Battlefield 6 might be called '2042' — and online beta could be coming very soon

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Battlefield 6 'insider' shares new claims about game's setting

Battlefield 4
(Image credit: EA)

Battlefield 6 is due to be officially revealed later this week, but an alleged insider may have given us some early details ahead of the shooter’s grand unveiling. 

The fresh details come from a Reddit post, spotted by VGC, which claims the game will be officially called "Battlefield 2042" and that an open beta is set to take place later this month. If true, the beta should give fans a chance to get to grips with the game several months before its predicted late-2021 release date. 

The “2042” subtitle would likely refer to the game’s setting, which lines up with previous leaks suggesting Battlefield 6 will take place in the near future. It has previously been claimed that the sixth mainline entry in the series will just be called Battlefield. But those plans could have changed, and developer Dice may have opted to add a subtitle to avoid any name-based confusion. 

The post also claims that the game will feature a player count of up to 128 combatants per match, the return of map-based destruction features such as Levolution, tornados and dynamic weather, plus it’ll feature the “biggest maps in Battlefield history." 

The leaker also suggests that the focus will very much be on teamwork. This would be seen primarily in the new Professionals mechanic, which is said to give each four-player squad a unique specialist character with additional gadgets and abilities. Defending your squad’s specialist will presumably be key to victory. 

An Antarctica-set map named Shelf is also mentioned in the leak, with maps overall claimed to be significantly bigger than those in previous Battlefield games. Each one will be split into sectors — which are said to be around the size of entire Battlefield 3 maps — and can be permanently captured. However, we would assume this mechanic is tied to a specific game mode, rather than being a feature across the whole game. 

Other tidbits contained with the Reddit post include new features like wingsuits, a grapple hook, and deployable ziplines. Though, curiously, the leaker notes that “nobody is a fan” of the grapple hook, so this is a feature that could be removed after real-world playtesting. 

It’s important to note that this information all comes from an unverified source, and should be viewed as nothing more than a rumor for now. While lots of the supplied details do sound fairly plausible, we won't know if this leak is valid until at least June 9, when publisher EA shows off Battlefield 6 in an official capacity. 

If you can’t wait that long, a version of the game’s reveal trailer has leaked online and can already be watched, plus a selection of in-game screenshots also found their way online over the weekend.

We do have official confirmation that Battlefield 6 will be a cross-gen game, available on PS4/Xbox One as well as PS5/Xbox Series X. In some ways, that's a shame, as an early rumor had suggested the game would be a next-gen exclusive. 

If you can’t wait until this Wednesday for your Battlefield fix, Battlefield 4 is currently free to download if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, giving you the perfect way to kill some time before Battlefield 6 is finally shown to the public.  And take a look at our guide to all the features we really want to see in the next Battlefield game, and let us know if they track with what you'd like to see.  

Rory Mellon
Rory Mellon
Senior Entertainment Editor (UK)

Rory is a Senior Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.