The Battlefield 6 open beta has been proving to all the naysayers and out of touch corporate executives that a vast majority of gamers are desperate for a return to what made the open warfare FPS genre so beloved to begin with; Realistic weapons and gear, destructible environments, anti-cheat programs, dedicated servers, quality matchmaking, and a whole lot of fun!
According to the Battlefield Bulletin on X, the BF6 open beta is exceeding expectations on all fronts, with an unbelievable concurrent player count on Steam of over 500,000. It’s only a beta and it’s already in the top 20 highest concurrent player counts in steam history. Not only that, but it has overtaken Call of Duty‘s highest concurrent player count which speaks volumes to the multiplayer FPS fans’ desperation for a quality combat title grounded in realism and functional squad mechanics.
These numbers are only according to Steam’s concurrent player count as well, meaning that the beta players on console could be even more impressive, though Call of Duty may be in the same boat due to its inclusions on Game Pass and Battle.net, which likely caused a lower Steam count.
Regardless, the numbers are assuredly impressive and mark a triumphant return for the storied franchise of superb gunplay and destruction after the most recent release, Battlefield 2042 failing to meet player expectations.
Funny enough, even former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra is betting against his former stomping grounds as he publicly shared his support for his previous competitor, with hopes that this will be the kick in the rear that turns Call of Duty around. It says a lot about a company when even the people with vested interests start to entirely lose faith in the process and product.
The Battlefield 6 beta became the most-played game in the entire series on Steam on the very first day that it became available when it was only available to members of the Battlefield Labs program. It’s now reached five times the number of peak concurrent players for BF 2042, once again showing that fans want something more familiar and grounded.
If you’re interested in getting in on the action, Electronic Arts are going to run another open beta from August 14th through August 17th, and if you visit EA’s website, they have shared instructions on how to gain access. The full game is set to release on October 10th and will hopefully shake up the genre and send a message to the other giants of the industry that fans are getting burnt out on cartoon skins and battle passes. Time will tell, but I remain hopeful for the future of the genre and the industry.
