It’s fair to say that Battlefield 6 was one of the year’s most anticipated games. Yet, many gamers were skeptical about it given EA’s blunders with the previous entries. However, it’s now clear that Battlefield 6 is off to a mighty start, as within just hours of release on October 10th, it has touched a peak of 747k concurrent players. Not only has the game broken its beta record, but it has also wrecked Call of Duty‘s all-time peak, which is mind-boggling.
Battlefield 6 Has Crushed Call of Duty’s All-Time Steam Record
Well, if you check the SteamDB charts for the overall Call of Duty app, you’ll see that it reached its highest peak of 491k concurrent players back in 2022 during the launch of Warzone 2.0. The series has been in decline in player numbers despite the release of Modern Warfare games.
Things kind of improved with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in 2024, which peaked at 306k players on Steam. However, that figure still wasn’t anywhere near the Warzone 2.0 era. It was clear that the hype for the Call of Duty franchise was dropping, and it was only a matter of time until the competition turned up.
And that’s exactly what happened on October 10th, 2025, when Battlefield 6 was released. Within just hours of release, it exploded on Steam and hit a peak of 747k players within just hours. Keep in mind, it doesn’t have any Game Pass attention like those Call of Duty games, but it’s still one of the most played games on Lord Gaben’s platform right now.
Battlefield 6 didn’t just one-up the peak count of its rival, Black Ops 6, but it also surpassed the entire Call of Duty franchise’s record. This figure does not even count the massive player base on Xbox and PlayStation, whose numbers aren’t even included in Steam data. For once, Call of Duty finally has some competition, and it’s getting absolutely blown away.
Activision is Responsible For Call of Duty‘s Downfall
The Call of Duty franchise is in desperate need of major changes. (Image via Activision)
It’s not even about EA finally delivering a great Battlefield game; the real issue is that Activision has completely dropped the ball with its flagship franchise over the last couple of years. That’s why you’re seeing players lose faith in Call of Duty and flocking to its rival without a second thought.
Once again, take a look at SteamDB charts for Call of Duty. In 2.9 years since its all-time peak of 491k players, the series has seen three releases, yet only Black Ops 6 has come close to that number. That’s no coincidence; every new Call of Duty has been a recycled mess.
Seriously, try playing any Call of Duty game that has come out in the past decade. Everything feels the same, and there’s nothing fresh. The franchise, which was known for its single-player campaigns, barely puts effort into them. Even the multiplayer, which is the main focus, has become stale with no new mechanics or features.
What’s worse is that the multiplayer experience is filled with hackers and cheaters. Activision has dialed up microtransactions as well, and every single aspect requires you to spend some dollars. That’s absurd after charging players $70 upfront for the game.
Activision’s hunt for profits and terrible decisions have led Call of Duty to this point. Unless things change soon, it won’t be long before Microsoft decides to pull the plug and call it a day.
Game NameBattlefield 6DeveloperBattlefield StudiosRelease2025
With that said, are you enjoying Battlefield 6? Let us know in the comments below.
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