The free-to-play Battlefield 6 battle royale game mode has officially arrived in the form of Battlefield REDSEC – but it’s probably not exactly what you think it is.

EA and Battlefield Studios surprise launched their Battlefield battle royale experience across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S just moments ago, bringing months of rumors and leaks to an end with a standalone offering that’s free for both those who do and do not own Battlefield 6. Its name, shorthand for “Redacted Sector,” teases an updated take on a popular multiplayer pastime that’s been bundled in with two additional modes: Gauntlet and Portal. There’s more to REDSEC than fans may have expected, and it’s all tied in with the Battlefield 6 experience under one unified umbrella.

Battlefield Battle Royale

Battle royale is no doubt the headline here, offering access to 100-player matches where classic battle royale gameplay is mixed with the Battlefield 6 formula. Infantry can be seen parachuting over and into explosive firefights in its first trailer, which reveals how BF Studios translated familiar elements into the Battlefield universe, all while 2Pac and Dr. Dre’s California Love plays in the background.

Finding rare loot, hoarding armor plates, mastering small and large points of interest, and completing missions with friends are core parts of many battle royale experiences, and each is necessary to survive in Battlefield, too. It’s more Warzone than Fortnite, but REDSEC has some features that help it stand apart.

Fort Lyndon, a Southern California location that EA and BF Studios call the “biggest Battlefield map ever,” serves as the backdrop for each match. As the trailer highlights crumbling buildings, REDSEC aims to convince players it can build on battle royale without sacrificing what so many love about the franchise: tactical destruction.

Map-altering vehicles are a mainstay for any true Battlefield experience, and that remains the case for Battlefield 6 battle royale, which features everything from tanks to attack boats to golf carts to find. As the ever-present, ever-shrinking ring of fire (fans may remember it from Battlefield V: Firestorm) forces teams out of the frying pan, discovering an M1 Abrams could mean the difference between victory and succumbing to the flames. There will be plenty of less-threatening vehicles to discover around the new battle royale map, but those looking to drive a heavily armored tank will first need to complete missions, nab a keycard reward, and then use it to unlock specific garages.

Battlefield 6 and REDSEC will coexist, so those who have already enjoyed the former can expect to find familiar vehicles, guns, and gadgets in the latter – save for a few tweaks. Class upgrades are just one element to consider and give Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon players upgrades to work toward. Earn enough XP as the Recon class, for example, and you’ll gain access to an enhancement that powers up drones with bomb-dropping capabilities. Custom loadouts can also be built and used, with players able to earn them by completing missions or by betting on the slightly riskier option of waiting for limited global drop events.

Content creators specializing in The Sims 4 content are leaving EA’s Creator Network in protest after EA confirmed it is to be acquired by an investor group composed of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners.

The transaction — announced at the end of last month and valued at approximately $55 billion — is the largest all-cash sponsor take-private investment in history.

Being part of a community that has always strived to be welcoming and inclusive, some The Sims creators now fear the documented conservative values of EA’s buyers — which include Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — will impact the game’s development, with insisting “the values represented by the people acquiring EA are fundamentally at odds” with that of The Sims’ community.

Streamer Kayla “LilSimsie” Sims, who has over 2 million subscribers and has worked with EA in the past to develop DLC, said news of the sale “devastated” her, and that “the situation is a nightmare for our community.”

“I have made the decision to remove myself from the EA Creator Network. It is my hope that pressure from creators and the community might encourage EA’s leadership to reconsider the long-term impact of this sale and to preserve the values that have made The Sims so beloved,” she wrote in a heartfelt message on YouTube (thanks, Polygon).

“This means that I will no longer receive early access to Sims packs, and I will not have a creator code. Under this new ownership, I feel I cannot maintain a direct association to the company. I also truly believe that they benefit more from my early access content than I do, and I think that stepping away is the strongest action I can take against the sale.”

She continued: “This situation is a nightmare for our community. Nobody supports this sale, and it is putting creators in a very difficult position. They have built their entire career and livelihood over a game that they have no control over. I ask that you please not harass other Sims creators over their decisions regarding the game and the creator network. I am very fortunate to be in a position where I can make a choice like this, but not everyone has that ability. I don’t truly don’t believe there is a ‘right’ answer here, and everyone is still trying to figure out their next steps.”

Sims closed on writing: “I’m really, really distraught over this sale, and I know that many of you are as well. It’s scary, and it’s breaking my heart. I really appreciate your support as I try to navigate this.”

Jesse “Plumbella” McNamara, DevonBumpkin, Vixella, and James Turner have all similarly quit EA’s Creator Network.

“Due to the recent sale, I have asked to leave the EA Creator Network, and I will not buy or make content around any future release,” McNamara wrote.

“I think taking this stand is the right choice for me personally, but I’m not going to judge anybody on their decision. I’m in a privileged position to be able to say I’m leaving so easily. I hope that the sale falls through, and if it doesn’t, I hope that those that stay put pressure on EA to maintain the level of inclusiveness that The Sims has always been about.”

