HANDS ON - Battlefield 6 is a step in the right direction, but the destruction is inconsistent
The Finals is still the one to beat.
By Jonathan Garrett
07/08/25
Previewed on Xbox Series X.
Access via Open Beta (during Battlefield Labs early access window).
The importance of a creative pivot cannot be understated after the critical flounder that was Battlefield 2042. Although achieving impressive sales numbers, sentiment was mixed with players citing issues with the map design, interactivity, glitches, and class system. Battlefield 6 would appear at first glance to be an ointment; a tonic of core pillars that harkens back to Battlefield’s 3 and 4 while pushing forward for this current gen. Some healthy scepticism around EA’s expectations for player numbers notwithstanding, this week’s open Beta has blown the breaching charge on what we can expect.
In a pleasing result, the familiar feels the best; Conquest makes a glorious return, and Liberation Peak is far and away the standout map from the Beta’s current offering. There’s myriad opportunities to use environmental cover, plenty of destructible buildings, and varied pathways quickly erase any memories of the indestructible shipping container heavy maps that dominated 2042. Vehicles are satisfying to control (especially the now much zippier jeeps), but interestingly don’t seem to be dominating Conquest quite as much in its current form.
Gunplay and traversal both feel incredibly slick. The former has seen the recall toned down significantly for most weapons, and I rarely got stuck on things (which is a clear improvement of the latter). Visually the Beta is outstanding too, and smartly targeting only current gen hardware. The biggest sticking point for me is the destruction, which has been a heavily advertised core pillar of this return to basics and suffers from wildly inconsistent implementation.
Breakout on Siege of Cairo is riddled with buildings that are either indestructible, require a tank to take down, and / or feature destruction that is largely superficial in nature. There’s no consistency to the visual language, and this feels really frustrating in practice when you logically think something will break and it doesn’t. The RPG has also been softened and doesn’t always one hit certain surfaces. Thankfully, the aforementioned Liberation Peak feels like classic Bad Company 2 and features buildings that can be fully demolished and is a hugely reactive playground. It’s overall an improvement over 2042, but the destruction is not implemented consistently here and that’s a real shame.
Some nice flourishes and tweaks. Sniper headshots are a permanent put down and you can’t be revived (rewarding players for accuracy since the crouch sprint and combat roll makes acquiring targets that bit trickier). Engineers can sacrifice a second equipment slot so you can carry both RPG types (unguided and aerial), which means you no longer have to pick a lane. The drag and revive mechanic looks great and works well in practice, and there has been a clear investment in improving bullet impacts and ragdoll animation when players take a hit.
On the whole, Battlefield 6 is shaping up to be a return to form, and one we’re glad to see make some much needed course corrections.
They love a flaming lens flare.
TARPS?
At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.
