You hear the roar of gunfire in the distance, the thunder of collapsing buildings, and the chaos of the battlefield stretching as far as the eye can see. ‘Battlefield 6’ open beta weekend on the Xbox Series X was nothing short of a warzone in motion. MKAU was lucky enough to score early access, and it was nothing short of adrenaline-soaked madness. We were dropped into sprawling maps filled with unpredictable skirmishes, jaw-dropping destruction, and the kind of cinematic madness only DICE could deliver. But the dust has settled now, and one question still lingers. Was this a glimpse of next-gen warfare or a warning shot that Battlefield still has some battles of its own to fight?

Battlefield has won the fight it feels, and we’re in for one hell of a ride. The game plays, looks and sounds absolutely incredible, easily surpassing the quality and immersion of previous titles. The attention to detail is unreal, evoking the golden era of Battlefield 3 and 4, but with a modern, refined edge that elevates the experience to a whole new level. This isn’t just a return to form; it’s the next evolution of the franchise. 

The first weekend of the Battlefield 6 open beta drops players straight into the action with five intense game modes across three diverse and explosive maps: ‘Siege of Cairo’, ‘Liberation Peak’ and ‘Liberian Offensive’. Fans can dive into fan-favourite large-scale battles with Conquest and Breakthrough, or jump into faster, more chaotic skirmishes with Domination, Closed Weapon Conquest and King of the Hill. Our second weekend saw the new map, “Empire State,” which brought the action to the streets of Brooklyn. As a smaller map, the action was close quarters and featured plenty of destruction, which we got a see a snippet of in the trailer EA released earlier. It also saw the addition of Rush and Squad Deathmatch.

Suppose this was not enough content to fill your needs, in that case, there are some exclusive open beta rewards you can score, which range from soldier skins, weapon bundles, dog tags, weapon charms and vehicle skins which, if you purchase the full version of the game, will be ready for you to show up to battle in style.

Battlefield 6 is bringing back the classic class system with some key updates and new features. The familiar classes are Assault, Engineer, Support and Recon, which are all names we have become familiar with, but they’ve now become more specialised.

Each class now comes with a unique signature weapon and perks that provide direct bonuses when used. Classes are also now featuring passive traits that reinforce the role. You get small things like reduced fall damage when it comes to the assault class or faster reviving when you are running around as support. The assault class also gets an adrenaline boost, which boosts the resistance to things like flash grenades, stun grenades and explosions.

The recon class gets a motion sensor so you can camp up in those rocks for a couple more minutes before someone gets you from behind. The classes aren’t so locked down in the BETA, giving you the freedom to change the weapons and tools around a little more, so you can run it comfortably. From what we have seen so far, it’s enhancing the class identity and hopefully support can actually start reviving a little more on the battlefield with the implementation of the dragging. You more or less run up behind someone when they’re down and can drag them out of direct danger for you and them and then revive them. 

I mentioned the game modes that were in the BETA, but for those who have never played Battlefield before, the flagship mode is ‘Conquest’, where it’s a large team battle to control multiple objectives across the expansive map, emphasising strategic teamwork and territorial control, and it ends up being an all-out war. The beta also featured ‘Breakthrough’, which is a more linear, attack and defend mode where attackers will push through sequential sectors, whilst the defenders need to hold their ground. ‘The Battleground’ is more close-quarters.

Another mode we got to test out was ‘Squad Deathmatch’, which focuses on a smaller, intense firefight with squads competing to reach a kill count first. Notably, the beta introduced ‘Rush’, a mode that blends assault and defence with dynamic objectives that encourage fast-paced, coordinated pushes. The last mode we got to look at was ‘King of the Hill’, which is a fast-paced, objective-based mode where two teams compete to capture and hold a single, constantly moving control zone on the map, which ended up being super sweaty but lots of fun.

Rush is a fast-paced objective mode where attackers must arm and destroy sets of M-COM stations, whilst the defenders need to make sure the attackers are not succeeding. The action is concentrated and tactical, forcing teams to push forward in phases across he map. Squad Deathmatch, on the other hand, is all about run gameplay; four squads battle it out to rack up the highest number of kills. There are no objectives other than eliminating the enemy. Both modes offer very different experiences: Rush emphasises teamwork and coordinated pushes, whilst Squad Deathmatch focuses on small-unit combat and skill.

The controls have taken a noticeable leap forward, offering a more fluid and realistic feel compared to previous entries. Movement feels less rigid and more intuitive, allowing for smoother transitions between sprinting, crouching and aiming, and it’s added a more natural flow to how you move through the environment. That being said, while the evolution is impressive, it’s not without its quirks.

Climbing can be hit or miss. Sometimes you’ll scale a hill like a mountain goat, and other times you’re forced to climb and score some slides back down awkwardly. Occasionally, I noticed minor glitches like sliding sideways or getting briefly stuck, but overall, the movement system is a big step in the right direction. It’s clear DICE is dialling in on a more grounded, responsive experience, and it’s paying off.

The sound design is an absolute masterclass in immersive audio. Every gunshot crackles with weight and precision, each explosion rumbles with deep, cinematic force, and the battlefield feels alive with the chaos of war. You can hear the whine of jets flying overhead or the rumble of helicopter blades flying past, and it always scares you a little when you hear tank tracks crunching beside you.

The positional audio is razor-sharp, giving you a true tactical edge when identifying threats. Whether you’re in the middle of a firefight or taking a quiet moment to reload behind cover or lying in the hills with a sniper, the sound never stops delivering tension, atmosphere and adrenaline.

In the first match we were dropped into, my jaw hit the ground at how beautiful this game looked. You load into the map and you’re met with hyper-detailed environments, dynamic weather systems and realistic lighting that brings each battlefield to life.

Whether you’re fighting through the war-torn stress of Siege of Cairo or pushing objectives in Liberation Peak, the visual fidelity is top-tier. Particle effects like smoke, dust and debris react naturally to explosions and gunfire, and there were times you were almost head-butting the screen trying to see through the dust to see enemies pushing through.

I still remember how excited I was at the first match we were playing on, and I saw someone shooting next to a rock, and you could see the flash from the muzzle lighting up the rock next to it, and how excited it made me. The character models and weapon models that we currently have access to are rendered with a level of polish that adds serious weight to the immersion. Battlefield 6 was a visual experience that not only looks next-gen, but it feels next-gen. I did see a couple of visual bugs with some random objects floating around, but it’s something you can expect from an open beta, as it’s not quite the finished product. 

What blew me away, though, was the sheer scale and destructibility of the environments. Explosions look absolutely devastating from windows shattering, walls caving in and debris flying everything with brutal realism. The destruction feels meaningful and chaotic in the best way possible. One of the scariest but coolest moments was crouching upstairs in a building, holding my angle, and suddenly the floor was crumbling beneath me from someone jamming a tank shell into the building. It added another layer of immersion to the whole experience, and no one that you can’t just hide in a building and pop those headshots because sooner or later that building will vanish. 

Battlefield 6’s open beta weekend on Xbox Series X has done more than just impress me; it’s reignited a spark that made the franchise iconic in the first place. From the cinematic chaos of its massive battles to the jaw-dropping visuals, spine-rattling sound design, and smoother, more realistic controls. This is Battlefield at its best. Sure, there are a couple of rough edges and the occasional glitch, but that is what beta weekends are for: to test and tune. DICE has clearly listened, learned and delivered something that feels like a love letter to the longtime fans, and the best part is this is just a taste, the full release is going to be explosive.

Written by: Hayden Nelson