- Battlefield 2042 roared past Call of Duty's player counts on Steam this weekend.
- The surge was facilitated by a new update, as well as a free Battle Pass carrying rewards for Battlefield 6.
- The increase in 20242's player counts highlights the amount of buzz surrounding Battlefield 6.
As Battlefield 6 continues to reign atop sales charts across all platforms, its highly maligned predecessor, Battlefield 2042, has benefited from the sheer buzz surrounding the franchise. The BF6 Open Beta garnered a ton of excitement for the title’s October release, with fans even rubbing the playtest’s success in Activision’s face by mocking every mention of Black Ops 7 on social media. And now, in the ultimate gut punch for the annual franchise, Battlefield 2042 has managed to eclipse Call of Duty’s player count on Steam.
Released back in 2021, Battlefield 2042 struggled to gain a foothold in the saturated online multiplayer market or shake off the woes of its horrific launch. Its troubles have allowed Call of Duty and Warzone, of course, to dominate the FPS segment, but the tide began to shift this past weekend.
Thanks to a surprise update, 2042 saw a significant uptick in its concurrent player counts on Steam, hitting a peak of 69,138 players on Saturday, as compared to Call of Duty’s 63,592. Its momentum remained strong on Sunday as well, amassing a 24-hour peak count of 74,591, with the competition trailing behind by over 4,000 players.
The brand-new update, as mentioned earlier, was a significant factor behind these figures as it introduced the Iwo Jima map to the game. The devs also added a free Battle Pass, handing out rewards usable in Battlefield 6, which certainly played a hand in boosting those player counts as well. That said, it’s important to remember that the Call of Duty launcher stats account for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone, making 2042’s achievement even more impressive.
Does this mean Battlefield 2042 has more active players than Black Ops 6? The answer is almost certainly no, especially since a hefty portion of Call of Duty players is concentrated on consoles. But the fact that players are willing to revisit a lackluster game, just to get their Battlefield fix, speaks volumes about what the BF6 Beta has managed to accomplish. If EA manages to stick the landing come October, we could see the title smash the astronomical Steam figures set by the Open Beta.
With all that said, what do you make of this year’s Battlefield vs Call of Duty showdown? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
