3 worst Battlefield launches of all time — and why Battlefield 6 could be different

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After a long wait since the open beta ended on August 17th, Battlefield 6 is finally releasing tomorrow, October 10th.

I still remember the excitement around the open beta – it was incredible! Thousands of players, around 40,000, were actually waiting in the game’s menu screen days before it even launched. And the interest was huge online, with over 850,000 people tuning in to Twitch just to get a first look at what DICE had created.

The servers were overwhelmed when hundreds of thousands of players tried to access the open beta, demonstrating massive excitement for the upcoming release of Battlefield 6. This surge in interest has caused long-time Battlefield fans to express concerns about whether the game’s launch will be smooth.

If you’re new to the Battlefield series, you should know that previous games have sometimes had very rocky starts. Many players, myself included, have experienced frustrating launches since the very first Battlefield game, released in 2002.

I’m looking back at the three most troubled launches in Battlefield history, and explaining why things are likely to be better this time around.

The 3 worst Battlefield launches of all time

Your favorite Battlefield games might be different from mine, but I think most players would agree that these particular titles had a rough start.

3. Battlefield 3

By 2025, Battlefield 3 is considered a classic, and many veteran Battlefield fans are hoping for a new game that plays like it.

Battlefield 3 came out in 2011 for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, and it’s been so long that many have forgotten the problems and difficulties it had when it first launched.

When the game first came out, it had some major server problems, and unfortunately, many of those problems lasted for weeks or even months. Because of this, a lot of players stopped trying to play and waited for the developers to fix things.

Battlefield 3 also had a rocky start due to numerous bugs that caused the game to crash, freeze, or disconnect players. Adding to the frustration, the PunkBuster anti-cheat system on PC sometimes incorrectly kicked legitimate players out of matches.

It was a close call between Battlefield 3 and Battlefield V for third place. Although Battlefield V had some initial technical problems, its biggest weaknesses were a lack of content and the forced inclusion of a battle royale mode that players didn’t want.

Yeah … anyone else remember Firestorm?

2. Battlefield 4

I still go back to Battlefield 4 whenever I’m craving a huge, modern war experience. But honestly, when it first came out in 2013, it was pretty rough around the edges. It definitely wasn’t in great shape at launch.

After its release, DICE worked to fix the initial problems with Battlefield 4 over several weeks, months, and years, ultimately making it a very successful game in the series.

It’s easy to overlook the many problems players experienced at launch on all platforms – from numerous bugs and crashes to frustrating connection issues, unstable gameplay, and even corrupted game files.

The game launched with so many problems that DICE had to completely focus on fixing them before even thinking about adding new content. Unfortunately, when they did start releasing expansions, many of the original issues reappeared, requiring further fixes.

1. Battlefield 2042

It’s no shock that Battlefield 2042 is considered one of the worst Battlefield games ever released. Since launching in 2021, it’s become a title that many longtime fans would prefer to forget.

I remember when Battlefield 2042 first came out, everyone thought it was going to be a direct competitor to Call of Duty’s Warzone – a huge battle royale experience. But they ended up changing direction and trying to be a more traditional shooter, and honestly, it just didn’t work. It felt like they lost sight of what made Battlefield, well, Battlefield. It was a bit of a mess, really.

Battlefield 2042 had a very rough start. Players criticized the map designs, the confusing user interface (it didn’t even have a scoreboard at first!), and the missing features like voice chat and the ability to choose servers. On top of that, there simply wasn’t enough content to keep people playing for long.

Beyond all of that, the game also had a lot of problems at launch, with a huge number of bugs and glitches that really bothered players – and many of those issues still haven’t been fixed.

Will Battlefield 6’s launch go smoothly? Here’s a reason to believe so.

David Sirland, the producer heading up Battlefield 6, thinks the game’s launch tomorrow will be a smooth experience. He shared this in a recent post on X, replying to a question from a player.

Yes, absolutely! We’re already planning for it, and the recent open beta helped us understand how much interest there is. Our target launch date is October 5, 2025.

Asked if the Battlefield 6 servers are ready for Friday, Sirland answered, “Should be!”

While not definitive proof, Sirland points out the popular open beta allowed DICE to assess player interest. This hopefully means DICE and EA will ensure enough servers are available when Battlefield 6 launches to handle the expected number of players.

With nearly 500,000 players trying out the Battlefield 6 beta on Steam, I’m not sure the servers will be able to handle the launch. However, the smooth and refined beta is a good sign that the full game should be relatively bug-free. We’ll see for sure tomorrow when it officially releases.

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2025-10-09 17:15