The issue of skill-based matchmaking isn’t just a concern for CoD fans. Battlefield isn’t abandoning it, but it has other priorities.
Battlefield 6 will be officially released on October 10, 2025, and players naturally want to know: How does it play? You can get the answer either from our shooter expert Kevin, who has already had a chance to play, or by participating in the open beta.
But what about the question of who you’re playing against? Matchmaking will likely use a player’s individual skills, but other factors will be weighted much more heavily.
Is ping king this time around?
According to the well-known news account on X CharlieIntel , DICE has named four factors that determine which match the system puts you in. These are the classic factors:
- Ping
- Player location
- Server capacity
- Individual skill
This information comes from the presentation at the reveal event. It was also stated there that the system prioritizes the individual factors differently depending on the number of players and the game mode.
However, what this means for individual modes was not explained. It is conceivable that modes with many players place greater emphasis on filling the lobby, as Conquest, for example, thrives on the atmosphere of battle.
In Team Deathmatch, ping and skill could be more important, as the performance of individual players is more crucial here.
The first two factors alone are aimed at providing players with the best possible server connection. Skill seems to play a rather minor role.
DICE fulfills many, but not all, fan wishes
Fans should be satisfied with the matchmaking system, even if it remains to be seen how the skill factor will actually play out in the game. The discussion about this feature was already heating up in the community in April, to the point that the community manager had to intervene.
The topic of SBMM was made big by genre competitor Call of Duty. The shooter is often criticized for its own matchmaking system. The same goes for the brightly colored skins, which, according to the developers, will not be included in Battlefield 6.
When it comes to server browsers, however, DICE has only made a small concession. Many players would like to be able to choose their match from a list of servers in Battlefield 6, rather than being assigned a game by a system. However, this option will only be available in the new portal mode and not in the regular game. More on this above in the box.
