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Battlefield 6 has become the biggest open beta in the series’ history, drawing hundreds of thousands of players and breaking franchise records.
Most early impressions are good, though the map sizes have become a hot topic in the community. Those accustomed to Battlefield’s wide, open maps and large Conquest arenas have observed that the beta’s choices are more restricted in size.
The three available maps are Liberation Peak, Siege of Cairo, and Iberian Offensive, each with a different scale, but even the largest, Liberation Peak, is smaller than those in previous games.
These two maps remove aircraft and use layouts that produce constant, high-energy combat more in line with Call of Duty’s Ground War than Battlefield’s traditional style.
What Is the Reason Behind the Smaller Map Philosophy?
Design director Shashank Uchil has addressed the criticism head-on, making it clear that “scale is not everything.”
His team is working to create maps designed for specific playstyles, not huge battlefields that try to offer everything at once.
An infantry-focused player might find themselves in tight urban lanes, while tank crews get open avenues for heavy vehicle warfare, and pilots have maps built with enough sky space for dogfights.
By focusing each map on what it does best, Uchil believes the game can avoid the pitfalls of past entries — particularly Battlefield 2042, where oversized maps and widely spaced objectives left players wandering between fights.
Could Performance Be a Factor in Map Size Decisions?
The smaller scale in the beta could also be a calculated choice beyond design philosophy.
Many suspect the adjustment may enhance performance, especially with so much destructibility in Battlefield 6.
Buildings, walls, and other structures can be blown apart mid-match, dynamically changing sightlines and cover opportunities.
Larger maps with the same level of destruction might have placed a heavier strain on both servers and hardware, so tighter spaces could be a way to maintain stability while still offering visually impressive and tactically meaningful destruction.
Is Battlefield 6 Losing Its Signature Pacing with Smaller Maps?
Some players worry this tighter design risks removing the hallmark freedom and strategic variety the series is known for.
In certain beta matches, vehicle placement created unbreakable choke points, leaving infantry with no flanking options and no air support to relieve the pressure.
Larger maps make these situations less common since teams have more routes and space to reposition.
The shift from deliberate maneuvering to relentless close combat has left some players concerned that Battlefield is losing its identity in trying to compete with other fast-paced shooters.
Is the Beta Giving a Skewed View of Battlefield 6’s Map Variety?
However, history suggests the beta maps may not represent the full picture, as when Battlefield 3 debuted its beta, the chosen map, Operation Metro, was a vehicle-free infantry grinder that did not reflect the rest of the launch lineup.
Similarly, Battlefield 6 is set to release larger maps, including Operation Firestorm and Mirak Valley, with Mirak Valley reportedly being the largest.
It’s possible that the current selection was intended to test squad coordination, class balance, and infantry-focused gameplay before revealing the broader variety of players that will be available at launch.
In the end, Battlefield 6’s maps appear to be built with a focus on purpose over raw scale. The studio is focused on avoiding 2042’s mistakes by making maps full of action instead of large and empty.
Whether this will ultimately win over those who love Battlefield’s grand-scale warfare or push them toward nostalgia for the older formula will depend on the final mix of maps when the game launches.
For now, the beta shows that Battlefield 6 is ready to take on one of the series’ oldest design habits, even if it splits its most loyal players.
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