The wait is almost over. Battlefield 6 is just around the corner, and gamers get a chance to dive into the action early with two Open Beta weekends plus an Early Access period.
I haven’t been this excited for a Battlefield game since the lead-up to Battlefield 1, DICE’s excellent WW1 shooter. For the past few years, I’ve barely touched the franichse. I wasn’t a fan of Battlefield 2042, which released nearly four years ago. With Battlefield 6, the series returns to a modern military setting similar to Battlefield 3 and 4.d
Better yet, the developer has promised gamers that the latest entry in the series will avoid the trap of major competitors like Call Of Duty and not go over-the-top with Operator skins.
“It has to be grounded. That is what BF3 and BF4 was—it was all soldiers, on the ground. It’s going to be like this,” design director Shashank Uchil said in an interview recently. “I don’t think it needs Nicki Minaj. Let’s keep it real, keep it grounded.” Uchil is throwing shade at Activision’s Call Of Duty franchise, which released – and later took down – a skin of the celebrity in Modern Warfare II.
What Are The Battlefield 6 Open Beta Dates?
You may not be able to get Snoop Dogg or Ninja Turtle skins in Battlefield 6, but you will be able to get your hands on a massive arsenal of guns and get behind the wheel of various land and air military vehicles during the Open Beta. Here are the start and end-times for each portion of the upcoming free play period.
Early Access – Thursday August 7th – 8th
Start-Time: 8:00 UTC (1 am PT / 4 am ET)
Open Beta Weekend 1 – Saturday, August 9th – Monday, August 11th
Start-Time: 8:00 UTC (1 am PT / 4 am ET)
End-Time: 8:00 UTC (1 am PT / 4 am ET)
Open Beta Weekend 2 – Thursday, August 14th – Monday, August 18th
Start-Time: 8:00 UTC (1 am PT / 4 am ET)
End-Time: 8:00 UTC (1 am PT / 4 am ET)
Here’s the Open Beta trailer:
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How Can I Get Into Early Access?
There are several ways you can get into the Early Access portion of the Open Beta (August 7th-8th).
If you signed up for Battlefield Labs before July 31st, you don’t need a code. Simply login to the EA Account you registered with for Battlefield Labs and the beta will be available to pre-load.
If you are an EA Play Pro subscriber, you also won’t need a code. Login to your account and download the beta.
You can get into the Early Access portion of the game a third way: Simply watch any creator streaming Battlefield 6 on Twitch during the Early Access period for 30 minutes. You’ll get a code which you can redeem here. Gamers can also earn some Twitch Drops during the beta, including:
Shattered Vehicle Skin
Mimic Weapon Package
Landslide Soldier Skin
Imperial Soldier Skin
What Platforms Is The Open Beta Available On?
Battlefield 6 will not be available on older consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One, nor is the game – with its impressive graphics and destructible environments – coming to Nintendo Switch. The game and the Open Beta will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and the EA App.
These are the minimum and recommended specs for PC players:
Battlefield 6 PC Specs
Credit: EA
PC players will also need to enable Secure Boot in order to play the full game and the Open Beta. This, along with EA Javelin Anticheat, is designed to prevent cheaters from ruining the experience for everyone else. For help with the Secure Boot process, go here.
What Maps And Modes Will Be Available During The Open Beta?
During the first weekend, players will be able to play across three maps and three modes. The maps include:
Siege Of Cairo – a mostly urban map with plenty of close-quarters exchanges.
Liberation Peak – a rural map that takes place in the mountains of Tajikistan, with lots of open areas and potential for aerial combat.
Iberian Offensive – another urban map set in the streets of Gibraltar.
On weekend 2, we get a fourth map:
Empire State – this one takes place closer to home, with gunfights taking place across the streets of Brooklyn.
Weekend 1 modes include Conquest, Breakthrough and Closed Weapons Breakthrough. The game offers both open and closed weapons options, with the latter limiting weapons to classes, though even in the open weapons modes classes will have preferred weapons that work better with the class for which they’re intended. Read more about that here.
On Weekend 2, Rush and Deathmatch will also join the rotation. There’s no word on when the free-to-play Battlefield 6 battle royale mode will launch or whether it will be part of an upcoming beta.
We’ll see how all these maps and modes play soon enough when the Open Beta kicks off. The game has some competition this weekend, with a new season of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 / Warzone a new season of Fortnite also launching on August 7th. Here’s the Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal trailer:
Battlefield 6 launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on October 10th, 2025.