Battlefield 6 is set to be the next game in the war-based multiplayer franchise and the first Battlefield game to make a proper next-generation debut on the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Details are very thin on the ground, but it’s set for a “Holiday 2021” release. And there’s already a fair bit of speculation as to what the game could contain and its next wartime setting.
We’re expecting developer Dice, under the watchful eye of publisher EA to bring in a new game engine flush with features and systems that really tap into the power of the latest PC hardware and the new games consoles.
So read on for everything we know, and indeed don’t know, about Battlefield 6.
Battlefield 6 release date
There’s no firmed-up release date for Battlefield 6. Heck, even that name isn’t confirmed, though we’ll roll with it. But in an earnings call back in November 2020, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said that a new Battlefield game will be coming “Holiday 2021.”
That’s a nebulous description for a timeframe between November and December this year. We’d suspect it will come out mid-November time, giving plenty of time for people to get the game and for EA to iron out any multiplayer issues before the winter holidays fully kick in. But before that, we should expect to hear a lot more about Battlefield 6.
In a more recent EA earnings call, Wilson said: “We will reveal the game in the spring and deliver the defining Battlefield experience for our players in the 2021 holiday season.”
And a more recent tip from games journalist Jeff Grubb has Battlefield 6 slated to a reveal in May. That’s late Spring and just ahead of a time when E3 would normally be held. So a May reveal for Battlefield 6 would seem reasonably logical.
Battlefield 6 trailer
There has been no dedicated trailer for Battlefield 6. But EA did release a teaser at its Play 2020 event last year, which showcased the tech behind Dragon Age 4 and a future Battlefield game.
The trailer shows off a brief clip of soldiers on what could be a beach. And another shows off the bare model of a face with a second shot revealing what that face looks like when it’s been fully colored and textured.
What we can glean from this is Battlefield 6 will likely support large battles with multiple players and NPCs. And that there will be an upgrade in the graphics fidelity over older Battlefield games, which were by no means ugly.
Battlefield 6 setting and gameplay
If we go by what can be seen in the trailer, there’s a good chance that Battlefield 6 will be set in the Second World War, much like Battlefield 5 was but on a larger scale. If you look carefully, you can see the rifle carried by the soldiers in the trailer is the M1 Garland, the standard issue rifle for U.S. GIs during World War II.
Then again, Dice might want to vary the setting, as the last two Battlefield games covered WWI and WW II. There’s a good chance Battlefield could return to the present-day, near-future, or a sci-fi setting. At the moment all we have are guesses as there’s been scant information for what we can expect from Battlefield 6’s setting.
According to leaker TheLongSensation, Battlefield 6 could be a reboot of Battlefield 3, which is set in the present day. But that would mean competing more closely with the Call of Duty franchise, which isn’t ideal.
On the game mechanics front, we can expect Battlefield 6 to be an evolution of its predecessor with large multiplayer battles fought over control points and across varied maps with different structures and terrain features. We’d also expect to see a battle royale mode, and maps festooned with vehicles, gun emplacements, and interesting routes to navigate to get the drop on the enemy.
It’s tricky to predict if Battlefield 6 will bring a great deal to mix-up the rather established formula of the series. But we’d like to see something done to refresh it; maybe naval battles or close-quarter battles taking place in submarines or in fortresses.
In technical terms, we’d expect Battlefield 6 to come with a myriad of options for PC gamers, with comprehensive support for the likes of ray tracing and ultra widescreen displays. While on the PS5 and Xbox Seires X side, we’d expect to see some form of ray tracing, the ability to have high-refresh-rate display modes and super-fast loading times.
In the latest earnings call, Wilson said Battlefield 6 “takes full advantage of the power of next-generation platforms to bring massive and immersive battles to life with more players than ever.”
That suggests the game will be designed with the new console hardware in mind, preventing it from being bottlenecked by older hardware, though we’d expect the PS4 and Xbox One to still run it.
We’d also like to see support for cross-platform multiplayer, a larger suite of game modes, support for cinematic sound like Dolby Atmos, and even larger battles supporting more than 100 players. Whatever, Dice does it will need to ensure it moved the needle when it comes to the next Battlefield game.
Battlefield 6 outlook
A new Battlefield game for a new generation of games console and hardware is an exciting prospect. Even if Battlefield 6 simply iterates upn the franchise’s existing formula then it should be worthy of attention.
But long-term, we’re hoping Dice brings a good bit to the table, with plenty of different modes and game elements for players old and new to explore. If Dice can pull this off, it could have a game that will be with us not only in the early days of the PS5 and Xbox Seires X, but right through to their twilight years.
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