According to EA, the Battlefield 6 play test is the biggest beta in Battlefield’s history in terms of players. Research firm Oppenheimer estimated that the beta reached more than 20 million people. However, a “substantial number” of those fans may have been playing Battlefield 6 with the minimum recommended specs.
Battlefield 6 technical director Christian Buhl made that assertion during an interview with Eurogamer. Buhl also noted that EA and DICE planned from the beginning to ensure that players using lower-end hardware would still receive a comparable experience to those on high-end machines.
“Min spec is certainly one of our most important specs … it’s super important from both a commercial and business perspective,” said Buhl. “We want as many people as possible playing the game … We did a lot of analysis, we did tests on the game on a wide range of hardware above and below our minimum and recommended specs. We figured out what we can hit, what we need to hit from a business perspective, and that was to capture a wide audience on PC. It’s been super critical.”
In the same interview, Buhl addressed the game’s unpopular secure boot requirement, which he says is critical to fighting cheaters.
“The fact is I wish we didn’t have to do things like Secure Boot,” said Buhl. “It does prevent some players from playing the game. Some people’s PCs can’t handle it and they can’t play: that really sucks. I wish everyone could play the game with low friction and not have to do these sorts of things … Unfortunately these are some of the strongest tools in our toolbox to stop cheating.”
EA has shared the PC specs for Battlefield 6, as well as some upcoming changes to based on player feedback from the beta. Battlefield 6 launches on October 10 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
