I’ve always been someone who prides myself on playing as many games as I possibly can, and that extends to competitive multiplayer games. I’ve never been “just” a Call of Duty guy or “just” a Battlefield guy, as I’ve regularly hopped between the two depending on which of the active games I prefer more at the time. During the Battlefield 3 vs. Modern Warfare 3 era, I played far more BF3, hardly touching MW3 after sinking countless hours into the original Black Ops. However, when Battlefield 5 was up against Black Ops 4, CoD was my preference thanks to the extra focus on Zombies at launch and its excellent Blackout mode. This time around, Battlefield 6 is likely going to capture a majority of my attention, but not for the reasons that so many others have cited.
No, I’m not prioritizing Battlefield 6 because of the goofy skins in recent CoD games, even if they’re not always my cup of tea. The wall jumps and omnimovement of BO7 don’t bother me, either, and I’m open to a trippy campaign (even if Black Ops 7’s extraction shooter finale has me concerned). Instead, I’m simply worn down from the Call of Duty series not rewarding my play style - something that Battlefield has always done and will continue to do with BF6. For objective players like myself, EA’s upcoming release is a guaranteed win based on its beta, whereas Black Ops 7 can be safely expected to make the same mistake as so many other CoD entries.
Objective Play in Call of Duty is a Thankless Job, and BO7 Will Likely Be the Same
Despite controlling a majority of flags in a mode like Domination resulting in map control, making it easier for kill-focused gamers to get the streaks they cherish so much, it’s rare for me to get any help with capturing. I’ll throw my body on objective B or rotate to take the enemy’s spawn flag in order to break a spawn trap time and time again, dying far more than I should because I’m stuck fighting on my own. I have to rely on smoke grenades and dumb luck to get contested flags because I can’t lean on my teammates, and the worst part is, no matter how hard I try to play for the win, the scoreboard hardly reflects that effort. Sure, it’ll show captures or objective time, but the players at the top of the board are usually those who play for kills due to the way scoring works.
No mode shows this more clearly than Hardpoint, as players hardly get any score for holding down a zone. Somebody can have 3 minutes on the point but still be near the bottom of the board, which is, quite frankly, ridiculous. It’s incredibly tiring being the odd one out by prioritizing win/loss, but unfortunately, Kill/Death ratio has been and will continue to be the stat to chase in Call of Duty. This focus has been engraved in the minds of longtime fans because of features like killstreaks that reward them for surviving more than securing objectives. As such, it’s unlikely for things to change anytime soon, as selfish players will simply say “go play ranked,” call objective play a "waste of talent," and go about their business camping for streaks.
While Treyarch’s preference for scorestreaks over killstreaks is a bit more rewarding for objective players, it’s not nearly enough.
Personally, I don’t like the idea of ranked modes being the only way to have a competitive experience where both sides actually try to win. Games like Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2 can still be somewhat intense in their quick play modes, largely because players are regularly reminded that the goal is to win. I’d love to see Call of Duty encourage more objective play through weapon camo challenges, exclusive streaks, and so on, but I’ve given up hope after years of waiting for a real change. Winning matches in Call of Duty will probably always be a struggle without a group, Hardpoint’s scoreboard will always fail to accurately show who the top contributors are, and a majority of players will continue to focus on themselves. Fortunately, Battlefield 6 has me covered, and players tired of playing the objective on their own in CoD should really consider making the jump.
Battlefield 6 Continues The Series’ Trend of Rewarding Objective Play
For a majority of the Battlefield community, stats are an afterthought. Sure, players can look at their kill/death ratio if they really want to, but it’s not something people obsess over and treat as the only measure of skill like the CoD community tends to do. Instead, the mantra “PTFO” can be seen flooding in-game chats, social media platforms, and even official Battlefield marketing. Outside of having fun, the only other goal of a Battlefield 6 beta match was to win, and in my eyes, that’s exactly how multiplayer games should be.
Other Battlefield games are just as rewarding for objective players, as I’ve seen while playing BF 2042 for its BF6 rewards.
It takes one glance at a Battlefield 6 scoreboard to see the difference between EA’s flagship shooter and Activision’s. Unlike those Hardpoint leaderboards that care little about who has the most time on the objective, players will see a healthy mix of play styles represented near the top of each team. Sure, you’ll have your big 52-5 killers who use a tank all game near the top, but you’re just as likely to see someone who is 5-20 high on the list too. While someone who only knows CoD’s style will be shocked and confused by such a sight, Battlefield veterans will recognize instantly why this is: the player in question is playing the objective. They’ll have dozens of revives, resupplies, enemy spots, vehicle repairs, or objective captures, and they’ll be rewarded for that contribution. With only so much time in the day, I’d rather play a shooter that doesn’t treat eliminations as the only thing that matters, so Battlefield 6 is looking like the game for me.
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
