The Battlefield community, and general shooter fans, continue to have little to work with when it comes to news about the next Battlefield. The game has yet to be revealed, or even be given a proper title.
As Battlefield Labs playtests continue, however, more and more is being leaked, and this latest batch offers a compelling theory about the timing of the game’s next major moment.
DICE made a lot of noise about the most recent, 72-hour-long Battlefield Labs playtest because it was intended to be used to test a controversial change to the class system. Many in the Battlefield community had been looking forward to getting picked for that test, or, failing that, pouring over the leaks that will come out of it.
Impressions are starting to appear online, but the test also revealed something else that has players very excited. Following its conclusion, checking the game tile reveals a curious message that reads, “This game hasn’t released yet. Wait until the official release date (2025-06-17) or pre-load date (2025-06-17) to install.”
Now, it’s highly unlikely that the next Battlefield will be released then, but that date is particularly curious for a few reasons.
Firstly, at the end of the test, players received a message that their game key has been revoked, which means they’d need to sign up again if they want to join future tests. This is unusual, because up to that point, anyone who got invited at any stage has been able to join every test.
It also indicates that the next test maybe a much larger, non-Battlefield Labs affair. Given the June 17 date above, players now believe this is when a wider – more open – alpha or beta test for the game will kick off. Battlefield games have held playtests in the summer before, so that’s another reason to believe that theory.
The thinking is that, with Summer Game Fest kicking off next week, the game will be revealed on the show’s opening ceremony on June 6, with a message directing players to sign up for the June 17 test. EA is not hosting its own summer event this June, so it makes sense for the publisher to use a large platform like Summer Game Fest to unveil the game – or even just announce that a big test for “the next Battlefield” is going to be starting soon.
EA recently confirmed that the next Battlefield will be unveiled in the summer, so none of that is a stretch. Of course, it’s worth taking all that with a pinch of salt. These sorts of updates to in-development games are common, and may not necessarily reflect what we should expect. It’s also possible that it may have been the plan at one point – but plans change.
The good news is that Summer Game Fest is not far off, and the aforementioned June 17 date isn’t too far behind that. At the very least, we’re bound to hear something over the next couple of weeks.