Battlefield 6 review – operatic, ear-shattering all-encompassing warfare

<p><strong>Electronic Arts; PC, PS5, Xbox<br></strong>In contrast to the blast-em-ups this franchise drops players into a vast and vividly realised military offensive and the latest instalment is a brilliant return to form</p><p>Barely a minute into your first round of the large-scale multiplayer mode, Conquest, you will know you are back in Battlefield at its absolute best. Fighter jets scorch over head, tanks rumble by, the side of a building is obliterated by a rocket-propelled grenade. While Call of Duty has always focused its online matches on close skirmishes, Battlefield 6 makes you feel part of a vast military offensive, bewildering and ear-shattering, with even the quiet moments punctuated by the pop-pop of distance rifle fire, the shouts of orders and the cries for medics.</p><p>It’s well known that EA’s long-running first-person shooter series has hit trouble over the last couple of years, with futuristic instalment <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/nov/24/battlefield-2042-review-war-pc-xbox-one-series-x-s-playstation-dice-ea">Battlefield 2042</a> widely considered a disappointment. So this time round, the development team (a collective of studios including original creator DICE) has gone back to the excellent Battlefield 4 for inspiration, where the emphasis was on authentic-feeling modern military warfare on large maps with lots of players. As ever, Battlefield 6 gives you the choice of four classes – Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon – each with its own weapons and gadgets, all of which can be upgraded and customised as you level up your soldier and gain experience. It’s a hybrid system taking elements of older Battlefields as well as newer Call of Duty titles, where the Gunsmith system revolutionised weapon personalisation for first-person online shooters.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/oct/13/battlefield-6-review-operatic-ear-shat