I tend to gravitate more toward story-driven single-player games, but I often like to have a multiplayer-focused live service title in the rotation to occupy my brain and hands during more casual gaming sessions.
For a while, that was Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which launched to much fanfare and successfully drew me back to the bloated first-person shooter franchise... for a while. Disillusionment with the game's increasingly ridiculous art direction and the pressing knowledge that it'd be replaced in a year's time (all in the name of money) made my interest die out before Season 3 had even wrapped up.
I've been bereft of a low-stakes online gaming obsession since, but publisher Electronic Arts surprised me with the recent Battlefield 6 Open Beta. I had a blast, and now I'm impatient for Oct. 10 to arrive so I can rejoin the fray and cause some mayhem all over again.
Fortunately, EA surprised me again with a masterclass in marketing — I've been playing the oft-maligned Battlefield 2042 to prepare for the release of BF6, and it has been a lot of fun.
Seeking a Battlefield fix to fill the intervening weeks
Saying the Battlefield 6 Open Beta was a success is an immense understatement; BF6 drew over 800,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch and surpassed Call of Duty's all-time player peak on Steam.
While some players had issues and complaints with the beta, the reception overall was extremely positive — and it seems like EA and Battlefield Studios are serious about using that feedback to make the game as amazing as possible before the official launch.
Battlefield 6 is still weeks away, so players are flocking to older Battlefield games to fill that void.
The hype for Battlefield 6 is so powerful that the ending of the second Open Beta weekend left a tangible void, with no obvious alternative game to fill it. In fact, we immediately saw thousands of players flock to older, long-abandoned Battlefield titles in an attempt to recapture just a little of that BF6 action before the game releases.
At first, Battlefield V and its predecessor, Battlefield 1 (we don't talk about the Battlefield naming schemes), appeared to be the fan-favorites. EA completely changed that with one simple move, though.
Battlefield 2042 isn't perfect, but now we have another reason to play
Battlefield 2042 may be the most recent entry in the series, but it's far from the most beloved. A flawed foundation and a shaky launch kept BF2042 from achieving greatness where some of its predecessors forged lasting legacies, and the Battlefield franchise in general hasn't seen the spotlight in years because of it.
Right now, though, Battlefield 2042 is easily the most-played game in the franchise, with over 40,000 concurrent players on Steam alone at the time of writing. Why? Because EA recently surprise-released a massive new update for Battlefield 2042, enticing players with the promise of free Battlefield 6 cosmetics.
The "Road to BF6" update brings the massive, volcanic Iwo Jima map, two new weapons, and two new vehicles. The headlining addition, though, is the totally free, 60-tier Battle Pass that features a ton of rewards from various Battlefield titles — including 30 exclusive rewards that you can earn for Battlefield 6, simply by playing BF2042.
It's very likely the final update for Battlefield 2042, and it's one hell of a way to send it off. The update has had a substantial impact, too, because a lot of players are redownloading the game just for those BF6 rewards.
A pleasant side effect of this encouragement to revisit many people's least-favorite Battlefield is showing how much the game has actually improved since its ill-fated release. A ton of content and some major changes (including the return of Battlefield's classic classes) have made Battlefield 2042 a much more polished and enjoyable game than it was in 2021.
Battlefield 2042 is good enough now that I'm really enjoying playing through "The Road to BF6" Battle Pass, and I plan to finish it before it ends on Oct. 7 (and Battlefield 6 arrives on Oct. 10).
It also helps that Battlefield 2042 is only $3.49 at Xbox.com (Xbox console) and just $2.99 at Store.SteamPowered.com (PC) right now.
Sorry, Call of Duty, I don't think Black Ops 7 is winning me over
My colleague, Richard Devine, was talking to the Windows Central team about how he felt the exact same way about the Battlefield 6 Open Beta as he had about every past Battlefield game; he simply didn't find it fun.
On that note, you'll probably see an editorial from him in the near future talking about how he'll be playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 instead, and doesn't mind being a "Call of Duty scrub."
As you may have already guessed, I don't agree with Devine. Black Ops 6 gave me hope that the Call of Duty franchise was entering a new golden era, but those hopes have long been dashed — and the reveal of BO7 has done absolutely nothing to restore them.
Call of Duty will continue to do whatever prints Activision money, even if it doesn't make sense for Call of Duty.
I've long been exhausted with annual Call of Duty releases and with the general Fortnite-like direction the series has taken. Look, I love when games are willing to be goofy and colorful and fun, but I'm truly burnt out on endless collaborations that don't even pretend to belong in a video game's universe.
The recent Helldivers 2 and Halo 3: ODST collaboration announcement is absolute perfection — Call of Duty adding yet another toon character is not. More than any of that, though, I found myself having far more fun with Battlefield 6's beta than I did with Black Ops 6.
So, yes, I will be skipping Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (apart from possibly the campaign) in favor of Battlefield 6. At least, that's the plan for now.
Battlefield 6 officially releases on Oct. 10, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5, and is now available for preorder.
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