Battlefield 6 multiplayer review: The modern warfare we actually need right now

It’s been a rough couple of years for players like me who are into arcade FPS games or titles that simulate warfare. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a pacifist who’d give anything to stop all the conflicts in this world, but when it comes to video games, the simulation, the tactics, and the adrenaline rush get me going.

Be it Call of Duty or Battlefield, the sense of being a part of that world has always fascinated me, but I don’t remember the last time a warfare game truly made me feel like I was there - completely immersed in this larger-than-life experience.

Battlefield 2042 really disappointed me. I don’t know what state the game is in right now, but when I last played it, everything felt flat and lifeless. That’s where the redemption of one of the most iconic franchises begins in 2025. Battlefield 6 has brought life back into FPS gaming again, and I’m here for it.

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Battlefield 6's destruction is off the charts, and I loved every second of it

One of the biggest takeaways from Battlefield 6’s multiplayer this year is the return of destruction. If you’re a veteran Battlefield player, I don’t have to explain what destruction means to you or to me.

If I vaguely recollect my memories of playing Battlefield 4, I was awestruck when everything collapsed right in front of me, and it only got better in Battlefield 1. I felt like I was in the middle of World War I - the intense music in the background, the gritty and brutal atmosphere - it was all I needed to be completely immersed in the world of Battlefield.

Battlefield 6's destruction is off the charts this year (Image via SK Gaming/EA)

For Battlefield 6, the brutality has been toned down a little, but one thing that’s off the charts this year is the destruction. You can literally change your surroundings and the map layout if you throw enough grenades or bombs at a building. Even during a multiplayer match, I stopped fighting midway and went inside a building just to see what I could do there. And guess what, if I wanted to shoot the lights and create a dark corner for myself, I could.

Battlefield 6's attention-to-detail is top notch (Image via SK Gaming/EA)

When it comes to large-scale destruction, I think Battlefield 6 outshines all my childhood memories. Everywhere I looked, walls were crumbling, trees were getting uprooted, and the simulation felt so real that I couldn’t help but think, is this what gaming is supposed to feel like in 2025?

And what is Battlefield without its sound? Battlefield 6 has done everything right in that aspect as well. From a jet falling from the sky to a bullet whizzing past your ear, the immersiveness will put you in a trance if you love shooters. Even at the end of a battle, the music intensifies as usual - the war cry, the dialogues - this is exactly how I’ve always imagined a modern warfare game should feel (that sounded ironic).

But of course, not everything about this game is dream-like, which I'll come to in a bit.

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The ability to drag your downed teammates changes the game for good

One of the biggest innovations that caught my eye in Battlefield 6 is definitely how you can pull your downed teammates towards you or take them back to cover. In all my life, playing games like this, I’ve always wondered why I have to smoke the area and revive someone out in the open. Those devs at Battlefield Studios probably listened to my thoughts and added that feature to the game.

Ability to drag downed teammate is amazing in Battlefield 6 (Image via EA)

I also noticed a big change from the open beta that Battlefield 6 had a couple of weeks ago: I think the overall movement speed has been toned down a little. As someone who plays Call of Duty on a daily basis, I absolutely do not mind the flashy sprinting, diving, sliding, and rolling, but in the beta, I did feel the game was losing a bit of its identity.

However, when I got the review copy, I felt a sense of weight when I moved around the map. Although this doesn’t make me exactly happy, I’d take the bullet because I think this is how a Battlefield game should be, catering to a middle ground between realism and arcade-style gameplay.

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Gunplay is good, but not the best

One thing I’m really guilty of in Battlefield is that I’m not a tank or fighter jet person. Whenever I've turned on my PC to play a shooter since childhood, I've always felt like a foot soldier charging through obstacles. As a result, I’ve always been extremely nitpicky about how the gun mechanics work. Battlefield 6 doesn’t have an extraordinary gunplay system, but I have very little to complain about.

