Battlefield 6 just delivered the most viral open beta in the series’ history. Within hours of launch, its Steam peak shattered records—surging past 330,000 concurrent players, easily annihilating Battlefield 2042’s best (~107K) and even outpacing Battlefield V (~116K). SteamDB marks it as the 44th most-played game of all time on the platform—a remarkable feat for a beta.
These numbers sparked massive queues: at one point, over 250,000 players were waiting in-line to join. The situation became so strained that some watchers reported even higher congestion before the beta went live. Many impatient players even idled in the main menu, just waiting for access.
EA and DICE responded in real-time, promising a “substantial increase” in server capacity and queue-handling measures to improve the experience.
For everything you need to know about the open beta—matchmaking tweaks, Twitch integrations, system specs—check out our full Battlefield 6 open beta guide.
Curious how matchmaking evolved? We’ve got the breakdown in our Battlefield 6 matchmaking changes piece.
With day one already breaking franchise records, Battlefield 6 isn’t dipping its toes—it’s charging straight in. If this is what the open beta can pull off, the full release could mark a new high-water mark for the series.
