Last week, as part of EA's Battlefield Labs announcement, the publisher shared some pre-alpha footage of the new Battlefield game. Although EA has not formally revealed the new Battlefield game, colloquially referred to as Battlefield 6, we do know it's in development with a release window that runs through the publisher's 2026 fiscal year.
There have been reports that Battlefield 6 could launch this October; however, the fiscal year could mean that it arrives as late as March 31, 2026. This is all fluid, though, as EA is prepared to shift Battlefield's release date depending on which other games get released around the same time.
Typically, Battlefield's biggest competition is Activision's Call of Duty franchise. But this year, there's another big game on the way that EA is keeping its eye on. Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6 currently doesn't have a release date, but publisher Take-Two recently reaffirmed a Fall 2025 release window. That could obviously interfere with the rumored October release for Battlefield 6, which would likely cause EA to push it back.
GTA 6 figures to be the biggest game of the year, and will likely cannibalize the sales of any games launch around the same time. Although EA did not specifically reference GTA 6 when talking about competition, it's widely assumed this is their biggest concern.
"I do believe that this year might be a nuance to year relative to competition," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said during a recent investors call. "There may be some things happening in the year that may cause us to think differently about our launch timing."
Battlefield games traditionally launch during Fall, which aligns with the October release rumors. However, if GTA 6 stays on track and also launches this Fall, then EA will almost certainly pivot.
"But if we got close to that timeframe and believe that this wasn't going to be a great window for us, then we would take a look at what an alternate window might be that would give us the appropriate time, energy, and player-acquisition opportunity for this Battlefield to be all that it needed to be," Wilson continued.
As I previously noted, sales of EA's Battlefield franchise have struggled lately. Battlefield 2042, which released in 2021, was met with mixed reviews from critics and an overwhelmingly negative reception from players. It was EA's worst-reviewed Battlefield game and failed to meet the sales expectations of the publisher. 2018's Battlefield V was also a commercial disappointment for EA.
The Battlefield franchise desperately needs a financial win, and it's understandable that EA would want to do everything within its power to set it up for success.