After more than 15 hours with Battlefield 6, I can already see that the electric multiplayer makes up for its bland campaign

I can't think of the last time an entry in any long-running first-person shooter series was as safe as Battlefield 6. It seems as though the lackluster reception to Battlefield 2042 has left developer Battlefield Studios terrified of taking any kind of creative risks, a move that's shaping up to be a real double-edged sword.

Although I haven't had quite enough time to come to a definitive verdict on this latest instalment, I can already see that it delivers almost everything you would expect from a Battlefield game - often to a fault.

While a decent enough campaign and strong multiplayer offering will undoubtedly be more than enough to satiate some fans, and I can't say that I haven't enjoyed much of my time with it so far, others will surely be disappointed that it's not pushing the envelope in any way.

Boots on the ground

This lack of risk-taking is most evident in the single player offering, which is easily one of the least memorable that I've played in years. It does a good job of preparing you for online multiplayer by introducing the controls and basic mechanics, but it's not something you'll be eager to dive back into once the credits roll.

Set in 2028, it takes us to a near-future world in which NATO is on the brink of collapse. A private military force, Pax Armata, has stepped up to replace it, funded by former NATO states. The opening mission takes place in Georgia, with US marine Dylan Murphy and his squad tasked with pulling out with the rest of NATO’s army as Pax moves in.

The supposedly peaceful handover quickly spirals into an all-out war when Pax attacks without warning, with Murphy's squad cornered in a downed helicopter. As the sole survivor, Murphy is assigned a new team and then becomes the central part of NATO's effort to take down this sinister force.

The nine missions are set in a range of global locations and have you alternating between different members of Murphy's squad. Playing as the likes of Gecko, the team's sniper, adds a decent amount of variety, but none of the activities are particularly original.

There are the obligatory nighttime stealth sections, a handful of tank driving segments, and a few more open areas that have you taking out enemy squads with long-range weaponry and a spotter.

The most interesting stages are the ones that take place in a war-torn New York, including a townhouse assault that echoes the iconic Clean House mission from 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and an enjoyable section that has you chasing a train down abandoned subway tunnels in an armored vehicle.

The underlying narrative that ties them all together is perfectly serviceable, but entirely predictable right down to its final twist. There was still plenty of enjoyable shooting throughout, but it's a notable step down from the much stronger, cinematic single-player action of Battlefield 1 and Battlefield 5.

There are plenty of challenges and hidden collectibles to discover that unlock some rather nifty skins in multiplayer, which is a nice touch, though, and might draw me back in for another run a few months down the line.

It certainly doesn’t help that the visuals are distractingly rough at times. This is the first Battlefield game to launch exclusively for modern consoles, but it doesn’t show in the slightest. The visual fidelity is nowhere near that of even previous titles, with muddy textures, a low overall render distance, and fuzzy artifacts around objects on PlayStation 5 - even with the optional high resolution textures installed.

The frame rate is impressively stable at least, even in the more explosive moments of large-scale destruction.

On the front lines

Battlefield 6 fares much better when you jump into its multiplayer modes. The minute-to-minute action is some of the best in the series to date, with no hint of the frustrating balance issues that plagued 2042 at launch. You get a total of nine maps at launch, including the return of the popular Operation Firestorm from Battlefield 3.

Most of my time in multiplayer so far has been spent in the new maps, which all seem refreshingly well-designed. The huge Liberation Peak and Mirak Valley, both perfect for the massive flagship Conquest and Breakthrough modes, are fantastic combat environments, with tumultuous, uneven terrain that’s filled with nooks and crannies for infantry to explore.

This lends them a fantastic pacing, with short bursts of intense combat as you discover entrenched enemies, and importantly, helps level the playing field against powerful vehicles and snipers by giving you places to hide.

This contrasts nicely with the more open Operation Firestorm. Those who love racking up long-range headshots will feel right at home here, but the smart addition of some new cover means that this never becomes too annoying for infantry players.

The new Escalation mode, which decreases the play area as the two teams capture objectives, is quite thrilling - gradually ramping up the intensity of each match as you hurtle towards a dramatic final confrontation.

Urban warfare is well represented in the smaller Gibraltar and New York maps, both filled with winding streets and an impressive number of building interiors to explore.

These maps do highlight the limits of the tactical destruction system, though, which is quite inconsistent at times. It’s hard to tell what can and can’t be destroyed at a glance, leading to occasional frustration. While the brick wall of a house crumbles like a biscuit at the slightest provocation, an almost identical wall elsewhere will be totally impervious to shell blasts from a tank.

On a handful of occasions, I’ve found myself unable to flank groups of enemies thanks to the odd indestructible barrier, or hunkered down in a corner to regenerate health, only to watch all of my cover evaporate before my eyes. I also can't ignore the fact that the maps look quite similar aesthetically. Aside from New York, everywhere has a brown, flat look that runs the risk of all blending into one.

Although they were significantly less enjoyable to actually play, I do find myself missing the striking map themes of Battlefield 2042. There’s nothing anywhere near as engaging as that bright and colorful high-tech Korean city block or the eerie automated lightshow of a half-buried Doha.

The return to a proper class system is at least a dramatic upgrade compared to its predecessor’s cartoon-like heroes and really helps to sell the large-scale combat fantasy.

Split into Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon, the four classes all play well and offer more than enough unique abilities and equipment to set each of them apart. Call me boring, but I’ve mainly been playing Assault so far, taking full advantage of the new deployable ladder equipment to quickly ascend buildings to ambush foes.

I do wish that there was a separate medic class, as some Support players are clearly more interested in handing out ammo than reviving fallen comrades, but this is far from a major complaint.

Whether any as-yet-unnoticed issues come to the fore once the servers are flooded with real players is yet to be seen, and I’m interested to discover how everything plays come launch day. For now, though, I’m eager to dive back in for more.