After years of leaks and rumors and months of subtle-but-not-specific confirmations, Battlefield 6's free-to-play battle royale mode is finally out. Launching alongside Battlefield 6 Season 1, Battlefield: RedSec drops the player into Fort Lyndon, a gigantic map filled with distinct POIs, engaging missions, and 99 other players all looking to take each other down.
But as long-time Battlefield fans will remember all too well, Battlefield 6: RedSec isn't the first battle royale mode in the franchise. Back in March 2019, Battlefield V added a battle royale mode called 'Firestorm.' While the mode itself is remembered fondly, EA's handling of its post-launch support isn't. Looking back six years later, it's interesting to see just how well Firestorm has aged, and how Battlefield 6: RedSec builds on its foundations.
Comparing Battlefield 6: RedSec to Battlefield V: Firestorm
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Features in Battlefield V: Firestorm |
Features in Battlefield 6: RedSec |
|---|---|
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64-player lobbies |
100-player lobbies |
|
Class choice only affects cosmetics |
Each class has unique perks and abilities |
|
World War 2 setting |
Modern day setting |
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Capturing points rewards supply drops |
Completing missions rewards supply drops |
|
Land vehicles are dotted around the map and a tank can be claimed by opening a bunker |
Land vehicles and boats are dotted around the map and a tank can be claimed by completing missions that award vehicle keycards |
|
Can be played in Solos, Duos, or Squads |
Battle Royale can be played in Duos and Quads. It also has Initiation Battle Royale mode and Gauntlet mode |
|
Squad mates can be revived with a flare gun |
Squad mates can be revived by visiting a Redeploy Tower |
|
Uses Battlefield V movement and shooting mechanics |
Uses Battlefield 6 movement and shooting mechanics, including new features like drag and revive |
|
Had to pay for Battlefield V to access it |
Free to play for anyone on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S |
How Battlefield 6: RedSec's Fort Lyndon Compares to Firestorm's Halvoy
One of the most obvious differences between Battlefield 6: RedSec and Battlefield V: Firestorm is each game's setting. Much like its campaign and multiplayer component, Battlefield V's Firestorm mode was set during the height of World War 2. Naturally, this meant that Firestorm's weapons, vehicles, character skins, and level architecture were all inspired by that era. Battlefield 6: RedSec, on the other hand, features a present day setting (2027-2028), so all of its weapons, vehicles, skins, and level architecture are inspired by modern designs.
In terms of the maps themselves, Firestorm's Halvoy and RedSec's Fort Lyndon differ quite a bit. While Firestorm's map was once the biggest map in Battlefield history, RedSec's seems to trump it, at least if the number of POIs is anything to go by. While Halvoy had an impressive 15 POIs dotted around its mountainous map, Fort Lyndon has a staggering 21, encompassing an even wider variety of locations like golf courses, chemical plants, shopping districts, and marinas.
The always-approaching 'Storm' is presented slightly differently in Firestorm and RedSec. In Firestorm, it's a literal ring of fire that destroys buildings, burns the player, and obscures their vision. In RedSec, it's an enclosing ring of never-ending explosions.
Battlefield 6: RedSec Features Exclusive Gameplay Mechanics
Another major difference between Battlefield's Firestorm mode and Battlefield 6: RedSec is how both battle royales actually play. Despite releasing back in 2019, Firestorm's Battlefield V mechanics hold up very well today, but of course, they're not quite as smooth as those found in RedSec.
Battlefield 6's RedSec mode also benefits from a wealth of mechanics not seen in prior Battlefield entries, such as the ability to drag squad mates when they've been knocked prone and revive them behind cover. Classes also play a role in RedSec's moment-to-moment gameplay. While they were simply cosmetics in Firestorm, RedSec's Classes provide players with unique perks and abilities, such as Assault's grenade launcher and their ability to place ladders.
Battlefield 6: RedSec is also home to a few battle royale-specific mechanics that Firestorm didn't have, such as custom weapon drops, Redeploy Towers, and a variety of missions that reward squads with rare loot. Thanks to games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Fortnite, these mechanics have become staples of the battle royale genre over the last few years, but they weren't quite the norm back when Firestorm released in 2019.
Battlefield 6: RedSec Features New Battle Royale Modes
Where Battlefield V''s Firestorm mode offered Solo, Duo, and Squad variations of its battle royale mode, Battlefield 6: RedSec has a few additional and tweaked modes:
- Battle Royale - Only Duos and Quads at launch, no Solos or Trios
- Initiation Battle Royale - A tutorial mode with bots that features a 48-player maximum
- Gauntlet - Eight squads complete four sets of missions. The two squads with the lowest points after each mission are eliminated
Battlefield 6: RedSec Is Free-To-Play
But probably the most important difference between Battlefield V: Firestorm and Battlefield 6: RedSec in the grand scheme of things is that the latter is completely free to play. While Firestorm received praise upon its March 2019 launch, it was locked behind a purchase of Battlefield V.
Though Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode, which released a few months prior, was also held behind a paywall, its base game wasn't met with as much of a mixed reception. Fortnite had also set a new precedent for free-to-play games almost two years before Firestorm's release. It also didn't help that EA released Apex Legends just a month after Firestorm, delivering a similarly 'mature' battle royale experience but for no cost.
Given the current climate of the gaming industry, Battlefield 6: RedSec going free-to-play is absolutely the right move. And with it dropping two weeks after Battlefield 6, it's managing to capitalize on the goodwill surrounding the base game and strike while the iron is hot, while also not shooting itself in the foot by offering a free alternative right away that uses many of the same mechanics.
Battlefield 6
-
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
