Battlefield 6 could challenge Call of Duty superiority with huge Steam pre-order advantage

Record-breaking participation during the Battlefield 6 open beta raised expectations for pre-order sales. According to new market data discussed by The Game Business, EA’s shooter game has converted that interest into dollars. Although the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta is just starting now, Activision may have a large gap in pre-release sales to make up for.

Ampere and Newzoo estimate that 22 to 25 million players competed in the Battlefield 6 open beta. Peak daily player counts also more than doubled the high marks of the Battlefield 2042 beta. Even when considering the longer testing period, anticipation is high before the October 16th Battlefield 6 release date.

Fans saw enough of Dice’s new shooter for Steam to accumulate an estimated 1.7 million pre-orders. Also, 2.4 million users have wishlisted the game, which Video Game Insights projects is three times the number of Black Ops 7. Ampere believes that Battlefield 6 could sell five million units by the end of its first week on the market.

If Battlefield 6 claims the military shooter crown, it will have to overcome years of Call of Duty dominance. The Activision Blizzard series is enjoying a 16-year streak as the best-selling game franchise. In 2016, Battlefield 1 finished second behind Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in U.S. revenue. Still, with most releases, there has been a much larger gap between the performance of the rival shooters.

Battlefield 6 Steam numbers are only part of the story

Unfortunately, Steam player counts and sales provide only a partial insight into the popularity of both games. Battlefield and Call of Duty have strong console followings, where it’s more difficult to compare data. Also, alternative PC-based launchers, like the EA app, Epic Games, and COD HQ, skew the totals.

Black Ops 7 also benefits from Xbox Game Pass, but recent changes could affect player counts. Microsoft recently raised the prices of its subscription service. PC Game Pass is an exception, but other members now need the costly Ultimate tier for day-one access. On the other hand, more buyers could decide to purchase Black Ops 7 after cancelling their costly subscriptions.