"Battlefield 6 Open Beta Shatters Franchise Record with Over Half a Million Simultaneous Players on Steam, Outperforming Every Call of Duty Title in Player Count -boasting 520K+ concurrent players"
The open beta for Battlefield 6, set to release on October 6, 2025, has made a significant impact on the gaming landscape, breaking records and surpassing its competitors. With a peak of 521,079 concurrent players, Battlefield 6's open beta has outperformed Call of Duty's highest Steam concurrent player count of 491,670 players[1][2][3][4].
This peak made Battlefield 6 the fourth most-played game on Steam during that period, trailing behind only Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and PUBG[1][3][5]. In the realm of popular first-person shooter (FPS) games on Steam, Battlefield 6's open beta ranks 18th by its peak concurrent player count[1][3][5].
Counter-Strike 2 holds the highest FPS concurrent player count of 1,862,531 players[5], while PUBG: Battlegrounds, a battle royale FPS, ranks very high with 3,257,248 concurrent players in peak times[5]. Apex Legends is also on the all-time top concurrent list but with a number lower than Battlefield 6’s 521K peak[1][3]. Call of Duty (Modern Warfare II) had its peak concurrent player count on Steam at 491,670 players, which Battlefield 6 has clearly surpassed[1][2][3][4].
Previous Battlefield titles like Battlefield 2042 and Battlefield 5 only reached around 100,000 concurrent players on Steam, far below Battlefield 6’s performance[2]. The success of Battlefield 6’s open beta represents a massive leap for the series and places it among the top FPS games on Steam by concurrent player count.
The beta experienced heavy queues with up to 30-minute waits due to unprecedented demand, but gameplay and netcode were highly praised, contributing to the positive reception and strong player retention during the beta period[1][3][4]. Battlefield 6 will be available on PC and consoles.
While it's too early to tell if Battlefield is back based on the success of Battlefield 6's open beta, its impressive performance has certainly signaled a significant shift in player interest and competition within the FPS genre on Steam in 2025.
References: [1] SteamDB [2] Steam Charts [3] Steam Stats [4] Twitch Tracker [5] Steam Top 100
Technology and gadgets played a significant role in the success of Battlefield 6's open beta, attracting a record-breaking 521,079 concurrent players on Steam, surpassing other popular first-person shooter games like Call of Duty. This high number of concurrent players signifies the advanced technology powering the game and the appeal offered by the latest innovations in gadgets.
