Battlefield 6: What I learned from Early Access 

Battlefield 6 has now been experienced by yours truly, and I have some notes: With the first Open Beta weekend arriving directly after the Early Access period, select maps and modes were temporarily opened up for full-on chaos as players new and old flooded EA’s servers. 

Hopefully, the experience was useful for EA, but I’ve certainly learned a few things from playing and absorbing all the news around the period. Being immersed in BF6 for a decent amount of hours over four days, I have a clearer understanding of how big the game can be. But I’ve also seen a few things that have given me pause for thought. 

First, a bit of housekeeping. After the multiplayer reveal, I jumped across to Twitch to get an early access key as a ‘drop’. That granted me the Early Access Beta, which started on August 7. The Menus were open a couple of days before it kicked off, and I was in around half an hour early on the 7th, watching the clock tick down to go time.

Across the Early Access (August 7-9) and the first Open Beta dates (August 9-11), I played just over 15 hours, achieving rank 16 and unlocking a fair amount of weapon customisations. I also played for long enough that I started to understand a little about the available maps. That was a boost, too, knowing advantageous tactical positions positively impacted my gameplay. More on that later.

A quick word on performance: I was concerned about my system specs for BF6. I run a Ryzen 7 5800X and an RTX 3060 12GB. So nothing too powerful. I briefly considered a frames counter, but having launched into a match without one and being happy, I didn’t look back. Perhaps I’ll have a deeper look at this in the next Open Beta, but I will say that the only dip in frames I noticed was at the very start of a match as players loaded into the HQ area. 

My settings were on ‘Auto’ (Low for most options), and everything appeared to run smoothly and look good. Nothing experience-breaking occurred, although I did receive two errors across the four days when attempting to load into the game, which isn’t unexpected in Early Access or a first Open Beta. 

As someone who’s not been interested in Battlefield V or 2042, I skipped both games. But as an avid BF3/4 player, BF6 looks and feels very familiar to the modern-styled Battlefield heyday. It’s probably how my nostalgic memories tell me BF3 was, except there’s literally no way that’s the case. But my familiarity is the best compliment I can pay, since it’s a point of record that BF6 draws from similar stock. 

As soon as I jumped into my first match, almost everything I expected was where I thought it would be. No flailing around for mouse and keyboard settings, no wondering what I needed to do to help my squad or team. Even the classes were as expected. Older Battlefield heads will surely find joy in BF6.

I enjoyed my time across the four days of limited access to BF6, but not everyone agrees on everything. That’s fine, and there’s fairness in some of the points I spotted on Reddit user Italian_G36’s post Does something feel off about this game?. 

They cite the following points: Time To Death is too quick; it’s “too much like a triple-A shooter”; it feels like a “Hollywood movie” and not a war; it’s fun but soulless; and a view that a lack of non-English chatter diminishes authenticity. 

I’ve picked this post because these feel like the main negative points that can be levelled at Battlefield 6. Truthfully, I don’t disagree with a lot of this. BF6 does feel more like a shooter and less like a war raging on. It does feel a little more on the Call of Duty side of things in some respects, but…I was expecting that. EA is targeting mass appeal, and as much as some players won’t prefer it, bigger explosions, rapid gameplay, streamlined, and slick stylings were forecast. 

However, it is fair to add that only the Iberian Offensive, Liberation Peak, and Siege of Cairo maps were available for the five available game modes (Conquest, Closed Weapon Conquest, Breakthrough, Domination, King of the Hill). So there may be far more left in the tank in terms of the ‘full-scale war’ feeling. If so, this may balance the existing fast-paced and ‘Hollywood’ experience. 

As a further counterpoint, one post in the Battlefield subreddit, from a user named ChirpyNortherner, was quite refreshing about their experience. In full, it reads [SIC]: 

“I’m old, and I’m out…of this subreddit. I have had 2 nights of so much fun in a battlefield game that I’ve not had since BF3.

The game is excellent, I love the maps, graphics, TTK and immersion. The revive mechanic is 10/10.

The only problem I’m having is which squad of friends to join as everyone is playing it.