EA has issued a statement on the matter via the official The Sims social media accounts. In it, the company insisted “we deeply respect that everyone experiences The Sims in their own way and will make choices that are right for them. However you choose to play, create, or share, we’re grateful to be part of your journey. Our mission, values, and commitment remain the same. The Sims will always be a space where you can express your authentic self.”

In 2022, PIF also became one of the largest Nintendo shareholders with 5.01% ownership. Pokémon Go developer Niantic also announced that it had sold its library of games to mobile games maker Scopely, which is controlled by Savvy Games Group and PIF, earlier this year.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

If you’ve been missing Jimmy and still long for a Bully sequel, we may have the next best thing. While Rockstar hasn’t delivered Bully 2 yet — and where there’s life, there’s hope — a dedicated team of modders has created an entire online mode to keep you occupied in the meantime.

“IT’S HAPPENING!” developer SWEGTA announced on YouTube. “We finally have an online mode for Bully that allows you and your friends to play minigames, roleplay, compete in racing, fend off against NPCs, and much more!”

“It’s a project me and my team have been working on for a very long time,” SWEGTA added, “and it’s finally at a point in development where we can announce it and show it to the public.

“Bully Online runs on the DSL script loader, which is a plugin for Bully that essentially allows for a more versatile approach to modding. A lot of the things we thought were impossible just a few years ago can now be done, including making an online mode. We do have an official server for Bully Online, and we plan on making that available to the public to enjoy in due time.”

Starting in December, the team will be making the server available to people who support the project on Ko-Fi, along with previews, videos, screenshots, and developer commentary. The server itself is described as a “bit of a mix” between minigames, free roaming, and role-playing, and has a “fully fleshed out” inventory system that permits players to earn money in-game and spend it on a “wide variety of different things like housing, weapons, vehicles, and items.”

As for if there’ll ever be an official follow up? Dan Houser, Rockstar Games co-founder and the writer behind the studio’s biggest games, including the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series, recently sat down for an exclusive interview with IGN, revealing Bully 2 didn’t happen because of “bandwidth issues.”

Bully — also known as Canis Canem Edit in some parts of the world — was a humorous action game that put players in the role of high school outcast Jimmy while attending a pretentious private school. “Bully is a great, well-crafted action game that’s been made even stronger with one of the best senses of humor around,” IGN’s Bully review read. “Expect dozens and dozens of hours of fun.”

Fans have long called for a sequel, which was once in development at Rockstar’s New England studio in the late 2000s. While Bully 2 was obviously never released, some of its ideas made it into other Rockstar games like Red Dead Redemption 2.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Battlefield 6 Update 1.1.1.0 is live now on all platforms, EA has said. It arrives just hours before the launch of Season 1, battle pass progression, and the free-to-play battle royale, REDSEC.

EA told players they may need to restart their game to see the update, Season 1 and battle pass progression begin today at 8am PT / 11am ET / 3pm UK time.

This is the big post-launch patch that changes everything from weapon dispersion to balance, visibility to aim assist, progression, and more, with further updates due out over the course of Season 1.

“The Season 1 Update marks the next step in our ongoing journey to evolve and expand the Battlefield 6 experience,” Battlefield Studios has said. “This includes fixes, balance changes, and quality-of-life improvements focused on polish, performance, and player feedback to deliver an even smoother experience moving forward.”

Check out the patch notes in full below. While you wait for Season 1 to go live, check out our full list of all currently available Battlefield 6 multiplayer maps. Those looking to brush up on their online skills can also read our multiplayer tips and tricks guide.

Battlefield 6 Update 1.1.1.0 patch notes:

Major Updates for 1.1.1.0:

• Improved core movement and animations, including smoother landings, faster stance transitions, better vaulting behavior, and reduced “bouncing” issues on landing or spawning.
• Reworked weapon dispersion to better align accuracy and handling with each weapon’s intended design and performance over range. These changes address cases where accuracy behaved inconsistently, such as dispersion not properly settling after sprinting, and bring overall firing behavior closer to the intended balance between precision, control, and weapon power.
• Significant visibility and lighting improvements, with better exposure transitions, interior lighting, and reduced fog and smoke persistence.
• Audio overhaul, adding new projectile flybys, destruction and explosion sounds, refined vehicle and weapon mixes, and improved haptic feedback across multiple interactions.
• UI and HUD updates for clarity and consistency, including overtime indicators, end-of-round fixes, and new unlock markers for weapons and gadgets.
• Map fixes across multiple locations, resolving spawn animations, out-of-bounds issues, misaligned assets, and general stability across Conquest, Breakthrough, and Rush modes.

