Battlefield 6 Steam player count of 747,000 smashes Call of Duty record hours after release

It’s not surprising that Battlefield 6 would be a popular attraction on its release date. The shooter game already saw a peak Steam player count of over 520,00 during its open beta. Still, it may be surpassing EA’s expectations for the full paid version. Hours after going live, more than 747,700 gamers logged on, shattering the records set by Call of Duty and past Battlefield titles.

Currently, Battlefield 6 trails only Counter-Strike 2 as the most played Steam game. There is no comparison when it comes to its predecessors, with Battlefield 2042 reaching a high-water mark of 107,376 players. Battlefield 5 performed slightly better, managing to attract 116,104 gamers. Nevertheless, Dice likely has its sights set on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The military shooter rival has outsold its franchise.

SteamDB combines multiple Call of Duty games into one tracker. The highest Steam player count for the series was 491,670, after the free Warzone 2 launched in November 2022. If the Black Ops 7 beta is any indication, it may struggle to match Battlefield 6 on its November 14th release date. The game only maxed out at around 100,000 players during testing.

Many players think Black Ops 7 hasn’t innovated the franchise or provided enough upgrades. Regardless, Steam player counts only give a partial glimpse into a multi-platform game. Even on PCs, there are multiple launchers where data isn’t as accessible. That said, Activision seems to know it's facing an uphill battle after extending the Black Ops 7 open beta.

Battlefield 6 looks to dominate gaming this weekend

There are hopes that the traditional Battlefield sprawling maps will see even more participation over the weekend. Despite proclaiming that servers would be ready, players are reporting massive login queues. Also, before their first matches, some frustrated gamers are being asked to purchase content they already own.

Battlefield 6 has improved on Battlefield 2042 with an 84 Metacritic rating. However, reviewers generally consider its uninspired single-player campaign a disappointment. That hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm of Steam users focused on its multiplayer modes.