Battlefield 6 Has Been Left Out to Dry, Here's Why ARC Raiders Succeeded Where It Failed

Battlefield 6 was good fun when it launched, and many praised it for being the best Battlefield game released in years. However a few months later the playercount has all but disappeared leaving one big question, what the hell happened?

Battlefield 6 isn’t a dead game by any means, but it is a wounded one. Its daily player count averages at around 50,000-70,000 players on Steam which is nothing to sneeze at, but it’s nothing to really shout about either. It’s at least doing better than Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

However it’s nowhere near its initial playercount of over 600,000, with a significant drop off in the months after launch.

Where did all those players go? And why is a game like ARC Raiders dominating the online shooter scene with around 300,000 players per day?

I think ARC Raiders’ biggest appeal compared to that of Battlefield or Call of Duty is how it almost encourages you to be a bit of an online menace. Let me explain.

If I’m playing Battlefield 6 or Black Ops 7 and the lobby is screaming into their microphones spewing out all sorts of rubbish it doesn’t really make me want to engage with that community anymore. I turn-off voice chat and play the game in silence, that’s my ideal way to play. It’s the same with teammates griefing you, or purposefully not contributing in the match. In games like Battlefield 6 and Black Ops 7 it shouldn’t be the norm so you notice it more when it’s affecting your gameplay.

Embark Studios

ARC Raiders on the other hand is full of menaces but because betrayal and double-crossing is a core part of the gameplay it’s much more enjoyable.

Add in some in-game proximity chat and you’ve got a winning formula there. It’s why games like DayZ were so successful back in the day, you never knew who you were going to run into and if they could be trusted.

That style of gameplay also lends itself incredibly well to a viral meme format. My TikTok and Instagram feeds are full of videos of interesting, chaotic and hilarious interactions ARC Raiders players have had while playing the game, which is what naturally got me interested.

Battlefield 6 had that appeal at launch due to the overhauled destruction. I saw plenty of videos where players were having buildings collapse on top of them or attempt daring rescues in helicopters but once you’ve seen it enough times it does naturally become less interesting.

ARC Raiders has that dangling key approach. Every match can be different depending on who you meet and on top of that it’s just a solid multiplayer shooter.

I still prefer Battlefield 6 as I’ve been a fan of the series for years, but as a fan I can see why a new kid on the block like ARC Raiders could be syphoning off so many of its players.