Battlefield 6 gunplay is decent, but not the best (Image via SK Gaming/ EA)

The recoil is pretty manageable, the guns have weight, and they don’t feel like feathers as they did in the last title. However, firing weapons, especially during mid-range fights as an Assault class, felt a little sluggish. Even killing enemies didn’t feel as satisfying as it did in Battlefield I or even V. However, I can’t say the same thing regarding sniping - it’s been a long time since sniping has felt this rewarding in video games, and Battlefield 6 has understood the assignment.

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Free weapon selection defeats the point of having the class system

Of course, you get an advantage when you upgrade your weapons with different attachments, the usual loadout system I’d expect any multiplayer FPS to have at this point. But one thing I believe this game needs to change is its free weapon selection system. It allows players to choose any weapon irrespective of their class, which I believe takes away the strategic mindset one would have within a team.

I don’t want to see an Engineer sniping from a mountaintop or an Assault player using a heavy LMG. That kind of defeats the purpose of the iconic class system. The point of Battlefield has always been fulfilling your role as a soldier, and as much as I’m all in for having no restrictions in video games, some things should stick to tradition.

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Maps look breathtaking, but they play bad

Visually, Battlefield 6 is by far the best-looking multiplayer FPS game I’ve ever played in a modern setting. I love how the devs kept the tone of the maps a little washed out and war-torn, perfectly capturing the essence of war. I love how the sunlight creates flares around your screen and how the black smoke covers the snowy terrain. I could spend hours admiring the attention to detail, but you don’t get that privilege when you’re in Battlefield.

Operation Firestorm in Battlefield 6 (Image via SK Gaming/ EA)

I wish I had played all the maps, but sadly, I could only get matches on a few selected maps in the review build. The ones that I’ve played share a very similar problem: there aren’t enough spaces to do a detour. So, you either have to go through the chaos or use a tank, which I hate.

Operation Firestorm was still a breath of fresh air - it was much bigger than the one we had in the beta, Liberation Peak. The map also had a lot of open spaces where I could flank from another side. Battlefield has always thrived on giving players the option to create their own path, and this map catered to that.

Narrow alleys are difficult to navigate (Image via SK Gaming/EA)

On the other hand, I absolutely hated Siege of Cairo and Iberian Offensive. Both maps don’t let you even breathe, and I expected that from the map overviews. Those narrow alleyways and corners just won’t cut it. However, I believe that comes down to personal preference.

I usually avoid close-range fights in Battlefield because I’m more used to flashy movement, and Battlefield restricts you in that aspect. I do think Mirak Valley or the Manhattan Bridge would be a great fit for how I see Battlefield 6 in its glory. I’ll add my impressions of these two maps once I get to play them at launch.

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Conclusion

One more thing, this isn’t the entire Battlefield experience. I didn’t have access to the Portal mode in multiplayer or couldn’t really get into the servers because of my region, I suppose. From what I’ve understood so far, this year’s Portal opens a new level of creativity that I’ve been craving for a while. However, it’s too early to judge, and I’ll give my verdict when the mode is fully available. The same goes for the Battle Royale mode, another genre I’m really excited to see unfold in Battlefield 6.

There are still some little hiccups, but this game is a breath of fresh air in a world of crazy skins, costumes, and flashy gameplay. It feels grounded at its core, with a heavy focus on atmosphere, and as someone who thrives on aesthetically pleasing games, Battlefield 6 seems like the one I’ll put my hours into.

The only way from here is either upwards or downhill, and the game seems to be hanging on a thin line. I’m pretty sure we’ll know by the end of this year whether Battlefield 6 is changing our beloved FPS genre for good or if it’s another lackluster entry we’ll want to forget until the next one arrives.

Sportskeeda Gaming's Battlefield 6 review (Image via Sportskeeda)

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• Reviewed on: PC (Code provided by EA)
• Platform (s): Windows, PS5, and Xbox
• Developer (s): Battlefield Studios
• Publisher (s): EA
• Release date: October 10, 2025