So I played the first open beta weekend for Battlefield 6 and honestly, I had a blast. Raking over 12 hours playing through different game modes, maps, and testing out a bunch of weapons. Now that the first weekend is done with and as a lifelong Battlefield fan, it’s time to break it all down and share my honest thoughts on the Battlefield 6 Beta.
Battlefield 6 Review and Early Impressions
In this Battlefield 6 Review, I’ll be discussing its early impressions, gameplay, maps, weapons, soundtrack, and more. And see how it stacks up against previous entries that made the Battlefield Games, a staple for first-person shooter fans and military grunts alike.
Note: This Battlefield Review is solely based on my personal experience and views without any bias towards the game or the franchise. This is not a paid review; all the points are subject to my experience playing the game on the PlayStation 5 in its first Beta weekend. If you have any disagreements, views, or concerns, please leave them in the comments below.
Overall Gameplay Experience
Class System Breakdown
Battlefield 6 returns with the classic four-class system, including Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon. Each with its signature weapons and gadgets that define their role. Each class felt different and had a much better feel than the operators in Battlefield 2042. During the beta, I saw players helping each other with revives, ammo, and others taking down tanks and spotting enemies for the team.
While weapons are shared across all classes, I didn’t find it to be a major drawback during the beta. That said, the community is split on this choice, with some fearing it could blur class identity once the full arsenal is available. Personally, I’d prefer a more restricted system to keep each class distinct.
Weapons & Gunplay
One of the standout features of the Battlefield 6 Open Beta was its smooth, satisfying gunplay. Each weapon in Battlefield 6 felt distinct and catered to different playstyles; you could run a long-range assault rifle or customise it for close-quarter engagements, adding variety. The faster Time to Kill (TTK) was immediately noticeable with players dying super quickly without a moment to breathe between all the chaos and fights.
Assault rifles felt great, carbines delivered as expected, and machine guns were surprisingly fun to use. Each bullet ricocheting off surfaces, hitting enemy targets, or just hitting a wall, the guns feel great. Weapon recoil in Battlefield 6 is at a sweet spot with full-on weapons customisation options.
Not all weapons impressed, though. DMRs felt clunky and struggled against other gun types. I barely saw anyone using them, with a friend ditching the SVK DMR within minutes. Pistols were an even bigger letdown.
The P-19 in the beta was painfully weak, to the point where hand-to-hand combat felt more effective. Hopefully, DICE ends up buffing sidearms as they were a big part of the weapons appeal in BF3, BF4, and BF1. RPGs against infantry are super nerfed and totally need an upgrade for anti-infantry fighting.
(Make Pistols Great Again)
Maps & Modes
The Battlefield 6 Open Beta sparked plenty of debate around its maps and modes. The Battlefield 6 Open Beta hosted 3 Maps: King’s Battery (Gibraltar), Siege of Cairo, and Liberation Peak. Alongside different game modes, including Conquest, Close Conquest, Breakthrough, Domination, and King of the Hill.
King’s Battery and Siege of Cairo leaned into intense urban combat, mixing infantry action with mechanized warfare. While Liberation Peak was the all-out-warfare combined arms playground. The pacing was decent in all three, except for Liberation Peak and its countless sniper points. Each map played well in different game modes, but they do need rework for the breakthrough mode, as end objectives are kind of hard for the attackers.
I loved the verticality across all maps, giving players multiple flanking routes and plenty of cover from any vehicles or jets. Moving through these spaces with a squad adds to the realism, making the Battledifield 6 gameplay immersive.
The infantry maps stood out with their alleyways, narrow passages, and street fights. Liberation Peak stood out for its all-out war combined arms appeal, with both teams fighting for control of hillsides, small villages, and fortifications.
(Except you could see the glints of recon scopes across the entire hillside, light up like a Christmas tree.)
While the Battlefield 6 map size is a divisive topic, larger maps are still vital for keeping Battlefield’s variety alive; there needs to be more open spaces and fields for all-out warfare. As infantry fighting will get stale after some time.
Rating Battlefield 6 Open Beta Game Modes
- Conquest: 10/10
- Closed Conquest: 10/10
- Breakthrough: (8/10)
- Domination: 7/10 (Matches are over quickly, tickets drain super fast)
- King of the Hill: 6/10 ( The most disappointing one was King of the Hill; the objectives felt stale, and it was similar to domination with a moving capture point. This game mode needs a major rework for it to be fun.)
Battlefield 6 Improvements and Downgrades Over Previous Entries
Visual Upgrades
When I say Battlefield 6 is breathtaking, it is. The lighting, effects, and the overall feeling of being in a warzone. The game delivers on all points, while not requiring 100s of GBs of storage, the game still delivers a smooth experience without much framerate stutters or any other visual glitches. It is a major upgrade over the previous entry, Battlefield 2042. This is a total upgrade.
Destruction
One of the major drawbacks of the last Battlefield was its lack of destruction and environmental interactions. Battlefield 6 just upped the ante by a hundred; each map is packed with buildings and environments that can be completely destroyed. The new destruction physics are some of the best the series has seen, transforming battles into immersive warzones where once-bustling streets and buildings crumble into dust and rubble as the fight rages on. One of the most unique features, and totally an upgrade.
