Battlefield 6’s Open Beta Changes Are a Great Sign of Things to Come

The excitement around Battlefield 6 is starting to reach a fever pitch, with pre-loads for the project’s upcoming beta recently going live. The open beta has already amassed a Steam concurrent player count of around 6,000 thanks to fans simply loading up the game in preparation for it going live over the coming days. Players with early access through things like Twitch drops or pre-existing BF Labs sign-ups will be able to dive into the beta on August 7, with full open access beginning on August 9.

DICE is aware of how important this beta period for Battlefield 6 will be for the title’s success, with a blog post recently drawing attention to the massive changes that will be implemented in time for this upcoming round of playtesting. The alterations that will be coming to Battlefield 6 have already caused quite a buzz throughout the game’s community, with several very important player-voiced issues being directly addressed as a result of BF Labs playtesting and data collection. The concept of the community’s voice not being heard has been a hot-button issue for Battlefield in recent years, and the timely changes to BF6 are hopefully an excellent sign that a new era for feedback has dawned for the franchise.

Battlefield 6’s Beta Changes Show That DICE is Delivering On its Playtesting Ambitions

It is no secret that the relationship between the Battlefield community and DICE has been strained with recent releases, with Battlefield 2042 being a low point for the franchise. While Battlefield 2042 did quite well to bolster its reputation post-launch, the release period for the project was littered with issues that have been hard to overlook or completely forget. Many fans voiced how Battlefield 2042 went against the more grounded and immersive themes of classic BF experiences, with the lack of launch content within the game only expounding these criticisms.

One of the major ways that DICE has aimed to rectify this with Battlefield 6 is via the game’s pre-release playtesting, with BF Labs offering the most rigorous and large-scale playtesting that the franchise has ever seen. This has given the studio an immense amount of direct and early feedback that can be used to tweak Battlefield 6 and make it as in line with fan expectations as possible when it launches on October 10.

Fans are already seeing the benefits of this approach, with a slew of changes coming for the upcoming beta phase of Battlefield 6. For example, maps like Siege of Cairo have been redesigned to create a better gameplay flow, while often-cited issues like time-to-kill have been balanced more thoroughly across all weapons. UI elements have also been directly tweaked thanks to player feedback, with perks and class combat roles also undergoing some drastic changes.

Battlefield 6‘s Assault class has been changed to offer more of a teamwork-based role via passive buffs and gadget tweaks, with the Deploy Beacon also being moved over from Recon to Assault.

DICE Just Needs to Keep the Utility and Timeliness of its Battlefield 6 Changes Consistent Going Forward

Battlefield 6 Clarifies How It Will Use SBMM

These changes are just the beginning of what can be expected from Battlefield 6 in the run-up to its release. The beta is seemingly going to be extremely popular, and this will give DICE an absolutely massive data pool to make more much-needed alterations across the beta period and beyond. The franchise cannot afford another negative reception like Battlefield 2042, and Battlefield 6‘s player-generated feedback is worth its weight in gold in this regard.

Of course, it seems likely that Battlefield 6 will need consistent tweaks throughout its post-launch life, with a lot of content inevitably being added through things like DLC and in-game seasons. The pre-release life of Battlefield 6 has already set a precedent of fast responses that should extend over to these potential future issues, setting the upcoming game in good stead to mark a real turning point in the recent history of the franchise.