Battlefield 6 release date, trailer, news, gameplay and more

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 news (updated May 26) 

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.” 

A new tweet from the Battlefield 6 Twitter account has said the game will be revealed in a month that rhymes with “soon,” from which we can pretty confidently say mean Battlefield 6 will get a reveal trailer in June. 

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. 

Furthermore, a more recent leak has claimed that Battlefield 6 will take place in a futuristic setting, some 10 years in the future. So if that’s true we can expect advanced military robots, drones, jets and weapons. 

Speaking of futuristic, one leak claims Battlefield 6 will come with robot dogs that you’ll be able to ride. These cyber canines could also come with mounted weaponry, effectively giving you a four-legged friend with a suite of firepower. 

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.

We also selected 7 things we’d like to see from Battlefield 6. Hopefully, DICE will meet a few of our expectations. 

Battlefield 6 story

Battlefield 6’s story has been tipped to involve a conflict or tension between the U.S. and Russia, somewhat well-trodden ground, only the players will fill the boots of specialist units from other nations. 

Tipster Tom Henderson claimed: “My best bet here is that Russia have captured the island to use it’s resources and the USA side are infiltrating/capturing it.” 

While first-person shooters have cover the Cold War era, this USA versus Russia conflict could be set in the near-future with the tow superpowers squaring  off against each other in proxy battles and using high-tech weaponry. 

Furthermore, Henderson has claimed that players will be able to choose to fight for the USA or Russia, or both depending on their preference. Apparently, the player’s in-game nationality will have no bearing on the side they have to pick. This would upend the more structured and rigid campaign of previous Battlefield games. 

Battlefield 6 Battle Royale

A  leak has claimed Battlefield 6 wil have a battle royale mode. That’s not hugely surprising given Battlefield 5 also had such a mode, but there’s scope for the sixth game in the series to really expand upon the previous Firestorm mode. 

And a beefed-up battle royale mode would give Battlefield 6 some scope to take on the widely popular Call of Duty: Warzone. This leak suggested that Battlefield 6 will include a game mode that supports up to 128 players (double Battlefield 5’s 64 player count), but it’s not clear if this would feed into the battle royale mode. 

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.