Call of Duty and Battlefield are poised to have one of the biggest head-to-heads in the first-person shooter scene in 2025. With both games set to release their take on the near future/modern warfare era, some people will undoubtedly be divided on which game to choose. Should Battlefield release near the same time as the goliath that is Call of Duty? Or does EA have a better play at hand with Battlefield?
First, it should be stressed that EA and Activision have yet to confirm any details about their upcoming titles. However, while plans can undoubtedly change, according to our sources, EA is seemingly targeting a holiday 2025 release for its next premium release. As for Call of Duty, the franchise has not missed a yearly release in over two decades, and it’s almost guaranteed that an October or November 2025 release will happen.
Call of Duty 2025
Insider Gaming reported in late 2023 that Call of Duty’s 2025 is planned to be a Black Ops 2 sequel of sorts, set around 2030 and following the events of Menendez’s death. Although these details can change, it’s understood that its multiplayer offering will use nostalgia to bring back players with the return of old maps from Black Ops 2 and its ‘pick 10’ create-a-class system – a fan-favorite system with players. It’s also understood that Treyarch games will be leaning into the power of nostalgia in a big way for its zombies mode, too, but we’ll have more information on that later in the year.
According to Statista, Black Ops 2 is one of the best-selling games in the Call of Duty franchise, clocking in at nearly 30 million units sold. Nostalgia sells, and when combined with Call of Duty Warzone, the series’ free-to-play offering, it isn’t difficult to imagine that Call of Duty 2025 will be one of the series’ most successful games.
Battlefield 2025
According to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, the next Battlefield game is already playable. What that looks like is anyone’s guess, but following the disastrous release of Battlefield 2042, we know that there have been significant shifts in the Battlefield franchise, particularly its leadership. Insider Gaming reported in February 2024 that the game is taking a ‘back to its roots approach’ with the return to 64-player matches for its primary multiplayer offering.
So far, we know that the next Battlefield will be part of a ‘Battlefield universe’ of sorts, which will essentially be a series of games and modes connected to the franchise in some way. One such game will be a free-to-play Battle Royale that is said to be the brainchild of Byron Beede, who had previously led live service for Call of Duty. It’s understood that this gamemode will have a classic Battle Royale mode but also offer new experiences such as a new gamemode called ‘Gauntlet’, which will see teams of players compete in objective-based modes.
The online community sentiment on Battle Royales seems to be on the decline, but time and time again, various Battle Royale games have proven to be successful. In short, if Battlefield does go ahead with a free-to-play Battle Royale and releases it around the same time as the premium game (somewhat similar to how Call of Duty did Warzone), a Battlefield Battle Royale does have some serious potential to be successful.
Should Battlefield Release in 2025?
When push comes to shove, I actually think that EA needs to hold off with a late-2025 release for Battlefield and aim for a Spring 2026 release. On paper, that would mean that Battlefield players will see no new content for the best part of two years, which will undoubtedly sting, but if the games marketing, alphas, and betas can prove that the game will launch in a polished state, it’ll be worth the wait.
Let’s not forget that EA has a lot of making up to do with its Battlefield franchise. Battlefield V wasn’t deemed the best on its release, and Battlefield 2042 was nothing short of a disaster, but this time, EA needs to give its teams room to breathe. A more polished Battlefield experience will always go down better with players. Still, and more importantly, a Spring 2026 release puts the game in a time period where Call of Duty players typically want something new to play.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Call of Duty community, there’s a common meme called the ‘Call of Duty Cycle’, which dates back over a decade. Since the meme’s inception, the dates have somewhat changed, but players typically get bored of the game around March. By then, the game had been out for five months and had seen two seasons of content, and people begin to wait for information on the next title eagerly. This is the prime time for a new Battlefield release, especially is a free-to-play component will be connected.
There’s also the elephant in the room with a holiday 2025 release: GTA VI. While Rockstar Games is set to confirm an official release date and has only provided us with a vague “2025”, its past Rockstar Games releases show that it’s likely that the game will be released around October 2025. Call of Duty can stand on its own two feet, but Battlefield? It seems like another death sentence to me.
When do you think the next Battlefield game should be released? Let us know in the comments below.
