Regardless of how much Battlefield 6 has leaned more into Call of Duty-style design with faster movement and tighter map design, it is still a Battlefield game at the end of the day, and if there's anything that can prove that, it's when a dedicated Call of Duty player attempted to join a game during Battlefield 6's open beta with no or limited prior experience in the franchise. As of August 18, Battlefield 6's open beta servers have officially shut down, meaning the event has now come to an end. However, over the course of its two beta weekends, Call of Duty players who thought they'd feel right at home in the game might have gotten a wake-up call they didn't expect.
If Battlefield were just like Call of Duty, there would almost be no point to it. In some ways, Battlefield might echo its younger sibling in some broad ways as the two franchises compete for attention, but it still generally has the scale, gunplay, and map design that Call of Duty games take a vastly different approach to. Battlefield 6 is no exception either, as it has presumably put the skills of some of the most experienced Call of Duty players to the test, despite persistent complaints that it has made some small changes to accommodate those players.
Battlefield 6 Feels Different in Ways That Challenge Call of Duty Players
Different Gunplay Demands Different Skills
One of the primary ways Battlefield 6 has likely challenged Call of Duty players is with its distinct gunplay. While Call of Duty can be difficult when new or casual players are matched up against the hardcore elite, it has still proven to be a far more accessible experience than Battlefield. For the most part, someone who has never played a Call of Duty game before can pick one up and feel somewhat successful fairly quickly. Battlefield has almost always been a different story, however, and a lot of this comes down to its gunplay — especially that of Battlefield 6.
As Battlefield global community manager Kevin Johnson so eloquently put it in a recent post on X in response to another post comparing Battlefield 6's rotational aim assist with Call of Duty's, "YOU are the skill." Whereas Call of Duty's aim assist does a lot of the work for players, Battlefield 6 is a bit more punishing. This might not seem like a big deal at first, but for Call of Duty players who are used to a little more hand-holding when they're aiming down sights, the difference can be quite jarring. This can prove especially true during fast and intense engagements with other players.
Movement and Map Design Punish CoD Reflexes
Something else that has likely felt punishing to Call of Duty players is Battlefield 6's movement and map design. While Battlefield 6 has notably leaned more into the fast pace Call of Duty games are known for, it has created tension with the traditional Battlefield design still at its core, potentially leaving Call of Duty players torn between the familiar and the unfamiliar. Battlefield 6's unique emphases (like vehicles, destructible environments, and large maps) have likely forced players to slow down and adapt, while those relying on their Call of Duty reflexes have presumably felt the pain. The result would be, then, a beta experience that highlighted how much Battlefield 6 resists being played like Call of Duty, even when it adopts some of its speed and intensity.
Of course, experienced Call of Duty players are still more likely to perform better than those jumping into the Battlefield franchise for the first time with the sixth entry, especially given Battlefield 6's increased accessibility for Call of Duty veterans. Even so, the transition still requires some big adjustments from that community, which ultimately hinges on the willingness to do so. In other words, Battlefield 6 has likely printed a massive bullseye on the stubbornness of its biggest competitor's followers, strongly suggesting they either adapt or move on.
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
