Battlefield 6 has officially beaten Call of Duty, but it doesn't really feel like it

That cannot be denied Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was not the most successful entry in the franchise. Although it certainly rated better than the other “year-2” Call of Duty game Modern Warfare 3 (2023) because it was supported by a strong multiplayer and zombie offering, the number of players does not reflect this quality. Black Ops 7 has done many things that players have asked for over the years, such as reviving the persistent lobby and toning down skill-based matchmaking, yet it seems as if many players never gave the title a chance. Maybe it has to do with the generality Call of Duty fatigue, memes about BO7 casual fan scare campaign or contest success – AKA Battlefield 6.

Although it is not clear how much Call of DutyDecline is to blame Battlefield 6there are bound to be some players who were happy with their choice of EA's shooter this year. After a very successful beta version, Battlefield 6 became the best-selling game of 2025 due to the lack of an Xbox Game Pass release, as was the case with Cod opened the door to massive performance. Yet Battlefield 6 had positive buzz in the build-up to launch and in the early days of its life after release, it is now enduring a long wave of negativity on social media platforms like Reddit. And surprisingly, Call of Duty is the opposite. If one were to look at the subreddits of both franchises, one would think so Black Ops 7 was a hit and BF6 was disappointing – something that could actually have an impact.

Battlefield 6's online atmosphere is shockingly toxic

Image via DICE

While it's undoubtedly true that Reddit is an echo chamber and its users don't speak for a gigantic casual audience, it's still worth considering the platform when there are so many negative posts that consistently get thousands of upvotes. Clearly, not everyone is happy Battlefield 6. And to be fair, some complaints are valid; netcode issues, battle traversal challenges, controversial game mode changes, balancing and a brutal approach BF6 seasonal events that seem to have changed at the last minute – all of these areas deserve criticism. Yet for every valid complaint there is endless whining about the same “issues”, all of which come down to personal preference.

Browsing will only take a few seconds Battlefield subreddit to find players complaining about cosmetics, BF6movement, map size and the mere existence of battle royale mode ad nauseam. This is despite the fact that BF Studios promised to look at the size of the map and changed the cosmetics that the community criticized. BF Studios has heard the criticism and adapted accordingly, but since launch it seems nothing but negativity has been happening. Disgruntled players keep complaining about nitpicks and personal disappointments without celebrating the good points Battlefield 6and anyone who tries to praise the game or push aside so-called issues that they personally don't see as a big deal – like skins – is ostracized and called a moron by the fan base.

Hate subreddits for video games are nothing new; The last of us part 2 has an entire subreddit dedicated to disgusting gamers who can't let a 5 year old story go and continue to bash the people who made it. Similarly, Marvel's Spider-Man the subreddit became a hub for sequel upheavals, turning minor complaints about falling fridges and DIY costumes into major issues that somehow led to an acclaimed game being secretly bad. Still, even though it happened before, it's no less disappointing to see it now. Fans Battlefield 6 they were forced to create new subreddits just to share clips and discuss the game in a healthy way because all that can be found on the main subreddit is the hot new critique of the week. While constructive criticism is healthy, old school Battlefield Fans have been harping on what they see as problems rather than addressing them and moving on, and it's tiring.

What makes it all so strange is that – like the above examples – Battlefield 6 is a critically and commercially successful game that does a lot of things well. And besides, a large part Battlefield fans had a negative opinion Cod years. Naturally, Battlefield the fan base should be celebrating the fall of the series that held their preferred franchise down, as BF6 he accomplished what many once thought impossible. However, instead there seems to be no way to do this Battlefield the fan base is satisfied because there is rarely nuance to be found about the game online. Just a few years ago, you could have waited Battlefield slaughter Call of Duty to be a celebratory moment across the world wide web, but internet culture has become so critical that it seems there is no place for joy and positivity anymore.

Call of Duty's positive Word-of-Mouth is refreshing

Image via Activision

Meanwhile, the discussion is going on Black Ops 7which highlights the opposite side of the spectrum. Although the game did poorly enough for Activision to release a statement promising not to release back-to-back Black Ops or Modern warfare games again, the reality is that the players who actually gave BO7 the odds of that tend to be positive. Whenever a negative article is published Black Ops 7the responses tend to be filled with phrases like “that's a shame”, “I don't understand why I'm doing so badly” and “I love it, you should give it a shot if you're on the edge.” This positivity will be refreshing for anyone who is tired of the endless Battlefield 6 hate and positive word of mouth may prove to be a big problem in the future. After all, the holiday season is just around the corner, and BO7 could see a noticeable increase in sales given all the praise from fans.

Make no mistake: Black Ops 7 not a perfect game. Indeed, her campaign is deeply flawed and the story is far from over Black Ops 2but still some players found fun in Endgame. Zombies has proven to be a big hit thanks to some visually bold maps and the Cursed mode, but has had its share of frustrating bugs that have affected the main quest runs on maps like Astra Malorum. And while the multiplayer has a stellar map pool, it had the typical balance issues where some weapons were overpowered. Despite these clear problems Call of Duty the players decided to focus on the positives, let all the things that Black Ops 7 the good he did outweighs his shortcomings.

The reality is this BO7 is an overall good game; it just has problems like any other game. The exact same logic applies Battlefield 6because it's also a solid game with bugs, meaning the only difference is how the communities react. While Black Ops 7 Fans call out for problems and then go on to praise the positives or get others to try the game, which is a significant part Battlefield 6 the player base refuses to see anything but the bad. This is a real shame because seeing all the toxicity could increase the potential Battlefield fans away from the franchise. There is a fine line between helpful criticism and blind hatred Battlefield the subreddit definitely leans towards the latter. Maybe that's one of the reasons BF6The number of players on steam is decreasing because interacting with the community isn't much fun unless you're joining a mob. Finally, while Battlefield 6 Statistically, he won a lot this year, he's not winning the optics war, like Call of Duty The fans have no problem with the punches.

Released

November 14, 2025

ESRB

Adults 17+ / Blood and gore, Intense violence, Strong language, Themes, Drug use