Review: Battlefield 6 - Bombastic Return to Form for FPS Giant

It’s well over a week since the launch of Battlefield 6, and I’ve played a lot of hours. I’m talking full APB-on-a-missing-person levels. After all that time, I can confidently say Battlefield 6 is a triumphant return to form.

The game launches in great shape, with a full campaign, an addictive multiplayer suite, a proper server browser, and Portal - a creative mode with the sandbox potential of Halo’s Forge.

DICE had to get this launch right, put to rest the absolute shambles of Battlefield 2042, and I’d say they’ve only gone and done it - well mostly.

Let’s talk about the Campaign in Battlefield 6, since it’s easily the weakest link here.

The single-player story has you slinking through night lit sewers during civil unrest, storming Gibraltar’s beaches in a modern D-Day, and a few other bits and bobs in order to take down Pax Armata - a disappointingly forgettable army-for-hire.

It’s a bombastic six-hour ride packed with gruff voices, big explosions, and flashes of genuine spectacle - exactly what you’d expect from a serious military thriller.

Unfortunately, it’s all a bit tried and tired. Stuff you've seen before.

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the campaign, but it just doesn’t hold up to the absolute cinema that is multiplayer.

Why settle for the scripted coddling of a soldier's first RPG-into-a-helicopter campaign moment when you can pull off the raw and real deal online? Not to mention the bragging rights that come along with it.

The campaign ultimately serves its duty as a decent tutorial for new players, testing an assortment of guns, vehicles, gadgets, and locations at your own pace across nine missions.

Historically, Battlefield’s fate has always hinged on the strength of its multiplayer. It’s what immortalised Battlefield 3, 4, and 1 - and what left 2042 out to dry. 

Thankfully, DICE’s back-to-basics approach makes a strong case for Battlefield 6 to join the immortal few. Double phew because I feared what another misfire would do to the franchise.

The biggest and best rollback was scrapping operators, their abilities and jarring presence, in favour of traditional, faceless classes. I loathed the endless waves of Falck and Sundance in 2042. Best to save the clone army for Battlefront.

Classes are mostly balanced. I gravitated toward the explosive Engineer and the criminally underpaid, and overworked Support class.

By soft-locking players into their chosen roles, Battlefield 6 gets back to a gameplay loop that’s tight, satisfying, and built on teamwork.

There’s a real sense of urgency in scrambling to defend an objective under fire from an enemy tank. Dragging fallen squad-mates toward a safe revival. Then coordinating with nearby Engineers, making sure they’ve got all the rockets and mines needed to blow the lid off that hunk of metal. Really thrilling stuff.

You've got a solid arsenal of weapons, gadgets, and gizmos at your disposal. Gunplay leans toward an arcade style, reminiscent of the 2019 Modern Warfare remake.

I found the most success with the AK-205, RPG launcher, and pressure mines - but there’s real joy in mixing things up, experimenting with different weapons and attachment builds.

One sin DICE is guilty of (and actively working on) is the overwhelming grind of levelling and unlocking equipment. It’s been a slog.

The devs have recently adjusted how much EXP you earn per match and when equipment unlocks, so props to the team for listening.

It’s just a shame my K/D ratio is evaporating as I chase 100 headshots with a DMR. Sigh.

Movement is much slower in Battlefield 6, a real heft to the way you charge through mud and rubble. It’s a good call.

You can still pull off the odd dolphin dive or combat slide, but you won’t be frantically tracking parkour gremlins this time. Honestly, thank f*** for that.

The result is a Battlefield phenomenally grounded in the series’ signature chaos. Jet engines scream overhead. Buildings crumble into stone, metal, and bone.

Battlefield 6 is an endlessly replayable cinematic sandbox. Mature, explosive, and full of jaw-dropping spectacle. The kind you’ll stop to watch and catch a stray bullet for.

Multiplayer serves up plenty of familiar modes to get stuck into, with attack and defend classics like Breakthrough and Rush returning alongside the close-quarters scraps of Squad and Team Deathmatch, amongst others.

I’ve been surprised by how much fun the new Escalation mode is once it clicks - and it does take a minute to vibe with.

Escalation reworks Conquest’s flag-objective formula, ditching soldier tickets for majority control in a best-of-three showdown. The pace ramps up as territory shrinks, leading to intense levels of bombast that feel like a true evolution of the classic mode. 

Conquest remains my go-to, but it’s great to see DICE experimenting in the right direction.

I’ll admit, I haven’t taken a deep dive into Battlefield 6’s Portal offering yet. I’m holding off on purpose, eager to see what truly genius creations the community comes up with using DICE’s creative tools. 

I’ve tried a few ridiculous zombie modes, an experimental third-person game type, and, predictably, a climbing level or two. So far so good.

A quick word on performance to close things out. I’ve spent time with Battlefield 6 on both Xbox Series X and PC. The console version holds up fine, but PC is still the best way to experience the chaos in all its beauty.

On Xbox, Performance mode feels the smoothest as I found Balanced mode adds a touch of input delay. Rest assured, however you choose to play, the battlefield will deliver.

Conclusion

Battlefield 6 is a gesture of good faith from DICE, proving they’ve listened, learned, and still know how to deliver a truly immersive warzone. Gritty and grounded, ridiculous good fun, evoking the glory days of Battlefield 3 and 4. It’s rough around the edges, sure, but one thing is for certain - Battlefield is back, baby!

How have you found Battlefield 6? Fan of the game? Or no? Let us know in the comments.

Game Friend Scoring Policy