The first Battlefield Labs playtest for Battlefield 6, the presumptive name for the new upcoming installment in EA's Battlefield series, will begin this weekend.
For those unfamiliar, Battlefield Labs is the new community-first approach EA is taking in developing its new Battlefield game. It's designed to give the Battlefield community of players a chance to experience concepts and mechanics early on in the development phase so that they can provide feedback and help EA gain a better understanding of what to improve upon.
According to Insider Gaming, the first Battlefield Labs playtest will start on Friday, March 7th. Designed to test "concepts and mechanics," the test will be exclusive to PC and run for approximately two hours.
Unfortunately, we shouldn't count on any gameplay footage to come from the playtest, which the email confirms will be a "closed test environment." Recording, streaming, and discussions about the game are strictly prohibited. Of course, this is assuming everyone abides by the NDAs they will likely have to agree to in order to gain access to the Battlefield Labs test. We all know how easily leaks can make their way to the internet.
EA has not formally revealed the new Battlefield game, colloquially referred to as Battlefield 6. However, in the original Battlefield Labs announcement video, EA did give us our first glimpse of gameplay. Toward the end of the video below (at the 4:42 mark), you can see pre-alpha gameplay footage of the new Battlefield game. Despite the short clip, all of the franchise's signature features and moments are on full display, including explosive gameplay, destructible environments, and realistic graphics.
EA previously stated at a past earnings call that the new Battlefield game will be released during the publisher's 2026 fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. There have been reports that the game could come as soon as October 2025. However, the publisher also noted that it's prepared to shift the launch date depending on what other games get announced for release around the same time.
While Call of Duty is typically Battlefield's biggest competitor, many interpreted this more as EA recognizing the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6. Rockstar has not yet announced a launch date for its blockbuster title, but publisher Take-Two has been sticking to a Fall 2025 release window. That would obviously interfere with the rumored October release of Battlefield 6, which would likely cause EA to push it back.
Players interested in participating in Battlefield Labs can still sign up to do so although it's probably too late to get an invite to this first test.