skins or badges by using each weapon separately. 

This can be a bit of a grind as the game encourages you to use a single weapon instead of experimenting. Why would you switch to a new one you just unlocked if your current weapon is level 30 with all of the attachments unlocked? 

We’re confident Battlefield Studios will continue to tweak how weapons work over the coming months and years, so this is just the current state of affairs. Otherwise, weapons feel very fun to use, and each one feels unique, so you’ll definitely find your favourites quickly. 

Slow and Unintuitive Progression

Besides weapon progression, Battlefield 6 also rewards you with gadgets, skins, and player customisation items as you rank up. The system is imperfect at the moment because it heavily relies on challenges. 

Although daily and weekly challenges offer manageable tasks for you to tackle, class-specific challenges are another story. Many of these challenges are highly situational, and you’ll have a difficult time making any progress. For example, the Assault class has a challenge that requires you to do 2,000 points of damage in a single life. Not in a single game, in a single life. 

Halo Infinite is a title that used a similar progression mechanic, and it was quickly swapped for a more intuitive system because the public outcry was just so loud. To make matters worse, Battlefield 6 locks specific weapons, gadgets, and player skins behind these challenges. 

So, until Battlefield Studios updates how they work, you’ll have to focus on the more manageable daily and weekly challenges instead. It’s not a big deal as the developers have already stated they’re reworking the system, and they’ve been very vocal about listening to the community on the game’s Reddit page.

The Visuals – The Frostbite Engine Impresses Once Again

Battlefield 6 runs on the Frostbite engine, and Battlefield Studios has done a remarkable job with it. We tested the game on the base PlayStation 5 model, which features several graphics modes for you to choose from. As it’s primarily an online shooter, however, you’ll want the highest possible framerate to keep up with other players. 

This means that anything other than the Performance mode at 60 FPS shouldn’t be an option. The game’s performance is buttery smooth even on day one, with only a few visual glitches appearing during hectic combat scenarios. With fully destructible maps and 64-player mayhem, the fact that the game runs as well as it does is nothing short of commendable. While this does mean the game runs at 1280p, it really doesn’t matter when it comes to chaotic battles on large maps.

While the environments are not as destructible as they were in Battlefield: Bad Company 2, for example, they still do a good job at bringing the series to a point where most people would consider it peaked. The visuals complement the snappy input, as you’ll always feel in control of your movement and aiming. 

Battlefield 6 simply feels good to play, and it’s the highest praise you could give to an online shooter in 2025. From a technical perspective, the game lets you install and delete specific parts of Battlefield 6 on demand, allowing you to manage your console’s storage better. For example, you can safely delete the campaign once you’re done with it. It’s a welcome feature as the game will continue to grow in size with new content over time.

The Audio – Frighteningly Realistic Sounds on the Battlefield

Battlefield games were always atmospheric, with gunfire, explosions, and callouts happening all around you. With Battlefield 6, the developers have done an outstanding job at bringing you into the game with a realistic surround sound design. 

You’ll always intuitively understand what direction you’re hearing noises from, such as guns or footsteps appearing just around the corner. At the same time, callouts appear both automatically for the whole team as well as locally based on who you’re close to. 

Support players will announce ammo drops, wounded players will request medics, and snipers will mark enemies and inform you about their positions. It all comes together organically and allows you to get immersed in your environment, whether you’re playing in an urban map filled with buildings or a mountain range with plenty of playground for snipers and aerial vehicles. 

One notable omission is regarding the series’s classic theme music. Recent Battlefield games have shied away from using it verbatim, choosing electronic variations instead. Battlefield 6 is the same, as you won’t hear the classic theme ‘just as you remember it’, but rather its modernised remix. 

Music as a whole fades into the background in this game as it’s never the primary focus, only appearing during the final minutes of matches or during scripted campaign sequences.

The Future is Bright – Battlefield 6’s Season 1 Roadmap

The launch of Battlefield 6 is only the beginning. Like most online shooters, it already features a roadmap shared by the developers. Season 1, packed with new maps, weapons, and special modes, arrives on October 28th, 2025. 

In many ways, this will be the game’s first true test, as we have no way of knowing how the monetisation system works right now. Season 1 will come with a Battle Pass for players to unlock new content with, so the community is holding its breath that EA won’t over-monetise the game just as it gained so much goodwill. 

On the other hand, this is a good sign, as Battlefield V and 2042 struggled to maintain a steady pace of content post-launch. Battlefield 6 is positioned to be one of the best games in the series if its current trajectory continues.

Conclusion – Should you play Battlefield 6?

Battlefield 6 is a great game with the potential to become even better over time. With the recent news of EA’s acquisition, no one can tell what the future holds for this or any other franchise in EA’s catalogue. 

For now, this is a competent, rewarding, and fun military shooter grounded in realism and sandbox mayhem. It features a diverse selection of maps, modes, and weapons for you to use, as well as fully destructible environments to play around with. 

While the story is nothing to write home about, nobody really plays Battlefield for its campaign. Treat it as little more than a tutorial for the multiplayer, and you’ll walk away satisfied, ready to jump into online skirmishes. If you’ve never played Battlefield before but love other online shooters on the market, Battlefield 6 might just convince you to switch camps. 

It’s much faster than its predecessors, which, funnily enough, might dissuade older series fans from picking it up. The fact remains: Battlefield is back, and it’s back with a bang. Battlefield 6 is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Big thanks to Bandai Namco EU for sponsoring our review!