August 7 is suddenly a big day for first-person shooter fans, asBattlefield 6has now confirmed that its early access beta will be launching on the same day asCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s highly anticipated Season 5 update. It has been four years sinceCall of DutyandBattlefieldwent head-to-head, but August 7 is now set to be a significant date for both series, as it could be a big indication of which franchise is going to come out on top this year.
There’s no denying thatBattlefieldandCall of Dutyare two of the biggest names not only in the first-person shooter genre, but in the entirety of gaming. With that being said, EA has never quite managed to reach the same heights withBattlefieldas Activision has withCall of Duty. Year after year, theCall of Dutyseries comes out on top, dominating sales charts with its annual releases.Battlefield, on the other hand, does not release new titles annually. The last entry in the series,Battlefield 2042, received massively negative reviews due to its performance issues, a controversial new specialist system, a lack of server browser and scoreboard, and more. But withBattlefield 6on the horizon, the series could be coming for the throne.
With Season 5 ofCall of Dutyset to go live next week, August 7 was already shaping up to be a big day for FPS fans. But now that EA has confirmed theopen beta dates forBattlefield 6, it’s shaping up to be an absolutely massive day. The first early access beta forBattlefield 6will take place between August 7 and 8, and is only available to those who were lucky enough to obtain a code via Twitch Drops during the game’s multiplayer reveal. The good news is that those who weren’t lucky enough to receive a code won’t have to wait long, as there will then be two open beta weekends shortly after. The first will kick off on August 9 and run until August 10, but a longer beta period will then be available from August 14 to 17.
Given thatCall of Dutytends to come out on top year after year, it’s a bold move for EA to kick off its first beta on the same date asBlack Ops 6andWarzone’s Season 5 update. With that being said, it could be a sign that EA is confident thatBattlefield 6can go toe-to-toe withCall of Duty, especially as fans continue to show fatigue with the franchise. WhileBlack Ops 6was a huge success for Activision and developer Treyarch Studios, its post-launch seasonal updates have been met with controversy after controversy. Players are growing tired of the unrealistic cosmetic items, hackers, and lackluster content updates, which means now is the perfect time forBattlefieldto strike.
It may take a lot for the nextBattlefieldgame to dethroneCall of Duty, but EA recently hinted atBattlefield 6having a more grounded approach to cosmetic items, something that manyCall of Dutyfans have been requesting for years now. It may not seem like a huge deal to some, butBlack Ops 6’s unrealistic operator skins have resulted in huge backlash, and with the controversial Carry Forward feature potentially making a return forBlack Ops 7later this year, it could giveBattlefield 6a huge edge over its competitor.
