2025 is shaping up to be an epic year for triple-A video games. Not only are we anticipating the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and its exclusive titles, but we're also looking forward to a lineup of major releases later in the year, including Borderlands 4, Mafia: The Old Country, and Ghost of Yōtei. And let's not forget the inevitable new Call of Duty from Activision, likely slated for an October or November release.
The real game-changer, however, is Rockstar's highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6, which is currently scheduled for a fall 2025 release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. While parent company Take-Two is sticking to this release window, there's always the possibility of a delay. This uncertainty, combined with the onslaught of other major titles, poses a significant challenge for EA's upcoming Battlefield game.
EA has penciled in the next Battlefield for its 2026 fiscal year, meaning a launch before April 2026. This puts it squarely in the crosshairs of not only GTA 6 but also potentially Call of Duty and Borderlands 4. So, how much does EA need to consider the release dates of its competitors when planning its own launch? Quite a bit, according to EA CEO Andrew Wilson.
In a recent financial call, Wilson acknowledged the competitive landscape, saying, "Certainly we exist in a competitive marketplace. 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 further elaborated on the potential for adjusting the launch timing, stating, "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
51 Images
As it stands, the new Battlefield is set to release before April 2026. If we speculate a November 2025 release (following the pattern of Battlefield 2042 in November 2021 and Battlefield 5 in November 2018), what happens if GTA 6 launches around the same time? EA might consider delaying Battlefield to the first quarter of 2026, still within its fiscal year.
However, if EA already plans to release Battlefield in Q1 2026, and Rockstar announces a delay for GTA 6 to Q1 2026, EA could potentially move Battlefield forward. Alternatively, EA might decide to push Battlefield out of the fiscal year and into the next, a significant decision but one they seem prepared to make based on Wilson's comments.
It's clear why EA, along with many other third-party publishers, are eagerly awaiting Rockstar's announcement of the GTA 6 release date. Once that's revealed, whether it sticks to the planned fall 2025 or shifts to 2026, the rest of the industry's release plans will likely fall into place.
