In a lot of ways, Battlefield 6 is a return to some of the classic elements of the first-person shooter series. But even as it draws on features that players have loved for years, it also makes adjustments to the formula that can seem small, but have a big impact. From changes to the class system to help you find your perfect play style, to map destruction that can create chaos or provide advantages, Battlefield 6’s look back to its past is actually full of steps forward into its future.

Here are nine ways Battlefield 6 is improving the storied franchise with subtle and not-so-subtle improvements.

Waves of destruction

One of the things that has always set Battlefield apart is the destruction players can wreak across its multiplayer maps. In Battlefield 6, destruction has been amplified to be both realistic and strategic, and it plays a big part in both multiplayer matches and in the campaign. Blasting out walls to expose enemy soldiers or destroying towers to eliminate machine gun nests gives you more options as you fight through Battlefield 6’s story, and watching huge structures blow apart is always mesmerizing.

Enhanced squad commands

Battlefield is known for its squads, and you’ve often had a team of fighters backing you up in the franchise’s many campaigns. In Battlefield 6, you can issue squad commands to focus fire on a tough enemy, or tell a particular member of your team to use their class’s skills, like having your Recon mark targets or your Assault use a grenade on a tough position.

Escalation mode feels perfect for Battlefield

New to Battlefield 6 is Escalation mode, a 64-player match type that combines elements from classics like Conquest, Domination, and Breakthrough to make something new. In Escalation, two teams vie for control of control points, and once one team controls more points than the other, a meter begins to fill. If the meter is completed, the team with more territory scores a point, and one of the control points disappears from the map. As you keep fighting for territory, the contested area of the map shrinks, creating more intense battles and forcing teamwork to attack and defend positions. Throw in Battlefield 6’s many vehicles, and you have a mode that’s both highly strategic and intensely chaotic.

A better Class

Bringing back a focus on its four classes — Assault, Recon, Support, and Engineer — is a core element of Battlefield 6 returning to the series’ roots. But Battlefield is also taking those classes into the future with this new game, thanks to the Training Paths you can unlock for each one. Training lets you focus on different aspects of a class’s specific role. For example, as an Assault, you can work as a fast frontline fighter, or unlock the Breacher training, which lets you emphasize blasting through walls and clearing rooms. Each class has its own Training Paths to unlock through completing Assignments, so you can customize your play style while becoming an expert in the capabilities of each class.

More responsive movement

Battlefield 6’s Kinesthetic Movement system brings a lot of adjustments to how you get around in the game, and they feel so natural and intuitive that you might not even notice them. From running while crouched to keep your head down, to rotating on your back while prone to shoot behind you, to leaning out of cover to take a shot, to jumping on the outside of vehicles to hitch a ride, Battlefield 6 is full of small improvements that make it easier to get where you’re going and fight well when you arrive.

Jumping straight to the firing range

There are a lot of little tweaks to Battlefield 6 that make it a more welcoming game than past entries into the franchise, like short explanations of different game modes and classes to help you learn the game faster. As you’re tweaking your loadouts, you can also take any gun you’re playing with straight to the firing range to try it out by pressing L2, allowing you to instantly test attachments and modifications to find exactly the weapon for you.

DualSense haptic feedback that puts your boots on the ground

In both the campaign and in multiplayer, Battlefield is an intense, over-the-top experience, where gunfire and explosions constantly rock the air around you. All those sensations are translated into intense haptics through the DualSense controller, helping to capture just how fierce, powerful, and enormous all those crashing vehicles and collapsing buildings really are.

Modular maps offer a variety of battles

In past Battlefield games, the largest multiplayer maps also contained flashpoint locations within them that could function as maps on their own. Battlefield 6 continues this design philosophy, but dials in the focus even tighter than before. Each of the largest maps in the game contains multiple different kinds of areas, where you might find yourself fighting pitched gunfights through the corridors of a skyscraper under construction, before running into a village full of small cottages that are quickly being leveled by tank fire. Lots of these locations work as maps for the smaller game modes, like Team Deathmatch, so you can learn their intricacies across lots of different experiences.

A more creative Portal mode

Since Battlefield 2042, the Portal mode has allowed players to create their own Battlefield games by tweaking rules sets and building their own map. Those tools have been greatly expanded in Battlefield 6 to offer a whole lot more freedom. Players are only just beginning to explore what’s possible with the Portal, but already you can find lots of different kinds of matches, thanks to a new server list and new discovery features.

Between maps, modes, Portal, and a full campaign, there are a whole lot of unforgettable Battlefield moments to be had in Battlefield 6, which is available now on PlayStation Store. Plus, Season 1 is just around the corner on October 28.