Battlefield 6 Wishlist: What I Want to See in the Next Battlefield

It’s been too long since I last enjoyed the large-scale, high-octane gameplay that Battlefield uniquely offers. Call of Duty recently tried to replicate it with their Ground War mode but suffice to say they didn’t get their hands on the secret recipe. Personally, I’m not as much of a fan of the World War era games as the modern era entries. Though, I’m also aware that the same was said after the modern era Battlefield 4 when fans were clamouring for a change in time period.

As things stand, not a whole lot is known about the next Battlefield. In a recent update, DICE revealed that they have the biggest Battlefield development team ever working on Battlefield 6. DICE also promises that players will do battle on an epic scale, engaging in all-out military warfare. Players can expect crazy, unexpected moments and game-changing destruction. Massive battles, packed with more players and mayhem than ever before. To any Battlefield fan, that all sounds like music to the ears. That being said, it is sort of vague marketing glorification. So, here’s a list of more specific wishes from this Battlefield fan.

A contemporary or near-future setting

The last two Battlefield games were based in World War I and World War II respectively. Personally, my favourite Battlefield game is Battlefield 3 which featured a modern setting. Battlefield 3 excelled in providing variety between the large-scale huge maps whilst also catering to those who prefer close-quarters combat with Operation Metro (honestly, just give us Operation Metro again or a map even half as good). Reverting back to a modern setting also means that the arsenal of weapons and vehicles can feature far more variety. The last two entries in the series were obviously limited by their respective time periods but a modern/near-future setting opens up a whole world of possibilities.

A free Battle Royale mode

At this point, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the battle royale genre is here to stay. Battlefield’s main competition, Call of Duty, has enjoyed mammoth success with the ever-popular free-to-play Warzone. If Battlefield wishes to stay relevant, I think it must cater to this new phenomenon. Of course, Battlefield will always be enjoyed by hardcore fans but there’s something to be said about bringing in a new audience. After all, new players will mean a larger player base and more sales. More sales - hopefully - means more investment back into the game to add new maps etc.

In fact, it was announced on the 21st of April that Call of Duty: Warzone reached over 100,000,000 players. Meanwhile, the latest Battlefield game, Battlefield V, was a major disappointment as far as sales go. It was the first Battlefield game in over a decade to miss out on NPD’s annual top 10 list. I have no doubt that EA and DICE will be looking at the success their biggest competitor is enjoying and release their own battle royale. It’s important that it’s also free-to-play, however, as that’s how you attract such a large player base. A Battlefield battle royale would be absolutely awesome too so it’s a win-win.

A proper story campaign

At under three hours long, it’s safe to say that Battlefield V’s campaign left a lot to be desired. I get it, there’s been a switch in consumer habits towards always-online components of games. As a traditionalist, I still want to see a fully-fledged story campaign in my multiplayer shooters. It might be the U.S. versus Russia or something stereotypical of this genre but, god damn it, I want to enjoy that Michael Bay-esque explosive campaign. I don’t expect a top-notch story or writing or for it to be 20 hours long, just a standard 7-10 hour campaign with some high-octane cinematic moments.

Take advantage of the next-gen consoles

As of now, it’s unclear whether the next Battlefield game will come to the outdated Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Yes, I said it. Both those pieces of hardware are outdated and frankly downright crap. Given the huge scale and destructible environments that Battlefield is infamous for, I want to see the next entry take full advantage of the shiny new next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. With the speed of the SSD’s, all that extra computational horsepower, I want this to be the biggest and best Battlefield game to date.