Following the title’s explosive reveal last month, Battlefield 6 — the next entry in Electronic Arts’ (EA) and DICE’s large-scale, combined arms-driven FPS franchise — has quickly risen to become one of this year’s most-anticipated games on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC platforms like Steam, and PS5.
Scheduled to launch on October 10 with core Battlefield systems like classes and map-altering destruction that look to be elevated higher than ever before, there’s a very strong chance it will propel the series back into the limelight. And ahead of its full release, everyone will have a chance to try it out freely with Open Beta builds — builds that are available to preload now.
The arrival of preloads came alongside a special announcement from the Battlefield Comms account on social media, in which the developers provided links to where players can download and install the Open Beta on Xbox Series X|S, Steam, the EA App, and PS5.
Note that while the Open Beta has dedicated store pages on Xbox, the EA App, and PS5, those using Steam will need to select the “Request Access” button under the beta’s section on the platform’s full Battlefield 6 page.
Want to get ready for the Battlefield 6 Open Beta?Here are the links you need in order to pre-load on the platform of your choice.EA App: https://t.co/cQkWXcMUHtSteam: https://t.co/weJ5PzOg3bPlayStation 5: https://t.co/87oby5YDzMXbox Series X|S: https://t.co/VVakx28QfV pic.twitter.com/RY6Ho1nFGgAugust 4, 2025
The Open Beta itself is scheduled to run for everyone on the weekends of August 9-10 and August 14-17. There’s also Early Access to the first beta weekend on August 7-8 for everyone who redeems a code you received if you either got it in a Twitch Drop during Battlefield 6’s multiplayer reveal or previously participated in Battlefield Labs alpha testing.
If you’re planning to play the Open Beta on PC, another thing to note is that the developers have made the Battlefield 6 PC system requirements available to peruse. Compared to many other new AAA games, they’re actually quite tame, though you will need to enable Secure Boot for the game to run since its kernel-level anti-cheat is designed to work with it.
Participating in the Open Beta will net you some exclusive rewards in the full game, as you can see in the image below.
Playing during the first August 9-10 weekend will grant you the Seeker and All-Terrain soldier skins, along with the Dominion weapon package (this seems to be a fancy term for a skin, though it could include attachments too), the Lights Out background for your player card, and weapon charms.
Fighting on the battlefield during the second August 14-17 Open Beta period, meanwhile, gives you the War Machine vehicle skin, the Striking Distance weapon package, and a Bat Company dog tag cosmetic.
In addition to bringing back Battlefield’s soldier classes, expanding the scope of what’s possible with destruction, and prominently featuring classic modes like Conquest, Breakthrough, and Rush, Battlefield 6 is also giving fans a variety of new ways to experience all-out warfare.
For one, the Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon classes are all getting nifty new gadgets that enable fresh approaches to combat situations, such as an Assault Ladder that lets you climb into openings in walls or across gaps.
There are also new modes like Team and Squad Deathmatch, Domination, King of the Hill, and a particularly bombastic experience called Escalation, along with a revamped Portal experience that allows you to create custom maps and modes on the same level as what you’d expect from Halo Infinite Forge.
All in all, it looks like the Battlefield game of my dreams, though certain things like the lack of an official server browser are unfortunate. Still, I expect Battlefield 6 will fuel a much-needed comeback for this franchise, and I can’t wait to jump into its Open Beta to experience it for myself.
You don’t need to preorder for any beta access whatsoever, but if you end up wanting to, you can pick the game up ahead of launch for $69.99 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5.
