Battlefield 6 player count tops 600,000 on Steam alone, quadrupling Battlefield 5's peak in minutes and gunning for EA's all-time record with Apex Legends

Battlefield 6 multiplayer screenshot
(Image credit: EA)

Battlefield 6 is here, and as players run headlong into queues topping 500,000 players, the budding FPS has already smashed player count records for the franchise.

At the time of writing, SteamDB shows that Battlefield 6 has surpassed 606,335 concurrent players on Steam alone. For context, when I refreshed this data approximately 20 minutes ago, that number was sitting around 347,000.

Let's put that figure into context. On Steam, the Battlefield series previously had two neck-and-neck contenders for all-time concurrent player peak. Battlefield 5 managed 116,104, while Battlefield 2042 hit 107,376. Within minutes, Battlefield 6 has more than quadrupled both of these records, and it's just getting started.

The all-time Steam record for publisher EA comes from Apex Legends, which hit 624,473. At its current pace, Battlefield 6 may eclipse that within the hour, and we still haven't hit the weekend wave yet.

The catch here is that a significant chunk of those Battlefield 6 Steam players probably aren't actually playing the game just yet, even if they do have it open on their PC. Many players faced lengthy unpacking times when launch time came, and then they had to navigate the dreaded queue. The good news is that, from what I've seen online and heard from our own Battlefield heads, the queue is moving fast, even if it can appear daunting.

Our Battlefield 6 game server issues and error codes guide will help you stay on top of any potential disruptions as launch day stabilizes. You can also follow our Battlefield 6 release live coverage for all the latest developments and patch details.

Battlefield 6 review: "More refined than innovative, this FPS is on target with multiplayer even if its campaign is just a big shrug"

Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.