Battlefield 6 Open Beta surpasses 500,000 concurrent players on Steam moments after launch
Battlefield 6’s open beta has obliterated expectations, as the game has just hit a 24-hour all-time peak of over 500,000 concurrent players on Steam just moments after its public beta launch on August 9, 2025.
This staggering feat has not only set a new record for the Battlefield franchise, surpassing Battlefield 2042’s all-time peak of 107,376 players when the game was released nearly two years ago, with Battlefield 2042’s open beta topping off at just 156,665 players in 2021.
The open beta has also managed to eclipse rival Call of Duty franchise’s 491,670 players, which includes the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone, as well as Black Ops 6, Cold War, and Modern Warfare 3. Furthermore, this peak figure doesn’t account for the masses of players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X.
Battlefield’s comeback isn't just about raw numbers, as EA and D.I.C.E. have finally delivered on the pent-up demand for a polished, large-scale FPS experience with grounded and realistic gunplay, inspired by Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
On the other end of the spectrum, Call of Duty has leaned heavily into over-the-top microtransactions for flashy cosmetic bundles, weapon blueprints, and operator skins, which have left the gaming community confused about the future of the franchise.
But Activision isn’t worried about Battlefield 6 as the publisher believes Call of Duty Black Ops 7 will hold up on its own, given its narrative sequel to the widely praised Black Ops II, reported to release a month after Battlefield 6’s October 10, 2025 launch.
However, comparing the two franchises at this point is rather tricky. Battlefield 6’s open beta is free-to-play, much like Warzone. Yet, its October 10 release will carry a $69.99 which doesn’t guarantee these numbers in the long run. Still, towering above Call of Duty’s Steam peak, even if temporarily, is a figure that has the gaming community talking, with Steam player counts of over 521,000 and climbing.
Despite this, the Open Beta isn’t without its hiccups, as players have reported missing animations, invisible weapons, texture glitches, and screen flickers. Weapon balancing has been the talk of the gaming community as players are reporting that shotguns are overpowered. But the overall player base is mesmerized as D.I.C.E. has truly delivered on most of its promises, in contrast to the apathy that followed Battlefield 2042’s launch.
