The Battlefield 6 open beta is here, and it's almost actually open. We're on day two of early access, and the lineup of modes and maps for weekend 1 is set. It's just Conquest, Breakthrough, and Domination on the menu for now, playable on three maps: Liberation Peak, Siege of Cairo, and Iberian Offensive.
Three maps, two of which are kinda small for Battlefield. It's an infantry-heavy map pool—Siege of Cairo only has room for a few tanks and no air vehicles, and next week's Empire State map has no vehicles at all. I can't help but wonder if Battlefield Studios is holding back its larger maps, or if the beta is representative of the launch day lineup.
The best Battlefield 6 map so far
The good news is that all of the maps are fun: Cairo is a compressed meat grinder, Iberian is a calmer urban sprawl, and Liberation Peak is a winding hillside of sniper nests and sandbag fortresses. They're all remarkably different, but there's a clear winner out of the gate.
1. Liberation Peak
Best mode: Conquest
The reason Battlefield 6 keeps reminding me of my favorite of the series, Bad Company 2, is Liberation Peak. For my money, it's the perfect oblong shape for a medium-sized Battlefield map: wide on two ends to give jeeps and tanks breathing room, but narrow on the others so the action naturally funnels toward a handful of choke points. It's also the only BF6 beta map with helicopters and jets at the moment, so it's automatically the best.
More Battlefield 6 beta maps
2. Siege of Cairo
Best mode: Breakthrough
I'm not one for meat grinder maps in Battlefield, but EA said it was hearkening back to BF3 and 4, and that means it needs an Operation Metro or two. Cairo isn't that chaotic, but its cramped city streets, surprisingly limited indoor options, and density of choke points mean you'll probably have a higher death count here than anywhere else. No air options is a little disappointing, but I like how that limitation turns tanks into scary boss fights.
3. Iberian Offensive
Best mode: Conquest
This one doesn't have as much personality as the other two. It's another urban map with no air vehicles—just jeeps and tanks—but its grid-like layout is easier to navigate than Cairo. I have nothing bad to say about it, but I'm not jumping out of my chair to play it again.
Empire State (coming in beta weekend 2)
No thoughts on Empire State, yet. It's out during the second BF6 beta weekend starting on August 14.
Battlefield 6: Every map not in the beta
We know from Battlefield Studio's map overview video that all BF6 launch maps take place in four regions: Egypt, USA, Gibraltar, and Tajikistan.
The video describes both Egypt and Gibraltar as infantry-focused, which I take to mean there will be a good chunk of BF6 maps with no air vehicles. Tajikistan is the only region described as "all-out warfare," with Brooklyn having a mix of big and small maps.
Kundara Valley
Manhattan Bridge
New Sobek City
Operation Firestorm
Saints Quarter
