First impressions: Battlefield 6 Open Beta feels like a real return to form

I went into the Battlefield 6 open beta not really expecting much, but definitely excited. The last few entries in the series didn’t stick with me, and I wasn’t sure what kind of identity this one was trying to claim, going by the leaks and reveals in the past month. But after getting through the long queues and a few hiccups here and there, I found myself slowly settling into something that actually felt… familiar. In a good way.

I got into the early access playtest (7-9 August) through an email from EA, since I had signed up for the closed playtest earlier (but never got through). My account was already linked to Steam, so the download and setup were pretty much hassle-free. The real waiting started after that - over an hour in queue, and at one point, my position was above 250,000. Twice I made it to the end, only to get thrown back into the queue. It wasn’t a great start, but once I finally got in, things smoothed out.

Maps and menus

The main menu is simple. Game modes are easy to find, but the settings menu is kind of a maze. I spent way too long looking for basic graphics tweaks that should’ve been easier to access. Just saying - a search function wouldn’t hurt. 

My first match was on Siege of Cairo, and it was a mess - chaotic, tight, and way too fast (cue flashbacks to Grand Bazaar from Battlefield 3, but without the same sense of flow). I started off in Domination, but I’ve gone through most of the other modes now. Other maps feel close to done, but Cairo (in my opinion) needs more balance work. The spawn system bugged out a few times too - couldn’t spawn on teammates even when they were nowhere close to conflict.

That said, objectives are marked clearly, and squad play actually matters. Spawning near teammates helps immensely, and when people play their roles, the game just...works. The drag-to-revive mechanic is probably one of the best additions to the game. It’s smooth, useful, and adds a small but an important bit of strategy when trying to get someone out of a bad spot.

Core gameplay

Gunplay feels tight in all the right ways, but again, it's not new whatsoever. If you know this franchise, everything pertaining to shooting should feel right at home. The Battlefield 6 Open Beta has a limited selection of weapons available to play with. Once you start unlocking attachments for your weapons of choice, you’ll find a rhythm. Movement is solid, too. Vaulting is smooth, and the fact that vaults over taller walls take more time is a nice touch. Running, crouching, going prone - it all feels responsive. Plus, you can now hang off the back of some infantry vehicles (see above), and while older BF games let players hop/stand on vehicles, I don't remember this 'hang' mechanic from any past game. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Another new feature is the "fatal headshot", where snipers can render the "revival" mechanic useless by simply - you guessed it - landing a headshot on the enemy. 

The return of destructible environments is what really anchors this game. Buildings collapse all the time, walls get shredded, and it’s not just for show. I’ve seen players taken out by debris and buildings falling apart mid-fight. It makes every match feel alive. Messy? Yeah. But that's just Battlefield. Also, I stuck with the Engineer class most of the time, mostly because I like keeping vehicles in play. Each class - Assault, Support, Recon, and Engineer - brings something important. I personally don't understand why the recon class comes kitted with regenerating C4 charges, but I don't really question too much.

The overall feel? It plays a lot like Battlefield 3, but with some cues from Battlefield 1. It’s a smart choice. Some maps still fall into the trap of too many corners and too little flow, but at its core, this feels like Battlefield getting back to what it was good at.

Performance and stability

I’m running a Ryzen 7 5800X with a 3060 Ti (8GB) and 64GB RAM, playing at 1440p with medium settings and FSR on. Even in the most hectic moments, I was getting around 70-75 FPS, with maybe a 5-10 frame dip during heavy smoke or fog. That’s it. Honestly, I was surprised at how well BF6 ran. The kernel level anti-cheat will definitely polarize the audience, but we'll see how that fares after the full launch happens.

No crashes. None. I had a weird visual glitch three times when my screen flickered green and white, but it fixed itself every time I died and respawned. That was it. Load times were quick, and no extraordinary temperature spikes were noticed. 

The UI itself is functional, clean, and doesn’t waste time. Game modes are easy to find, and once in-game, the HUD looks like a modern take on the old-school Battlefield layout. The only clunky part is still the settings menu, which really needs a rework (I'm sorry I keep coming back to this).

Sound and visuals

The sound design is right where it needs to be. Gunshots and explosions hit hard, and the sound of bullets and rockets flying past still gives you that tense, chaotic feeling. If you’re too close to a blast, you’ll get that ringing-in-your-ears effect - but here’s a cool bit: you can even adjust the pitch of that ringing in the settings menu.

Visually? No complaints. Smoke and fog look excellent (even with my mediocre system and on low-medium settings), and in bigger maps (especially Liberation Peak), the set design feels very intentional. Collapsing buildings, dust clouds, and reactive lighting make the battlefield feel like it’s constantly shifting around you. Together, the visuals and sound genuinely pull you in.

The debrief

After spending hours in the Battlefield 6 open beta, I’m walking away with mixed feelings - mostly positive, but not without some minor reservations. The core experience is solid. Gunplay is tight, destruction is back and is executed well, and the new mechanics like drag-to-revive actually make a huge difference in gameplay. Movement feels good, maps look and sound great, and the class system works as intended.

But there are still some things that are hard to ignore. Some maps are too chaotic for their own good. Spawning bugs and strange pacing decisions take away from moments that should’ve felt more tactical. It doesn't ruin the experience too much by any means, but it's clearly not a finished product yet.

That said, I can’t shake the feeling that this is Battlefield trying to find its footing again - and mostly succeeding. It doesn’t try to reinvent everything, and maybe that’s why it works. It brings back parts of Battlefield 3’s tempo, Battlefield 1's atmosphere, and throws some new ideas into the mix to keep things interesting.

If DICE can clean up the rough edges before launch, Battlefield 6 has the potential to end up being the comeback the series has been needing for a while.