2025 is shaping up to be an epic year for triple-A video games. With the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and its exclusive titles, gamers have plenty to look forward to. But that's just the beginning. Later in the year, we'll see major releases like Borderlands 4, Mafia: The Old Country, and Ghost of Yōtei. And let's not forget the annual tradition: a new Call of Duty from Activision, likely hitting the shelves in October or November.
However, the real juggernaut on the horizon is Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6, slated for a fall 2025 release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. While Take-Two remains committed to this timeline, there's always the looming possibility of a delay. This uncertainty, combined with the flurry of other big releases, poses a significant challenge for EA's upcoming Battlefield title.
EA has scheduled the next Battlefield for its fiscal year 2026, which means a release before April 2026. This window puts it squarely in competition with GTA 6, and possibly even Call of Duty and Borderlands 4. So, how much does EA need to consider the release dates of competing games when planning the launch of Battlefield?
Quite a lot, according to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, who acknowledged the competitive nature of the market during a recent financial call. He hinted that EA might even consider delaying Battlefield if necessary.
"Certainly, we exist in a competitive marketplace," Wilson stated. "I've had the great fortune to be in this company for 25 years, and we have done a great job of competing with all of our great franchises over time. That being said, we've invested more in this Battlefield than any Battlefield before. We have four studios. We've had a meaningful amount of time. We're looking for this to be the biggest Battlefield we've ever made. And we, of course, want to make sure that we launch that into a window where we can deliver on the fullness of the promise of what Battlefield can be and grow the community to a level that is commensurate with the size of the game that we're making."
Wilson went on to say, "I do believe that this year might be a nuanced year relative to competition. There may be some things happening in the year that may cause us to think differently about our launch timing. We have an FY 26 launch window that the team is targeting. We believe the game will be great and ready at that time, but if we got close to that timeframe and believed that this wasn't going to be a great window for us, then we would take a look at what an alternate window might be that would give us the appropriate time, energy, and player acquisition opportunity for this Battlefield to be all that it needed to be."
99 Details in the GTA 6 Trailer - Slideshow
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As it stands, the new Battlefield is set to release before April 2026. Let's assume a November 2025 launch, similar to Battlefield 2042 in November 2021 and Battlefield 5 in November 2018. If GTA 6 launches around that time, EA might consider pushing Battlefield back to the first quarter of 2026, still fitting within its fiscal year.
Alternatively, if EA is already planning a Q1 2026 release for Battlefield and Rockstar delays GTA 6 to the same period, EA could potentially move Battlefield forward. However, if the situation demands, EA might even delay Battlefield beyond its fiscal year into the next, a significant decision they seem prepared to make.
This is why EA, and many other third-party publishers, are eagerly awaiting Rockstar's announcement of the GTA 6 release date. Once that's known, whether it sticks to fall 2025 or slips into 2026, the entire industry can adjust accordingly.
