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| Season 2 of Battlefield 6 is drawing strong backlash from the community. |
It was only four months ago that Battlefield 6 took the gaming world by storm, achieving a historic launch that saw nearly three-quarters of a million players descend onto its battlefields simultaneously. The hype was real, the servers were full, and the future looked bright for DICE’s latest first-person shooter. However, the euphoria of October has given way to a grim reality in February.
With the launch of Season 2, the community was hoping for a renaissance. Instead, the player count has cratered by over 90%, and early impressions of the new season’s content—while positive in some areas—suggest the damage to the game’s reputation may run deeper than a simple content drop can fix.
A New Map That (Mostly) Works
One of the main complaints since Battlefield 6’s launch has been its map design. Many players argue that the existing battlegrounds are too small, repeatedly funneling matches into the same frustrating choke points. The new map, Contaminated, could help alleviate some of that frustration. It features a medium-sized layout with ample space for vehicles, successfully combining open areas for tank warfare with close-quarters infantry combat and noticeable elevation changes.
In a review by the German gaming magazine GameStar, the first impression is surprisingly positive. The balance, in particular, stands out: snipers benefit from elevated hills, infantry can maneuver between trees and rocks with solid cover, and vehicles feel powerful without dominating the match.
For a deeper dive into the gameplay and first impressions of Contaminated, you can watch GameStar’s full video review here:
Watch: GameStar’s First Impressions of Battlefield 6 Season 2
According to the editors, the map design performs especially well in the series' classic Conquest mode as well as the newer Escalation mode. For many, this map represents the "step in the right direction" they have been begging for since release.
Alongside the new real estate, Season 2 also introduces fresh equipment to the sandbox. The standout addition is the Little Bird, a light combat helicopter armed with a machine gun and rockets, capable of carrying four soldiers—perfect for rapid insertion squads. The update also adds three new weapons: the semi-automatic GRT-CS with a high rate of fire and a large magazine, the VR2 assault rifle designed for close-range dominance thanks to its blistering fire rate, and the M121 A2 light machine gun, which trades speed for raw, heavy damage.
The Steep Drop: Battlefield 6 vs. ARC Raiders
Despite the injection of new content, the player counts tell a sobering story. Battlefield 6 celebrated a remarkably strong launch in October, reaching up to 747,440 concurrent players on Steam alone.
Just one week into the new season, however, the situation looks very different. According to SteamDB, the shooter peaked at just 68,491 players in the past 24 hours—a staggering drop of more than 90% compared to release.
You can view the live player count and historical data here:
Battlefield 6 Steam Charts (via SteamDB)
To put this decline into perspective, competitor ARC Raiders recorded a 24-hour peak of 250,532 players, with an all-time high of 481,966. While Battlefield 6 was clearly ahead at launch, it has now fallen well behind its rival, signaling a massive shift in player preference over just a few months.
Community Resignation: "It’s Not a Fresh Start"
While numbers provide the data, the community comments provide the context. The tone in the discussions under GameStar’s coverage leaves little room for doubt. Many fans no longer sound angry, but rather resigned.
A large part of the community identifies the live service model as the root of the problem. Players repeatedly cite stretched-out content, the "fear of missing out" (FOMO) pressure from the Battle Pass, and the perception that meaningful rewards are tied to constant play rather than skill. Several users are nostalgically comparing this to the earlier Premium and DLC model, calling for a return to larger, more substantial content expansions instead of these smaller seasonal updates.
Season 2 is also taking flak for offering too little new content despite its extended delay. Furthermore, technical issues continue to dominate the discussion. Players report ongoing problems with netcode and hit registration, audio glitches such as silent tanks or barely audible footsteps, and visibility issues during matches (often referred to as "visual noise"). Several users say they can hardly detect any of the promised fixes from the previous patch notes.
The Verdict So Far
The new Season does introduce some strong elements—in particular, the Contaminated map is seen by many players as a genuine improvement. Yet, instead of feeling like the start of a comeback, the update feels to many like a confirmation of long-standing structural issues.
If DICE and EA do not execute a turnaround promptly—addressing the technical debt and reassessing the live service cadence—Battlefield 6 will likely struggle to regain the community’s trust. With the player base dwindling to under 70k, the window for saving Season 2 is shrinking fast.