After a highly successful PC beta, Battlefield 6 has officially launched, bringing the franchise back with a bang. Strategically released on Friday, October 10, the launch caught gamers over the weekend, driving the title to nearly 750,000 simultaneous players on Steam.
The peak, recorded at 747,440 players, was achieved in the first hours after release, making it the biggest Steam launch in Battlefield history. To put that into perspective, the previous franchise high, Battlefield V, peaked at just 116,000 players.
When filtering the Battlefield series on SteamDB, Battlefield 6 takes the top spot, followed by its beta with 521,000 players and BF2042’s beta at 156,000. With Steam being the primary platform for Battlefield fans, this launch clearly positions Battlefield 6 as the franchise’s most successful PC release.
Reception Mixed But Improving
Despite the huge launch, early reviews were mixed. Players reported issues opening the game, conflicts with Secure Boot, and performance problems. Over time, however, the reception has stabilised. Currently, Battlefield 6 has over 63,000 reviews on Steam with a 75% approval rating, still trailing classics like BF4 (83%), Bad Company 2 (83%), and BF1 (85%).
On Metacritic, the game holds a solid 83 from the press and 8.2 from users, reflecting generally favourable reviews while noting that any user can submit a score.
Current Status
As of publication, Battlefield 6 is in Steam’s top 5 most-played games, with 292,000 concurrent players, trailing only giants like PUBG, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike 2. While the launch peak of 747,440 is unlikely to be surpassed, the game’s initial performance cements its status as a major franchise comeback.
