Despite the hype, Battlefield 6 fails to dent Call of Duty’s reign in the US ahead of Black Ops 7 launch — but there’s a big caveat

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Electronic Arts’ (EA) new first-person shooter, Battlefield 6, launched on October 10th and has already sold over 7 million copies in its first three days. According to Mat Piscatella, an executive director at Circana, Battlefield 6 remained the most-played game on Steam for the week ending October 25th. It also ranked 6th and 7th on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles, respectively.

Despite the hype surrounding the competition between Battlefield 6 and Activision’s Call of Duty, Call of Duty HQ maintained its position as the #2 game on both Xbox and PlayStation, with no loss of players. It’s important to note that Call of Duty HQ includes last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and the free-to-play battle royale, Call of Duty: Warzone. Previously, this launcher included more games, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 3 were removed in July.

Finally, these numbers don’t reflect the launch of REDSEC, Battlefield 6’s free-to-play battle royale mode, which launched on October 28th. While REDSEC has received mixed reactions, it did boost Battlefield 6’s player count on Steam, reaching over 500,000 concurrent players.

As a gamer, I’ve been following the rivalry between Call of Duty and Battlefield closely. Right now, you can still play Call of Duty on older consoles like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, even if it doesn’t look amazing. Battlefield 6, though, is only for the newest generation of consoles. It’s going to be really interesting to see how Battlefield 6 performs once its REDSEC technology is fully integrated.

And looking ahead, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 absolutely crushed it in 2024, becoming the best-selling game in the US *despite* being available on Xbox and PC Game Pass. Now everyone’s wondering if Black Ops 7, launching November 14, 2025, can repeat that success. Only time will tell!

Honestly, I’m thrilled to see these two franchises pushing each other. It’s great for us gamers when both series are strong and the developers are responsive to what we want.

FAQ

Is Battlefield 6 REDSEC free-to-play?

REDSEC is a free Battle Royale mode, meaning you can play it even if you don’t buy Battlefield 6. It’s similar to Call of Duty: Warzone, which also lets you play without purchasing the main Call of Duty game.

Did Battlefield 6 sell well?

Battlefield 6 had a very successful launch, selling more than 7 million copies in just the first three days – making it one of EA’s best performing games in recent years.

Has it hurt Call of Duty’s playerbase?

Currently, Call of Duty HQ is still the second most popular game on Xbox and PlayStation in the U.S., and player numbers haven’t decreased.

What about REDSEC, Battlefield’s battle royale?

As a researcher following the launch of REDSEC on October 28th, I observed it quickly gained traction as a free-to-play mode, peaking with over 500,000 concurrent players on Steam. However, it’s still too early to tell what the lasting effect of REDSEC will be on the overall Call of Duty franchise.

When does Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launch?

November 14, 2025. After Black Ops 6 became the top-selling game in the U.S. in 2024, there’s a lot of anticipation for the next installment, Black Ops 7.

Could Battlefield 6 still gain ground?

It’s possible REDSEC could gain ground with strong performance and continued updates, but Call of Duty has a very loyal player base that’s proven difficult to challenge.

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2025-11-04 02:11