Image credit: EA DICE

The Battlefield 6 Open Beta reached a peak of 521,079 concurrent players on Steam this past weekend, making it the most played FPS beta in Steam history. The previous record was 491,670 set by Call of Duty in November 2022.

The beta ran for just two days but stayed near the 500,000 mark even after the peak, according to SteamDB.

While Steam numbers don’t reflect total player counts across all platforms, this figure was enough to push Battlefield 6 into 18th place on Steam’s all-time most played list. It is the only FPS in that tier aside from Counter-Strike and battle royales like PUBG and Apex Legends. Call of Duty now sits in 20th place.

How It Got There

The beta opened to all players following an early access period for Battlefield Labs members. Queue times reached over 30 minutes at peak hours, with some players reporting 250,000 people ahead of them. Twitch viewership topped 870,000, more than double the peak of the previous Battlefield beta.

SteamDB – Battlefield 6 Steam Chart

The strong showing comes after years of mixed reception for the series. Battlefield 2042 beta peaked at around 150,000 players and its launch at just over 100,000. Battlefield 6’s numbers are roughly five times higher than 2042’s peak in 2023.

Community Reaction

Many long-time players see this as a return to form, comparing the beta’s feel to Battlefield 3 and 4 with updated mechanics and polish. Some even said it runs better than the final releases of the last two games. Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra predicted Battlefield 6 could outpace Call of Duty this year, citing declining interest in the latter.

Not all impressions have been positive. Some players feel the maps are too small and the number of vehicles too limited, saying the game feels more like Call of Duty with light vehicle support. Others believe the beta represents only a small slice of the final game.

Why It Matters

Call of Duty has been the go-to FPS for over ten years, with Battlefield often fighting from behind. The newest Call of Duty reveal hasn’t gone over well, and that could push some players to give Battlefield another chance. This beta’s big numbers suggest there’s real interest in a change.

The trick will be holding that attention once the hype wears off. Plenty of shooters pull huge beta crowds but lose them when the full game launches without enough content or polish. If Battlefield 6 can launch smoothly and keep its maps, modes, and performance strong, it has a real shot at making this year’s FPS race closer than it’s been in a long time.

What’s Next

The open beta ends soon, with another test period scheduled for August 14–17. The full release of Battlefield 6 is set for October 10, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. If the launch quality matches the beta’s stability, this could be the franchise’s strongest debut in years.