Huge Player Numbers in Open Beta
Battlefield 6’s open beta launched this weekend for just two days, and it’s already a massive hit. Over 500,000 players are playing at the same time on Steam, with a peak of 521,079 players. That’s the highest number ever for any Battlefield game. It even beat every Call of Duty game in player count, ranking 18th among all Steam games. The only other first-person shooter games in that list are Counter-Strike and two battle royale games, PUBG and Apex Legends. Call of Duty’s best, Modern Warfare 2, sits lower at number 20, and that was almost three years ago.
Why the Game Is a Hit
The game’s success is clear. Players love it, and the developers made smart choices, like making the game work on modest computers and splitting downloads into smaller parts. Unlike older Battlefield games, which weren’t on Steam for their betas, this one’s performance is easy to track. Some players had to wait up to 30 minutes to join because 250,000 others were ahead of them. Many say the beta runs better than the final versions of the last two Battlefield games.
Is Battlefield Back for Good?
But is Battlefield back for good? It’s too early to say. Some games, like Battlefield 2042, had strong betas but lost players at launch. That game started with 150,000 players in its beta but dropped to just over 100,000 later. Right now, Call of Duty’s reputation is slipping, with the recent Black Ops 7 reveal getting bad reactions. This might push more players to try Battlefield 6, even if they don’t usually play shooters.
Breaking Records Beyond Playing
The game’s popularity isn’t just in playing. On Twitch, 870,000 people watched Battlefield 6, more than double the viewership of the last Battlefield game, which hit 350,000. Even a former Blizzard executive praised the game.
Get in on the Action
Battlefield 6 comes out on October 6, 2025, for PC and consoles. The open beta ends tomorrow, so if you want to try it, now’s your chance. It might just make you love this type of game.
Pre-Order: https://www.ea.com/