We're So Back
It feels good to say this again: Battlefield is back. After the messy detour that was 2042, Battlefield 6 is a full-throttle return to form. This is the franchise at its most confident, most chaotic, and most fun in over a decade. I've been a Battlefield guy for as long as I can remember, and this one hit me right in the nostalgia. The feeling of loading into Conquest, hearing that theme swell, and sprinting toward an objective as tanks roar in the distance brought me back to the Battlefield 3 and 4 days, when I could play for hours without a care in the world.
Battlefield 6 recaptures that magic while pushing things forward with modern tech, fantastic audio, and weighty gunplay. It's not perfect, but it finally feels like the series knows what it wants to be again.
For the first time since Battlefield 4, there's a proper single-player campaign. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a solid step in the right direction. You play as members of Dagger 13, an elite team of U.S. Marine Raiders sent to fight Pax Armata, a private military company that somehow becomes a global superpower in 2027. The premise is a stretch, but it works well enough to set up the explosive set pieces Battlefield does best.
You'll breach buildings, storm beaches, infiltrate mountain bases, fight through collapsing structures and storm the pyramids on a tank. It's all big and loud, the kind of campaign designed to make your jaw drop. Where it stumbles is in its characters and villains. There is an Irish guy who is supposed to be the main bad guy, but he appears in only a handful of scenes and vanishes before you even remember his name. There is no Makarov or Zakhaev to hate, no Ghost or Price to care about. The Dagger 13 squad has potential, but the campaign never gives them space to develop. When someone dies, you just move on.
And that ending, yeah, it is not really satisfying. It feels like it does not solve anything. Sure, there is a nuke that goes off and a “big” revelation, but it does not hit at all. It feels more like setup for the next game, whenever that arrives, instead of a real conclusion.
Then there's the ending. It isn't satisfying at all. Sure, there's a nuke that explodes and a supposed “big” twist, but it doesn't land. It feels like setup for the next game instead of a proper conclusion, and who knows when that will even arrive.
There's also a “Clean House” - style mission, clearly inspired by Modern Warfare, but it highlights the difference between the two franchises. Call of Duty builds tension and atmosphere through pacing and silence. Battlefield 6 tries to do that, but it just ends up blowing another wall apart. That's what it does well, spectacle, noise, and destruction, not subtlety.
I played the campaign on Hardcore and it was still pretty easy compared to COD's Veteran or Realistic modes. But visually it's stunning, it runs smoothly, and it's fun enough to play through once. At least Battlefield finally has a campaign again.
The real reason to play Battlefield 6 is the multiplayer, and it's glorious. Massive maps, constant action, and that perfect mix of chaos and coordination make it the best the series has felt in years.
I've mostly been jumping between Conquest and Breakthrough, with a little Escalation on the side. Conquest feels like home — huge, unpredictable, and filled with moments that make you laugh, swear, and cheer all at once. Breakthrough focuses the chaos into tighter fights, and when the balance works, it's pure adrenaline. Mostly it doesn't though, and the fighting is absolutely brutal on some of the maps.
Map design is generally strong. Mirak Valley, Siege of Cairo, and Liberation Peak are standouts that let every class shine. Blackwell Fields is less interesting, with more open ground and fewer flanking options, but overall the good maps outweigh the bad. And don't get me started on how this one plays in Breakthrough...
The key difference this time is how destruction works. You can't bring down entire towers like in Battlefield 4, but almost every piece of cover can be blown apart. Walls crumble, fences disintegrate, rooftops collapse — the map constantly changes around you. It's not about the “Levolution” moments anymore, it's about dynamic skirmishes where you're never really safe behind anything for long. It's fantastic.
The gunplay is the best it's been in years. Every weapon feels powerful and distinct, and the audio feedback makes each shot satisfying. Battlefield 6 nails that grounded, physical feel that makes you want to keep firing.
It's also interesting that DICE added a kind of “John Woo” effect to the gunfights. Bullets seem to spark or burst slightly when they hit objects, and it looks awesome. It makes combat look cinematic without feeling fake. It's one of those small touches that gives every firefight extra flair, and I think it's utterly brilliant.
That said, balance is still messy. Some SMGs shred enemies at ridiculous ranges while assault rifles feel weak past mid-distance. Time-to-kill is inconsistent. One weapon drops someone instantly, another takes half a magazine. Rocket launchers sound great but barely scratch tanks, and even C4 feels underpowered. Three charges should destroy or at least cripple a tank, but it often doesn't.
Recon gear, though, is fun. Claymores stay active after death, so you keep getting those hilarious delayed kill notifications long after you've respawned. It's petty, but so satisfying.
