After the bug-riddled launch of Battlefield 2042 back in 2021, EA has been working to revitalize the Battlefield series’ name, placing Respawn’s Vince Zampella as its head amidst the creation of a wider Battlefield universe. If the recent Battlefield 6 beta over the weekend is any indication, those efforts are paying off. Not only did the beta surpass Call of Duty’s all-time player count, but it also reached a new concurrent peak for the Battlefield series.
EA calls the Battlefield 6 open beta its biggest ever, and Weekend 1 (Aug. 9-10) just wrapped up. Throughout the weekend, and on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8, when invite-only players could hop in early, I saw screenshots across social media showing queues stretching into the hundreds of thousands – a lot of people were playing this game.
Using SteamDB, a database that tracks Steam concurrent player counts, that checks out. On Saturday, the Battlefield 6 open beta peaked with 521,079 players, which is also an all-time peak for the entire Battlefield series. That number eclipses the peak of Call of Duty at 491,670, too, though it’s important to note these are just Steam numbers and console players could sway this observation in either direction.
Nonetheless, the point stands – Battlefield 6 is something players are excited about. The real test will be how many of these open beta (see: free) players will convert into paid players when Battlefield 6 launches on October 10 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
In the meantime, watch the Battlefield 6 debut trailer and then read our preview of Battlefield 6’s multiplayer after going hands-on with it.
Did you hop into the Battlefield 6 open beta this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!
