EA has announced that the next installment in the Battlefield series is set to launch during their fiscal year 2026, spanning from April 2025 to March 2026. This news came as part of EA's financial results for the third quarter of their fiscal year ending March 2025. Alongside this announcement, EA provided a first official look at the upcoming Battlefield game, highlighting its pre-alpha stage and inviting players to participate in testing through their new initiative, Battlefield Labs.
Battlefield Labs is designed to foster player-driven testing and innovation, aiming to refine the game ahead of its release. EA is calling for playtesters to help prioritize, improve, and refine various aspects of the game. Participants will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before engaging in the testing process. EA expressed pride in the game's current state, even in pre-alpha, and emphasized the importance of player feedback to enhance the development process.
The development of the new Battlefield game is being handled by four studios under the umbrella of Battlefield Studios: DICE in Stockholm, Sweden, focusing on multiplayer; Motive, known for the Dead Space remake and Star Wars: Squadrons, working on single-player missions and multiplayer maps; Ripple Effect in the U.S., tasked with attracting new players to the franchise; and Criterion in the UK, which is developing the single-player campaign after concluding its work on Need For Speed.
The game will return to a modern setting, a move seen as a return to the core elements of the series following the mixed reception of Battlefield 2042. The new game will focus on 64-player maps, moving away from the 128-player maps of its predecessor, and will not feature the controversial Specialists system. Instead, it will emphasize traditional class roles such as Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon to enhance strategic gameplay.
EA plans to test core elements like combat and destruction, as well as balance and feedback for weapons, vehicles, and gadgets. The testing will also cover iconic modes like Conquest and Breakthrough, while exploring new ideas to refine the Battlefield experience. Concept art has hinted at ship-to-ship and helicopter combat, along with natural disasters like wildfires being part of the gameplay.
The pressure is high for the next Battlefield game following the challenges faced by Battlefield 2042. EA CEO Andrew Wilson has described it as one of the "most ambitious projects" in EA's history, and Vince Zampella, Head of Respawn & Group GM for EA Studios Organization, has emphasized the need to return to the essence of what made Battlefield 3 and 4 successful. The goal is to regain the trust of core players while expanding the game's universe to attract new audiences.
Despite the excitement, EA has yet to reveal the final title of the game or the platforms on which it will be available. The development team is fully committed, as encapsulated by the Battlefield Studios tagline, "We’re all in on Battlefield."
