The hype around Battlefield 6 is giving a surprising boost to its predecessor, Battlefield 2042, which has now managed to overtake Call of Duty on Steam’s player charts.
Battlefield 2042 was released in 2021 and had a rough start with technical issues and poor reviews. Over time, DICE worked to fix the game with updates, new content, and improvements, but it never quite reached the success EA had hoped for. Now, as the countdown to Battlefield 6 continues, the game is enjoying a late surge in popularity.
The recent Battlefield 6 open beta turned out to be a massive success. It has attracted more than 500,000 concurrent players on Steam. That number even surpassed Call of Duty’s all-time peak on the platform, showing how strong the interest in Battlefield has become again.
Even though the beta servers have now closed, the momentum has carried over to Battlefield 2042. According to SteamCharts, the game recently peaked at over 74,000 concurrent players, compared to Call of Duty’s 70,000. On another day, Battlefield 2042 hit 69,138 players, while Call of Duty stood at 63,592.
The sudden spike is not just about Battlefield 6 hype. EA is running a farewell event in Battlefield 2042. EA is offering Pax Armata-themed skins that players can carry into the next game. The game also dropped to just $3 on Steam, making it an easy pick-up for new and returning players.
A new update added the Iwo Jima map and even a free Battle Pass with rewards linked to Battlefield 6. These additions have given players a reason to log back in. However, reports suggest that many of the active servers are being used for AFK XP farming, as players grind rewards rather than actually play.
It is worth pointing out that Call of Duty still has a much larger player base on consoles, which Steam numbers do not reflect. So, Battlefield 2042 beating Call of Duty on Steam does not necessarily mean it is the bigger game overall. Still, the fact that thousands of players are revisiting a game that once struggled to stay relevant says a lot about the excitement for Battlefield 6.
Battlefield 6 is launching on October 10 across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. With this game, EA has a golden opportunity to turn its franchise around. If the full release can build on the open beta’s success, it may finally give Call of Duty some real competition this year.
