After years of leaks and rumors and months of subtle but non-specific confirmations, Battlefield 6The free-to-play battle royale mode is finally out. Starting next door Battlefield 6 season 1, Battlefield: RedSec drops players into Fort Lyndon, a gigantic map filled with various points of interest, engaging missions, and 99 other players all out to destroy each other.
But for how long Battlefield fans will remember very well Battlefield 6: RedSec is not the first Battle Royale mode in the franchise. Still in March 2019 Battlefield V added a battle royale mode called 'Firestorm'. While the mode itself is fondly remembered, EA's handling of post-launch support is not. Looking back six years later, it's interesting to see how well Firestorm has aged and how Battlefield 6: RedSec builds on its foundations.
Comparison of Battlefield 6: RedSec and Battlefield V: Firestorm
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Features in Battlefield V: Firestorm |
Features in Battlefield 6: RedSec |
|---|---|
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Lobby for 64 players |
Lobby for 100 players |
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Class selection only applies to cosmetics |
Each class has unique advantages and abilities |
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World War II environment |
Modern environment |
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As you earn points, the rewards offer decreases |
Completing missions reduces the reward pool |
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Ground vehicles are spread across the map and the tank can be obtained by opening a bunker |
Land vehicles and boats are spread across the map and the tank can be obtained by completing missions that award vehicle key cards |
|
Can be played in solos, pairs or groups |
Battle Royale can be played in Duos and Quads. It also has an Initiation Battle Royale mode and a Gauntlet mode |
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Squad squads can be revived with a flare gun |
Squadmates can be revived by visiting the relocation tower |
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Use Battlefield V movement and shooting mechanics |
Use Battlefield 6 movement and shooting mechanics, including new features such as drag and revive |
|
He had to pay Battlefield V for access |
Free to play for anyone on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S |
How Battlefield 6: RedSec's Fort Lyndon Compares to Firestorm's Halvoy
One of the most obvious differences between Battlefield 6: RedSec and Battlefield V: Firestorm is the setting of each game. Like its campaign and multiplayer component, Battlefield VFirestorm mode was set at the height of WWII. Naturally, this meant that the weapons, vehicles, character skins and level architecture were inspired by this era. Battlefield 6: RedSecon the other hand, it represents the current setting (2027-2028), so all its weapons, vehicles, skins and level architecture are inspired by modern designs.
As for the maps themselves, Firestorm's Halvoy and RedSec's Fort Lyndon are quite different. While the Firestorm map was once the largest map in Battlefield history, RedSec's seems to trump it, at least if the number of points of interest is anything to go by. While Halvoy had an impressive 15 points of interest on its mountainous map, Fort Lyndon has a staggering 21, which include an even wider range of locations such as golf courses, chemical plants, shopping districts and ports.
The ever-approaching “Storm” is presented slightly differently in Firestorm and RedSec. In Firestorm, it's a literal ring of fire that destroys buildings, burns the player, and obscures their view. In RedSec, it's a closed circle of never-ending explosions.
Battlefield 6: RedSec features exclusive game mechanics
Another major difference between BattlefieldFirestorm mode and Battlefield 6: RedSec that's how both battle royales actually play. Despite being released in 2019, Firestorm's Battlefield V the mechanics hold up very well today, but of course they aren't as smooth as the ones you'll find in RedSec.
Battlefield 6RedSec mode also benefits from a number of mechanics not seen before Battlefield items such as the ability to drag teammates out of a unit when they've been knocked down and revive them behind cover. Classes also play a role in RedSec's immediate gameplay. While they were purely cosmetic in Firestorm, RedSec's Classes give players unique perks and abilities, such as the Assault Grenade Launcher and their ability to place ladders.
Battlefield 6: RedSec it's also home to several battle royale-specific mechanics that Firestorm didn't have, such as custom weapon drops, tower relocations, and various missions that reward units with rare loot. Thanks to games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzoneand Fortnitethese mechanics have become a staple of the battle royale genre over the past few years, but weren't quite the norm by the time Firestorm came out in 2019.
Battlefield 6: RedSec features new Battle Royale modes
Where Battlefield VFirestorm mode offered Solo, Duo and Squad variants of its battle royale mode, Battlefield 6: RedSec has several additional and improved modes:
- Battle Royale – Only Duo and Quad at launch, no solos or trios
- Launch of Battle Royale – Tutorial mode with bots that offers a maximum of 48 players
- Glove – Eight units complete four sets of missions. The two units with the lowest points after each mission are eliminated
Battlefield 6: RedSec is free to play
But probably the most important difference between Battlefield V: Firestorm and Battlefield 6: RedSec in the grand scheme of things, the game is completely free to play. While the Firestorm won praise when it launched in March 2019, it was locked out of buying Battlefield V.
Although Call of Duty: Black Ops 4Blackout mode, which came out a few months ago, was also kept behind a paywall, its core gameplay not met with such a mixed reception. Fortnite it also set a new precedent for free-to-play games nearly two years before the release of Firestorm. The release of EA didn't help either Apex Legends just a month after Firestorm, it brings a similarly “mature” battle royale experience, but without the cost.
Given the current climate of the gaming industry, Battlefield 6: RedSec going free-to-play is absolutely the right move. And after two weeks it went down Battlefield 6it manages to capitalize on the goodwill surrounding the core game and strike while the iron is hot, while not shooting itself in the foot by immediately offering a free-to-play alternative that uses many of the same mechanics.
- Released
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October 10, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, in-app purchases, user interaction
- Developers
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Battlefield Studios
