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Battlefield 6 Shatters Steam Records, Outpaces Call of Duty and Apex Legends on Day One

Battlefield 6 Shatters Steam Records, Outpaces Call of Duty and Apex Legends on Day One

October 12, 2025 Off By Ibraheem Adeola

Battlefield 6 has hit the ground running, and then some. Within just 24 hours of launch, DICE’s latest shooter stormed into Steam’s all-time top charts, racking up a jaw-dropping 747,440 concurrent PC players. That’s not only the kind of debut most games can only dream of, it’s now EA’s biggest shooter launch, ever.

To put that avalanche of players into perspective: Battlefield 6 leapfrogged over its own open beta numbers, outpaced entire juggernauts like Call of Duty, and even surpassed Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and Marvel Rivals in peak Steam interest. This is one for the record books, and it’s only counting people on Steam. No word yet on the count from other platforms, but you can imagine the total’s much, much higher.

Launch Hype, Mega Queues, and Early Praise

Battlefield 6’s opening day didn’t just break records. It created them. SteamDB now lists it as the fourteenth most popular game in Steam’s history, based on all-time concurrent user numbers. All this comes on top of months of anticipation, a headline-grabbing open beta, and some seriously impressive sales numbers even before day one.

One industry analyst estimates that Battlefield 6 had already pulled in over $100 million in pre-launch sales before a single player officially dropped in. People wanted this game badly, and they showed up en masse. The headcount was so enormous that queues packed the servers to max, with thousands waiting their turn to play. Lead producer David Sirland took to social media to explain that the team was well aware of the flood coming, pointing out that during the open beta, there were moments with almost 250,000 players waiting in line. “The open beta helped gauge the interest,” he noted.

Even with the server crash, Battlefield 6’s actual gameplay is drawing plenty of love. As of the writing, Steam reviews sit at 78% positive from over 25,000 users, a number that’s hard to ignore in the often-critical world of online shooters. Right now, Battlefield 6 is the top-selling title on Steam, something last time seen in the series’ golden years.

Resetting the Franchise, With a Few Old Habits

Battlefield 6 Shatters Steam Records
Image credit: EA

So what’s the verdict beyond the numbers? According to early reviews, Battlefield 6 delivers a “thrilling multiplayer reset”. If you’ve missed the large-scale chaos and classic Battlefield moments, this one brings it back in style. Multiplayer is the star, with massive firefights and fast-paced action that fans have been asking for.

The single-player campaign? That’s a bit more mixed. Critics call it “decent, if derivative,” nodding to the series’ tendency to follow familiar formulas. There’s still a lingering question here: has Battlefield really figured out what makes it special, or is it still chasing its own best moments from years ago?

That said, nobody can deny the energy and momentum Battlefield 6 has delivered, both for players and the publisher. Whatever growing pains there are, this launch has shattered every expectation, reigniting the kind of player enthusiasm that made Battlefield a must-play shooter in the first place.

With unmatched player numbers, sky-high sales, and mostly happy fans, the launch of Battlefield 6 is a true field day for EA, and possibly, a much-needed turning point for the entire franchise.