Battlefield 6 — hands-on report

Battlefield 6 has made its debut, with Electronic Arts providing the first big look at its sprawling first-person shooter, including hands-on with its often-enormous multiplayer mode. I engaged the enemy across four of the nine maps Battlefield 6 will include at launch, which took us through a range of battles: from the vehicle-filled All-Out Warfare modes, to smaller, close-quarters battles.

The franchise heads back to its roots with Battlefield 6, serving as a sort of spiritual successor to Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4. It uses a modern setting of 2027 and, like the games it draws inspiration from, sees the return of character classes to the series—but with new twists on the old formulas.

Battlefield 6 hits PS5 on October 10, but you don’t have to wait that long—there are also open beta weekends this August  so you can try out the game’s new tricks yourself.

Here’s everything from my boots-on-the-ground experience in Battlefield 6.

Character classes

Battlefield 6 brings back the class system that players know and love, but with adjustments that let you further dial in your specialty. The new Training system is Battlefield 6’s take on subclasses, expanding on the Specializations of Battlefield 3 and Field Upgrades of Battlefield 4.

Classes also get buffs as you “level up” through a match by supporting teammates, defeating opponents, and playing objectives, which further amp up the things that make them unique. Eventually, they can charge up a special ability that’s specific to their Training.

Assault — The run-and-gun class wields an assault rifle and combat stims, and with the Frontliner training, gains faster health regeneration, more stimulants, and more accuracy while moving.

Recon — Best known for long-range shots and spotting enemy movement. The Sniper training marks enemies seen through your scope more quickly and for longer, while sniper shots stop enemy healing. Meanwhile, headshots drop enemies with a single round, without the possibility of being revived by a teammate.

Engineer — The only class that can repair vehicles can also be a real menace to them, as well as to other infantry. The Anti-Armor training lets you wreck vehicles with extra rockets that also reduce their repair effectiveness.

Support — The classic defensive class is a little more than a revive machine in Battlefield 6. Specializing in light machine guns, you can also place temporary cover and drop ammo for your teammates. The Combat Medic training also lets you dish out health for allies and regenerates health while you’re reviving teammates. 

Closed and open weapons — Classes get a signature weapon and specific gadgets, but whether weapons are open or closed depends on the playlist you’re playing. On closed playlists, you can only use certain weapons with certain classes. But on open playlists, you can swap to anything that works for you.

Tactical destruction

Map destruction is one of Battlefield’s defining features, but in Battlefield 6, destroying chunks of the map is part of your strategy and a weapon to use against the enemy.

Blast a path — Thin obstacles like doors or windows can be crashed through or blasted apart to open a line of fire. You can also level walls with grenades or a handy sledgehammer. 

Emphasis on “tactical” — Thomas Andersson, Creative Director of the Battlefield Franchise, explained that destruction in Battlefield 6 is meant to be somewhat predictable so you can make use of it in firefights. Destroying the floor beneath your opponents or bringing a building down on their heads are viable strategies that are satisfying to pull off.

Bring down the house — Standing in a building that’s coming down around you is shockingly loud and intense, but I couldn’t look away from Battlefield 6’s beautiful devastation. The best part, though, is finding cover in the rubble to continue the fight as the map changes around you.

Kinesthetic combat

Battlefield 6 makes firefights more dynamic and adaptive with the addition of the Kinesthetic Combat System.

Peek and lean — Walk up to any corner in Battlefield 6 and you’ll get a contextual prompt that lets you hold R1 to lean out and fire, and lean back into cover when you let go, providing new tactical options in close-quarters engagements.

No one left behind — Reviving comrades isn’t just a matter of holding down the Square button and hoping nobody shoots you. Now you can drag a downed teammate out of the line of fire while you revive them. As a dedicated medic fan, being able to pull a buddy out of danger saved my own life a few times, too.

Hitch a ride — Vehicles never seem to have enough seats, but you can grab onto the outside of tanks or trucks to hitch a ride and stick with your squad.

Fight the recoil — Battlefield developers said they know a lot of players don’t really know how to compensate for the recoil of most guns, but it’s a skill that can win firefights. Kinesthetic Combat telegraphs information about recoil by tilting your gun in the direction it moves as it fires, so you can learn to keep your shots on target—possibly without even realizing the game was teaching you.

Maps

The four maps I fought through gave a sense of Battlefield 6’s scale, as well as the intensity of its smaller locales. Battlefield 6’s more massive maps include locations within them called Combat Zones, which are smaller, carefully designed engagement areas that can also function as maps on their own for the game’s different modes.

Liberation Peak — An enormous mountainside battlefield that’s great for vehicles of all kinds and excellent for snipers, especially once you start leveling buildings to create new, tough-to-spot positions.

Siege of Cairo — A dense city where the fighting is fierce, and buildings are constantly at risk of being reduced to rubble. Siege of Cairo is big enough for tanks and vehicles, but also packs a Combat Zone where you’ll need to check your corners and keep on the move.

Empire State — This infantry-only map takes the fighting to the streets of Brooklyn, pushing squads into open streets and tight alleyways. A shotgun is excellent for tight interiors, but make sure you’re checking the floors above you.

Iberian Offensive — Gibraltar is home to some winding streets and quaint shops that make for hardscrabble advances through tight pathways, but with plenty of walls to wreck to expose the enemy.

Modes

The modes I played were broken up across Battlefield’s classic All-Out Warfare modes and two modes designed for smaller maps.

Squad Deathmatch — Four squads compete in close-quarters combat on smaller maps in this revival of the mode from Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Working together, balancing your classes, and staying in constant communication are essential.

Domination — Infantry battle over three control points, making for a series of push-and-pull firefights in close quarters.

Conquest — Battlefield’s iconic All-Out Warfare mode finds two teams fighting to control points across the map, with huge armies and all available vehicles. Things can get chaotic and overwhelming, but just remember: Play the objective.

Breakthrough — Attackers try to push forward across Battlefield 6’s big maps in this All-Out Warfare mode, dominating it sector by sector, while defenders do everything they can to stop them.

With Battlefield 6, Battlefield Studios and EA are revitalizing some of the best elements of the series, while dialing up the devastation to levels it’s never reached before. You really haven’t played Battlefield until you’ve watched a tank shell collapse a building while you’re standing in it.

But you can experience it all for yourself, and soon. You can join Battlefield 6’s open beta on two weekends this month: August 9-10 and August 14-17. The full game launches on October 10.