Regardless of whether you enjoy military shooters, if you have any interest in video games, you will have likely heard about Battlefield 6 in recent weeks. Its open beta has been hugely successful, breaking Battlefield franchise records and leading to a huge increase in Battlefield 6 pre-orders. Though there have been complaints about map size, the main menu's design, and so on, overall fans seem to be hugely positive on the game and are looking forward to its full release. And for EA as well as Battlefield Studios, the timing of this success couldn’t have been any better.
The early access portion of Battlefield 6’s open beta began on August 7, which just so happened to be the exact same day that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s fifth season dropped. While there was certainly still some interest in Reckoning, the finale of Black Ops 6 Zombies’ story, there’s no denying that Battlefield 6 captured the majority of the shooter community’s attention. Though Call of Duty has been described as “too big to fail” by Activision, through some well-thought-out release dates, it’s clear that Battlefield has gained more ground than its competition may have expected. Not only is it set to repeat this trick, but if it wanted to, it could play dirty to really undermine Call of Duty.
Black Ops 6’s Final Season Will Have to Contend With Battlefield 6’s Full Launch
Based on the in-game countdown for the Black Ops 6 Season 5 battle pass, its sixth and final season would begin on October 9 - just one day before the launch of Battlefield 6 on October 10. Considering that Zombies content will likely be limited to minor additions like a new perk, and at best rumored content like classic mode, this season is already at a disadvantage. Whatever is added for multiplayer and the hit battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone will have to be massive and exciting, because if it is not, Call of Duty is risking Battlefield further encroaching on its territory.
Unless Black Ops 7 releases on October 9 instead of another Black Ops 6 season — which is highly unlikely — Call of Duty will be letting Battlefield take the first shot. This is a risky decision, as based on the response to its beta, it’s clear that a lot of FPS fans enjoy BF6 even on an older build that needs polish. If Battlefield 6 meets expectations like it’s seemingly poised to do, players could simply make it their go-to FPS game for the foreseeable future, skipping Call of Duty this time around and putting Black Ops 7 in a difficult position. Considering how Treyarch and Raven are in a position where they need to release back-to-back CoD titles, they likely need all the time they can get, so it’s hard to imagine Black Ops 7 releasing on October 9. Instead, it’ll likely be BO6 season 6 that drops on that date - meaning that Battlefield 6 will completely overshadow two new CoD seasons in a row.
Black Ops 7 launching day one with Game Pass means it will undoubtedly have a very big player base even if Battlefield 6 eats into its actual sales numbers.
Battlefield 6 Could Ruin Call of Duty’s Big Multiplayer Reveal
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to get its first multiplayer trailer during Gamescom Opening Night Live, and there will likely be a COD Next announced like other years after this trailer. Based on past years, this event would likely take place near the end of August - just a few weeks after Battlefield 6’s beta has gone offline. If Battlefield Studios really wants to take shots at Call of Duty, it could suddenly reactivate its beta during CoD’s big show, pushing gamers to play Battlefield instead of seeing all BO7 has to offer. It could even include different content, such as:
- A large map, as Battlefield 6’s beta maps have come under fire from longtime fans for being too small.
- A different suite of weapons, as Battlefield 6 is confirmed to have far more guns at launch than the beta has offered thus far.
- A taste of Battlefield 6’s battle royale mode, as being able to play it early would surely bring in lots of attention.
A surprise beta relaunch during Call of Duty’s big information blowout would be a savage move on Battlefield Studios’ part, and it would undoubtedly reignite the rivalry between the two properties. For fans, Battlefield and Call of Duty being at each others’ throats could only be seen as a positive, as their competition would see them pushing each other to release better content instead of either series resting on its laurels. Even without this hypothetical scenario, Battlefield has been quite clever, as it has already overshadowed one important date for Call of Duty and will soon do the same to another.
Battlefield 6
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- October 10, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-App Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Battlefield Studios
- Publisher(s)
- EA
WHERE TO PLAY
The ultimate all-out warfare experience. Fight in high-intensity infantry combat. Rip through the skies in aerial dogfights. Demolish your environment for a strategic advantage. Harness complete control over every action and movement using the Kinesthetic Combat System. In a war of tanks, fighter jets, and massive combat arsenals, the deadliest weapon is your squad. This is Battlefield 6.
MULTIPLAYER
Victory, however you envision it. Battlefield 6 has more ways to win than ever before. Seize glory in iconic, large-scale modes including Conquest, Breakthrough, and Rush. Jump into fast-paced action with King of the Hill, Domination, and Payload. Change the rules of war with the revamped and refined Battlefield Portal. Fight in iconic locations all over the world including Cairo, Brooklyn, Gibraltar and more.
GLOBAL SCALE CAMPAIGN
Campaign is back. Drive tanks across the Sahara. Storm the beaches of Gibraltar. Defend New York from invasion. Join an elite squad of Marine Raiders fighting relentlessly to save a world on the edge of collapse.
PORTAL
Redraw the lines of battle. Battlefield Portal is a massive sandbox where creators and players can push Battlefield to the limit. Take unprecedented control of your environment by moving, scaling, and duplicating objects. Create a completely unique game mode using NPC scripting and a customizable UI. Legendary Battlefield experiences are waiting to be created—show ‘em what you’re made of.
