As the Battlefield 6 Open Beta Wraps Up, Players Scatter to Other Games — So I’m Asking: What’s Everyone Playing Instead?

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As one of the most renowned shooter games in gaming history, although its player base is smaller than during its peak years, Battlefield 6 continues to captivate its dedicated fanbase and thrill enthusiasts of explosions. The developers have made the game available to almost anyone with an “Open Beta,” but playing during the initial “Early Access” period required some advance planning – it was a bit perplexing.

Despite this, approximately 40,000 people were found idling in the game’s menus even before it became playable, indicating a significant level of anticipation for the game’s return to a modern warfare theme. To be honest, I hadn’t given much thought to the series since Battlefield: Bad Company 2 absorbed most of my free time around 2010.

After trying out the open beta version, it seems that Battlefield has a real possibility of challenging Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in terms of hype for their war-themed sequels. Even though it’s still a beta, Battlefield 6 appears to have a solid foundation that could lead to an impressive final release. However, after the first weekend, I find myself a bit uncertain about where things are headed.

The “free weekend” in question actually spanned from the early hours of Thursday, August 7, and continued until Monday morning, August 11. However, this is just the initial phase of the Open Beta. The second part kicks off on Thursday morning, August 14, and concludes on Monday, August 18. It certainly seems odd to launch a highly anticipated game during working hours on a Thursday, which might lead to another dip in productivity across various industries.

Even though I’m excited to embark on another immersive journey in Battlefield 6 and share the collective excitement (and complaints about snipers) with the community, there’s a nagging concern: how will I manage to wait until the game officially launches on October 10?

The servers for the first Open Beta weekend are now closed, but you can still visit the main menu, modify your settings, and check out your challenges until the second Open Beta weekend starts on Thursday, August 14 at 8:00 UTC. We hope you enjoyed playing, and we’ll see you again next week!

[August 11, 2025]

I’ve definitely played other games in this series, not just one. In particular, I’ve spent quite a bit of time on Battlefield 1, which is set during World War I and features some lesser-known weapons and vehicles, but it doesn’t offer the same level of excitement as modern combat simulations for me.

Currently, I’m taking a moment to catch up on some priority tasks, such as the re-release of Heretic and Hexen, two classic shooter games from the ’90s that I somehow managed to overlook. However, it seems that many others have moved on. Was there a mass migration towards popular shooters like Call of Duty, or are we seeing a resurgence in the older Battlefield series?

Despite my strong dislike for the invincible cavalry units in Battlefield 1, featuring health pools reminiscent of Terminators and agile horses, I had anticipated it to be a strong contender against Battlefield 6. However, it seems that the grim World War II themes in Battlefield V manage to attract slightly more players overall, with a recent peak of approximately 20,000 players. This is quite surprising, especially considering that my friends who share similar preferences seemed to abandon Battlefield V rather swiftly during its early stages.

It seems like you might have passed up on Battlefield 2042. Could it be that I was hasty in dismissing what could have been an exceptional addition to the series?

It’s quite unexpected that Battlefield 2042 has managed to secure the third spot, considering its significant decline in player numbers since peaking at around 9,000 recently. Somehow, I had underestimated this 2021 release, which currently holds a “Mixed or Average” rating on Metacritic, mirroring my lack of enthusiasm for it similar to how I felt about Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare from its rival franchise.

It seems I may have overlooked Battlefield 2042 unjustly. Given my high expectations for the more contemporary settings of Battlefield 4 and the nostalgic allure of Battlefield 3 from my Xbox 360 days, I didn’t anticipate that BF2042 would outshine them. My fondness for Bad Company 2 is particularly evident as it appears to be underappreciated, much like a neglected pet.

The quality deteriorates as I revisit BattleBit Remastered, a simplified version of Battlefield’s gameplay, stripped down to a blocky, nearly textured-less presentation that prioritizes mechanics over aesthetics.

The close-range voice chat during gameplay in BattleBit often added a humorous touch, allowing you to briefly catch the dying words of enemies or hear your teammates call for aid when they required assistance with supplies.

Currently, BattleBit Remastered resembles a mere echo of its past glory. It’s not completely neglected, yet compared to its peak of over 87,000 players in June 2023, it now sits quietly in my Steam library like an unused collectible. I’ve heard whispers about the game’s supposed abandonment and a project called “Operation Overhaul”, but it’s disheartening to witness such a significant decline.

It seems that some players might not have found the main gameplay of BattleBit engaging, instead preferring Twitch streams that showcased the humorous in-game voices. This trend is similar to internet fads that fade away rapidly. Personally, I think BattleBit deserves a return, especially since it doesn’t require high-end PC specifications or Secure Boot like Battlefield 6. However, I might not be up-to-date enough on the game’s current status to make an informed comment.

As a tech enthusiast, I can hardly contain my excitement as I eagerly await the return of Battlefield 6’s Open Beta this coming Thursday. Once it’s live, I’ll be hopping onto SteamDB to gauge where the crowd is headed next. Who knows? The gaming world could change in an instant!

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2025-08-12 20:42