Battlefield 6 is starting to earn a lot of anticipation, with the recent single-player and multiplayer reveal trailers for the project being very well-received. While the game's October release date might still seem far away, fans will soon have access to the full open and closed betas for Battlefield 6, giving everyone a chance to see what the game is all about.
Of course, this also puts a lot of pressure on Battlefield 6, which has to do a lot of work to move the franchise away from the criticisms of past entries like Battlefield 2042. This has largely resulted in Battlefield 6 taking clear inspiration from fan-favorite games like Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4, which could extend over to the upcoming game's approach to matchmaking. DICE recently clarified some of the most important details regarding Battlefield 6's matchmaking, addressing things like skill-based matchmaking and a server browser mechanic, leading to a mixture of reactions.
Battlefield 6 Is Already Off to a Flying Start
Although Battlefield 6 is still a couple of months away, anticipation appears to be at an all-time high, as it is already off to a flying start.
Some Elements of Battlefield 6's Matchmaking Go Against Fan Expectations
For better or for worse, discussions around matchmaking often dominate the communities of many modern competitive shooters. Major franchises like Call of Duty are great examples of this, with skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) being one of the most divisive and consistent issues that is seemingly here to stay. Many players see the launch of Battlefield 6 as a perfect chance for the DICE franchise to really stamp its mark against competitors like CoD, placing a lot of attention on how the game will approach SBMM for its own matchmaking.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is expected to launch extremely closely to Battlefield 6, which would be the first time these franchises have gone head-to-head since Battlefield 2042 and Call of Duty: Vanguard in November 2021.
DICE recently confirmed that matchmaking for Battlefield 6 will largely take into account server availability, player location, and ping, with SBMM also playing some role in who players are placed against. Understandably, this confirmation has been met with some disappointment, though there is a caveat that should make this news more palatable for opponents of SBMM. Reportedly, SBMM will play a lesser role for game modes with massive playercounts, like Conquest. This will, in theory, make SBMM less noticeable within Battlefield 6's most iconic experiences, while having a higher impact on smaller-scale modes such as Team Deathmatch.
While the presence of SBMM in Battlefield 6 may end up being negligible, one other recently confirmed matchmaking aspect is much more surprising. It was recently announced that Battlefield 6 will not feature a server browser for its standard gameplay, which was one of the most highly-requested features for the game. Battlefield 6's evolved take on the Portal game mode will possess its own browser, but core game modes will not have the same luxury.
Battlefield 6's Server Browser Absence Goes Against its Focus on Tradition
Of course, past games like Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 featured their own in-depth server browsers, which was an excellent way to allow fans to tailor their own in-game experiences. Battlefield 6 has already done well to take inspiration from these historic titles through things like smaller server sizes and maps, increased destruction mechanics, and more traditional classes. Despite this, the lack of an official server browser is a real departure from the freedom of choice that made the likes of BF3 and BF4 so enjoyable.
Battlefield 6 is still in a relatively early state, however, and there could be a possibility that a server browser at least gets partly introduced to modes outside of Portal in the future. It seems likely that the lack of a server browser is directly tied to the presence of skill-based matchmaking in Battlefield 6, but players can take some solace in the fact that SBMM will not be as invasive or obvious in large-scale game modes.
Battlefield 6
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- October 10, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-App Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Battlefield Studios
- Publisher(s)
- EA