Gun customization is deep but not overwhelming. Every weapon has plenty of attachments that meaningfully change performance. You unlock them naturally through play. Class-specific challenges also encourage experimentation, like getting long-range headshots to unlock new snipers. It's smart and rewarding instead of grindy.
Despite a few quirks, Battlefield 6's combat feels amazing. Shooting is crisp, movement is smooth, and firefights have that intense rhythm the series built its reputation on.
The return to traditional classes is one of Battlefield 6's best decisions. After 2042's confusing specialists, having Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon back feels right. Each class has a purpose again. Engineers fix and fight vehicles, Support keeps everyone alive and supplied, Recon scouts and spots, and Assault takes objectives. It's clean and it works.
Progression is fair and straightforward. Challenges feel meaningful, and rewards come naturally. You're not forced into weird objectives or silly grinds for the most part. It's simply play, improve, unlock, repeat.
Yes, there's a Battle Pass and cosmetic store, but they stay in the background. You can completely ignore them. I couldn't care less about flashy skins, and thankfully Battlefield 6 doesn't pressure you into buying any. After years of live-service games built around FOMO, it's refreshing to just play for fun again.
Vehicles have always defined Battlefield, and they're great here. Tanks feel heavy and dangerous, helicopters are agile and deadly, and jets scream overhead with incredible power. When a fighter jet rips across the sky, the audio mix makes it feel like thunder rolling through your headset.
Vehicle handling is improved too. Tanks lumber realistically, helicopters feel weighty but responsive, and driving is smoother overall. Infantry-vehicle balance is decent, though anti-tank weapons could use a bit more punch. Engineers can deal with armor, but it usually takes coordination to finish the job.
The explosions, smoke trails, and sound effects make battles feel alive. When multiple vehicles collide in one area, it's glorious chaos — exactly what Battlefield should be.
Redsec is Battlefield's take on battle royale. I'm not usually into the genre, but this one is interesting. The map is massive, with plenty of POIs, and you can complete side missions to earn better weapons. That extra layer gives you something to do besides hiding or looting endlessly. The pacing is solid, and because the map is so big, you don't die instantly after landing. The main problem is the tanks. When someone gets one early, more often than not, it completely breaks the match. Luckily, there are tools to help you dealing with them, especially the air-strike, but it's still not a perfect system. Otherwise, Redsec is a fun distraction, even if I prefer the classic modes.
Portal, on the other hand, is genius. It lets players build custom experiences using Battlefield's existing assets and rulesets, and people are already creating some wild things. You'll find all sorts of creative modes — sniper duels, rocket launcher matches, all-infantry chaos — and the tools are easy to use. The official and community playlists are packed with variety, and it adds endless replay value to the game.
Battlefield 6 looks incredible on PS5. The Frostbite engine continues to impress with sharp lighting, rich detail, and dense atmospherics. These maps are filled with life: distant smoke plumes, dust particles catching the light, volumetric god rays cutting through haze. You can tell DICE obsessed over how each environment feels under different conditions.
Performance is rock solid. Frame rates stay high even during chaos, and loading into matches is lightning fast.
The sound design, though, is next level. Battlefield has always sounded good, but 6 is on another plane. Gunfire is thunderous, explosions have weight, and vehicles roar with ferocity. Every shot and explosion feels tuned to perfection. Indoors, gunfire echoes and muffles appropriately, and stepping outside opens the soundscape completely.
Combined with the DualSense controller's haptics and adaptive triggers, it creates an incredible sense of presence. Every bullet, every impact, every tank tread feels tactile. This is one of the most immersive shooters you can play right now.
What really makes Battlefield 6 special is how it feels moment to moment. It's unpredictable, chaotic, and full of those “did that just happen?” moments that no other shooter can replicate. You might be defending an objective when a tank shell blows apart your cover, forcing you to sprint through smoke as teammates revive each other under fire. Ten seconds later, a jet streaks overhead, and the entire scene feels like a movie shot in one take.
Those organic, unscripted moments are what make Battlefield unique. They happen because every system — destruction, vehicles, infantry combat, audio — overlaps naturally. That's the magic of Battlefield, and 6 captures it perfectly.
Battlefield 6 is the comeback fans have been waiting for. It's big, loud, and confident about what it is. The campaign is flawed but enjoyable, the gunplay is excellent, and the multiplayer captures that old Battlefield soul again.
There are balance issues, the story fizzles at the end, and some modes need tuning, but none of that matters once you're knee-deep in a firefight with debris flying around you.
This is the Battlefield I've been missing. Chaotic, cinematic, and endlessly entertaining. I absolutely love it, and if you've ever been a Battlefield fan, you'll probably feel the same. We're so back. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a PS5 via a purchased copy. Battlefield 6 is available on PS5, PC and Xbox.