This sub is just not the place to be for people like me who are having a brilliant time, so I’m old and I’m out. Bye!” 

Not a BF6-only issue, but yes, the ‘some people just want to watch the world burn’ examples were at it again. Although it’s hard to know for sure if you’re a victim when your reflexes are a little diminished (mine? never…), EA quickly confirmed cheaters were found in Early Access. This news is despite the game’s anti-cheat measures. 

According to EA (Per IGN), there were 40,000 reports of cheaters on day one of Early Access, and 60,000 on day two. However, it’s also reported that 330,000 potential cheaters were locked out due to attempts to tamper with the required secure boot process. Cheating sucks, of course, but at least EA is upfront about being at work on the issue. 

Still, one post by X user ItsHapa, now viewed more than eight million times, shows a player using a cheat allowing them to see allies and enemies through walls. As reports of hip-fire aimbots have also surfaced, here’s hoping everyone, and EA especially, remains vigilant. Kernel-level anti-cheat isn’t a silver bullet. And sadly, this is probably the least surprising part of my Early Access and the first Open Beta experience. 

The hype for Battlefield 6 is undeniable. If anyone wasn’t sure, the game had thousands of players just sitting around in the menus before early access began. Even on the first day of Early Access, there was evidence of queues for server space. At one point, having left and returned to the game, I was in a queue of more than 1,000. However, it was only about 30 seconds until I was in. 

Bigger queues emerged during the Open Beta on August 9, and I found myself in a queue position above 200,000. I had to wait a little, but only a few minutes. What’s equally telling are the numbers from Steam Charts, showing a peak of more than 518,000 peak players in BF6 over the Open Beta, with an average of 192,000. Despite the jokey nonsense I saw some people type into in-game chat about BF6 being a ‘dead game’, it’s showing phenomenal pulling power.

A bit of a sore point this one, but having played the game, I now feel that class-locked weapons won’t add much. Maybe I’ve softened my position because it’s nice to have access to any weapons with any class (and the clear loadout menu is very helpful, by the way), but there are still penalties for choosing a sniper rifle as the Assault class, or an LMG as a Recon. So why would you? Maybe you’re keen on hard mode, I guess. 

In any case, a ‘Closed Weapon Conquest’ mode was available in both Early Access and the first Open Beta. And I actually didn’t play it once. It feels like a nice-to-have, and I do wonder if it’ll be kept for the full release as an option…or whether Battlefield Portal will be the home for that particular parameter. 

While we’re on the class conversation, the progressive signature trait mechanic feels natural and positive. Being rewarded for proficiency on the battlefield, and boosted with additional class abilities (a UAV for recon, better defensive stats for support, recon headshots being fatal, etc) does feel rewarding. Once I feel at home with them, I’m sure I’ll like them even more.

For those wondering or concerned, BF6 thankfully still rewards overall battlefield performance and not just PVP. So rest assured, resupplies, resuscitations, repairs, and helpful reconnaissance all demonstrably add to your XP and progression. That’s helpful for players looking for a way to help their team win beyond a godly KD ratio, and it helped me as a player whose PVP reflexes are…well, you get me. 

Even better, it’s clear that learning the map and mechanics does allow you to tactically plan a route to victory with a willing squad or team. Brilliant news for tactical competitive gaming because whether you’re looking to win a clean and quick game of Breakthrough or dominate a conquest match, well-placed and well-attended tanks, nimble squads, and control of chokepoints matter. As do class actions. Of course, if faster-paced infantry PVP is more your thing, King of the Hill and Domination will be there as options.

Ultimately, I enjoyed my time in Early Access and the first Open Beta, and for me, that’s clearly what counts. Battlefield 6 is walking a tightrope between a fabled heritage and a bright new future. At this stage, it appears to be doing it pretty well for a lot of players. It’s also handling issues like class weapons and tactical battlefield play with the attention they deserve. 

While we’re still nearly two months out from the full release date, refinements will undoubtedly be made. But for me, the greatest issue right now would be reports of cheating, even if I don’t know whether it’s impacted me. Based on the content I’ve seen, BF6 is in a solid place. I don’t know if I want to part with $70 just yet, though, and I think more play time is required.