Despite its beta phase recently entering its third week, Battlefield 6 is demonstrating staggering traction on Steam with over 400,000 simultaneous players recorded during peak sessions. Alinea Analytics forecasts pre-orders for the title could exceed one million on the platform, having already surpassed 600,000 units ahead of launch.

Rhys Elliot, a lead analyst at Alinea, disclosed via social media that preliminary sales data indicates $35 million generated from pre-sales. The title also boasts 2.7 million Steam wishlist additions and over half a million beta participants, signaling strong community engagement.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Elliot emphasized the game’s potential to break franchise records, though he cautioned that EA’s ambitious 100-million-player target appears “unlikely given current metrics.” He also challenged assertions that the title could challenge Call of Duty’s dominance, citing Activision’s entrenched content pipelines and mainstream appeal.

“Battlefield’s resurgence appeals to tactical FPS enthusiasts through its large-scale combat and revamped class system,” Elliot noted. “But CoD’s cultural footprint—live events, celebrity collaborations, casual accessibility—remains unmatched. Even if innovation stalls, brand loyalty ensures its continued dominance.”

The analyst pointed to recent CoD controversies, such as crossover skins involving music artists and cartoon characters, as indicators of creative missteps but stressed that such quirks haven’t dented sales momentum. “Warzone acts as a perpetual funnel for CoD’s ecosystem,” he added. “Unless Battlefield builds a comparable live-service infrastructure, long-term parity is improbable.”

Battlefield 6 launches globally on October 15, with final beta access available this weekend. Players encountering Secure Boot errors on PC can refer to troubleshooting guides for configuration fixes.