Electronic Arts (EA) has officially announced that the highly anticipated Battlefield 6 will exclusively launch on current-generation consoles and PC, bypassing the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Following the game`s multiplayer unveiling, a press release from EA confirmed that this latest installment in the global first-person shooter franchise is set to release on October 10. It will be available only on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Regarding a potential release on the rumored Switch 2, an official FAQ response explicitly stated, “We currently do not have plans to release Battlefield 6 on Switch 2.”
This decision is not entirely unexpected, given that the current console generation is approaching its five-year mark. Both Xbox and PlayStation have already indicated that work has begun on their next-generation consoles, succeeding the Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
Furthermore, prior to this announcement, observant fans noted the absence of PS4 and Xbox One pre-order or wishlist options when the game`s campaign was first revealed.
Developers commonly drop support for older console generations to fully leverage the capabilities of newer hardware. This approach allows them to push the technological boundaries of a title much further than if they were constrained by supporting systems with diverse power levels. We`ve seen instances where even within the same generation, developers face challenges, such as Larian Studios experienced optimizing Baldur`s Gate 3 for both the Xbox Series X and the less powerful Series S.
Battlefield 6 signals a return to a contemporary setting for the series, moving away from Battlefield 2042`s near-future theme. It will also revert to a more traditional formula, featuring the franchise`s hallmark class system and a dedicated single-player mode. Battlefield 6 is scheduled for an October 10 release, preceded by a series of open beta tests in August.