Battlefield 6 Tops 2025's Most-Played Games with 26 Million Players

Electronic Arts's Battlefield 6 is the "most-played new game" of 2025, drawing in over 26 million players since its October launch.

That's not me saying, it comes from PC and console sales research firm Alinea Analytics. They report that the base game alone has sold more than 20 million copies, while REDSEC, the free-to-play component, accounts for the rest.

It’s an impressive figure by any standard, made even more remarkable when compared to the franchise’s longtime rival, Call of Duty. According to recent reports from another market research firm, Circana, Battlefield 6 remains at the top spot for best-selling game in the US for the year by revenue by November for the first time in years, and Circana analyst Mat Piscatella noted that the game is “extremely likely” to finish the year at number one, with just one month left.

Officially, EA confirmed that the game sold 7 million copies in its first three days. That made it the second-fastest-selling game of 2025, trailing only Monster Hunter Wilds, which managed 8 million copies in the same timeframe.

Early estimates suggested Battlefield 6 generated over $350 million in gross revenue at launch (in the first week), with Steam accounting for the lion's share at 56.7% of sales. PlayStation 5 followed with 23.7%, while Xbox brought up the rear at 19.6%.

Looking at Alinea's rankings for the most-played new games of 2025, Battlefield 6 sits comfortably at the top:

1. Battlefield 6 - 26 million players

2. Skate - 23 million players

3. R.E.P.O. - 19.6 million players

4. PEAK - 15 million players (Steam only)

5. EA Sports FC 26 - Console-focused playerbase

The comeback story is particularly sweet for EA and DICE. Battlefield had been on a downward trajectory, consistently losing ground to Call of Duty year after year. According to Alinea Analytics, the turnaround came from "listening to the community's wishes and returning to the franchise's roots." It's a lesson that resonates across the industry - sometimes going back to what made something great in the first place is the smartest move forward.

The success extends beyond just player counts too. Steam data shows the game was one of the platform's biggest revenue generators for 2025, contributing to what has been an exceptional year for PC gaming. The platform has already pulled in $17.7 billion this year, up 15% from 2024's $15.4 billion.

For EA, having both Battlefield 6 and Skate dominating the year's most-played games list represents a major win. The publisher has managed to revitalize two franchises that many had written off, proving there's still plenty of life in these iconic brands when they're handled with care and respect for what fans actually want.