There’s only one game on the lips of multiplayer FPS fans this week: Battlefield 6. The latest addition to the franchise has been rapid-firing trailers and teasing content for the game. Still, the general public is finally getting their hands on it with two weekend open betas this month, which are available to pre-install now.
The first takes place this weekend, with general access opening on all platforms at 6pm AEST on Saturday, August 9. Don’t expect imminent access since tens of thousands of players are already queuing to join days ahead of the launch.
For those who miss out, a second open beta weekend will run a few days later, with general access from 6pm AEST on Thursday, August 14. Both betas will run for two days and feature gameplay samples that will be made available in the full release on October 10.
During the beta, users can play three maps in three core modes; Conquest, Breakthrough and Closed Weapons Breakthrough. During week two, a fourth map will become available to play, plus two additional modes: Rush and Deathmatch.
The upcoming release could make or break the franchise. Early feedback from content creators and playtesters has been largely positive, but many fans are still sore from the disappointing release of the previous entry Battlefield 2042 — infamous for poor technical performance, overcomplicated loadout builds and a lack of franchise features such as destruction and class gameplay.
There’s also a wider range of competitors now, with the endlessly popular Call of Duty IP taking the spotlight of FPS releases for the past few years. Battlefield 6 design director Shashank Uchil poked fun at the prevalence of crossover content in games like Call of Duty, which now offers players the option to buy skins of everything from Snoop Dogg and Squid Game guards to Godzilla and Lionel Messi.
Uchil said in an interview with DBLTAP, “It has to be grounded. That is what BF3 and BF4 was — it was all soldiers, on the ground.” He added, “I don’t think it needs Nicki Minaj. Let’s keep it real, keep it grounded.”
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‘Battlefield 6’ will release in full on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on October 10. You can preorder it on your choice of platform here.