Sound & Effects
I am kind of disappointed when it comes to the overall sound design for Battlefield 6. Yes, every bullet fired or Tanks rolling in sounds great and matches the vibe of the match, but what Battlefield 6 lacks is a good soundtrack. There are no map loading screen themes, no good intro theme, and no other memorable soundtracks. This is a downgrade; fans still miss the soundtrack of Battlefield 4 Maps loading up, plus the ambiance of Battlefield 1 was peak for the series.
Vehicle Controls
DICE has finally gone forward with changing how the vehicles are controlled in-game. Whether you are on PC or consoles, the vehicles in Battlefield 6 are far better at controlling than any other previous entry in the series. This makes it easier for new players to learn and have fun. While in previous gam, Jets and Choppers were only used by pros who knew the ins and outs of the system, making it a steep learning curve.
On Foot Movement
The on-foot movement in Battlefield 6 is much more grounded with the true boots-on-the-ground gameplay. So far, there have been no major changes that would scream Call of Duty, apart from the very fast TTK. The movement is grounded, and players act as foot soldiers and not super soldiers; there are no unnecessary slide mechanics, double sprint, or crazy vaulting to avoid fire.
Overall, Battlefield 6 is a major upgrade over the last two entries, including Battlefield 5 and Battlefield 2042. The gameplay is much more refined, there are no visual glitches, and players can finally play the game without it crashing every 10 minutes. The Second Beta for Battlefield 6 will go live from August 14 to 17 and is a must-try for those who didn’t get the chance to play the first one.
Ranking Every Battlefield 6 Aspect from the Open Beta
| Aspects | Score (Out of 10) | Thoughts |
| Overall Gameplay | 9/10 | Smooth, grounded gameplay with classic mechanics and a return to modern combat. Class identity needs to be stronger with good gadgets and weapon restrictions. |
| Weapons and Gunplay | 8/10 | Excellent Assault Rifles, Carbines, and MGs. DMRs, SMGs, and Pistols need serious balancing. |
| Maps | 8/10 | The map variety was strong, with urban and combined arms gameplay with good verticality options, but the maps will need tweaks over time, and there have to be bigger maps for combined arms. |
| Modes | 7/10 | Conquest and Close Conquest shine; Breakthrough is solid but challenging for attackers; Domination and King of the Hill need pacing fixes. |
| Visuals & Graphics | 10/10 | Apart from the blinding world illumination effects, Battlefield 6 is one of the most graphically impressive games without heavy system demands. |
| Destruction & Environmental Interaction | 10/10 | Best in the series so far; maps dynamically change as buildings crumble, adding immersion and tactical depth. |
| Sound Design | 6/10 | The firefights and ambiance feel real, but what it lacks is a good soundtrack and score. Needs major improvements. |
| Controls & Movement | 9/10 | Both on foot & vehicle movements feel grounded without any over-the-top mechanics. |
| Overall Beta Experience | 8.5/10 | Battlefield 6 Open Beta felt like a strong return for the series with strong core gameplay and visuals, but it does need a bit more polish before its release to be a perfect Battlefield Game. |
Thoughts, is Battlefield 6 the return for the Series?
After spending 12 hours in the Battlefield 6 Beta, it’s safe to say this feels like a true return to form for the series. This isn’t just a revival of the franchise. It’s shaping up to be a potential savior for the entire FPS genre. If EA and DICE stay on the same trajectory, Battlefield 6 could become a genuine alternative to Call of Duty. It may not kill COD entirely, but it could absolutely capture a massive share of its player base.
Check out more Battlefield titles right here on Driffle
On Steam, the Battlefield 6 Beta shattered franchise records, peaking at 521,079 active players, outperforming even Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at its peak. The game looks great, feels incredible, and plays even better. With some fine-tuning and balancing tweaks, along with refined map designs, and a few fresh additions, it has all the makings of one of this generation’s greatest FPS titles, and a gold standard for future Battlefield releases. So yes, Battlefield 6 is definitely a return for the series.
What are your thoughts? Leave them in the comments below, and for the latest gaming news, game guides, and reviews, be sure to check out Driffle Blogs.
BF6 feels more like COD to me with the huge amounts of snipers on bigger maps and not many going for flags ( because they are too busy sniping ). There are too many close quarter maps and not enough big maps with actual BF3 or even BF4 gameplay with the huge amount of vehicles like attack boats, gunner positions in most tanks and more. I know many people have canceled their preorders and I don’t think I will even buy it.
The small maps do feel like Call of Duty but somewhatbetter than it without the goofy skins or crazy emotes. But The open beta was just a start for DICE and EA to implment the grand warfare style combat, and I hope they do. Battlefield games do need bigger maps for that all ture military feel, with tanks, jets and everything in between going at each other, teams pushing past flag lines into the enemy’s base. That’s what Battlefield 6 needs, we will have to wait for the full release for an in-depth review.