CHANGELOGPLAYER:

• Fixed an issue where combat dive could break when diving uphill.
• Fixed an issue where players would detach from ziplines when entering at high speed.
• Improved steady aim and sight centering for more consistent precision.
• Fixed an issue where movement could interrupt steady aim.
• Adjusted misaligned character hitboxes for upper body and head to better match the visual models.
• Fixed an issue where the jump animation could play twice when aiming down sights.
• Landing animations now have their animation path properly centered, instead of shifting to the side when landing.
• Fixed an issue where jump inaccuracy could linger too long after landing.
• Fixed a visual issue causing weapons to appear rotated incorrectly after spawning.
• Fixed an issue where throwing grenades from prone could make players appear standing in third-person view.
• Fixed an animation delay when opening doors while sliding.
• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck while vaulting over certain objects.
• Fixed a visual issue where dead players appeared alive while swimming.
• Fixed an issue where quick meleeing with a gadget would swap back to the primary weapon instead of the gadget.
• Fixed an issue where getting killed by a mine would highlight it in the killcam.
• Fixed a camera jitter that could occur when entering ladders and looking down.
• Fixed an issue where camera and weapon sway behaved incorrectly after entering or exiting vehicles.
• Fixed an issue where weapons of other soldiers could clip through walls when they entered your view.
• Fixed an issue where pistols disappeared while swimming.
• Improved lighting precision for visibility while hip-firing and aiming down sights.
• Reduced occurrences of bouncing or landing issues when dropping onto certain objects.
• Fixed an issue where the killer snapshot sometimes did not display in the killcam.
• Small improvements to weapon and camera sway for smoother movement.
• Fixed an issue where enemies could take melee damage in protected vehicle seats.
• Fixed an issue where vaulting could fail if triggered right as the player hit an obstacle.
• Fixed an animation issue where repeated vaulting could cause incorrect hand placement.
• Fixed an issue where simultaneous melee hits could make an enemy briefly invisible
• Fixed an issue where soldier heads briefly disappeared during redeploy transitions.
• Improved training path progression display to better match actual unlocks.
• Fixed an issue where friendly players could clip into each other when climbing ladders.
• Fixed an issue preventing vaulting directly from a slide.
• Fixed an issue causing the camera to rotate abruptly after a takedown.
• Fixed an issue where hands briefly disappeared after using the AJ-03 COAG Med Pen.
• Improved stab animations when reviving with drag and revive.
• Fixed issues affecting peeking and prone transitions, ensuring both actions function correctly.
• Fixed a camera clipping issue when going prone while strafing.
• Fixed a missing third-person animation when transitioning from prone to sprint.
• Fixed an issue where falling while sprinting caused incorrect hand movement.
• Fixed visual clipping when soldiers stood too close to glass doors.
• Fixed jittery aim animations in third-person when mounted.
• Fixed a bug where mounting near walls prevented aiming left or right.
• Fixed an issue where leaning, peeking, or mounting could cancel unexpectedly.
• Fixed an issue where third-person hit reactions were missing when hit while mounted.
• Fixed an animation issue where the character’s knee clipped with the camera when falling while crouched.
• Fixed takedown inconsistencies, allowing players to properly perform melee takedowns even near walls.
• Fixed an issue where taking melee damage interrupted weapon fire.
• Fixed multiple visibility improvements including lighting, exposure, and fog behavior for better contrast and clarity across all maps.
• Improved vaulting, parachute, and door-opening animations for smoother transitions.
• Fixed rare animation freezes for friendly soldiers reloading off-screen.
• Fixed minor inconsistencies in mounting, peeking, and prone transitions for more reliable gameplay.
• Added parachute customization for soldiers.
• Prevented unintended shoulder bump animation when equipping a weapon while sprinting.
• Improved ragdoll impacts for more consistent and reliable reactions.
• Improved stance transition and landing animations to settle faster and feel smoother.

VEHICLES:

• Fixed missing haptic feedback when switching between tank weapons.
• Fixed a visual issue where the player’s hand clipped with the M1A2 SEPv3 handle when sitting in external seats.

GADGETS:

• Fixed a rare issue where the MAS 148 Glaive could block the first-person view during a combat dive.
• Fixed a MAS 148 Glaive visual issue during combat dives in first-person.
• Fixed an issue where Defibrillators appeared floating during vaulting animations.
• Fixed an issue where the Supply Pouch would sometimes not resupply correctly.
• Deployable gadgets are not destroyed/removed from debris piles
• AT grenades now create a small sized crater instead of a medium one.
• Buildings now take more hits to be destroyed by a Sledgehammer.

WEAPONS:

• Weapon dispersion has been rebalanced to better match each weapon’s damage profile across all ranges. Lower-damage weapons will now see a slightly higher increase in dispersion when firing, while higher-damage weapons will experience slightly less.
• Using Sniper Rifles with any class other than Recon will no longer increase weapon spread. Instead, weapon sway will now begin during the zoom transition, maintaining balance and distinguishing Recon’s precision advantage.
• Fixed a misalignment issue with top-mounted red dot sights.
• Fixed an issue where mounting a bipod while zoomed only changed the FOV instead of using the correct optic.
• Fixed an issue where the Long Suppressor used the wrong attachment point cost for some weapons.
• Improved reticle settling for automatic weapons to make burst firing more efficient.
• Fixed an issue where using a bipod too close to complex geometry could throw the player off position while prone.
• Balanced sledgehammer damage against world objects for better consistency.
• Fixed an issue preventing players from leaving the Firing Range.

MAPS & MODES:

• Improved fog and smoke effects after destruction to prevent them from lingering too long and impacting visibility.
• Improved exposure transitions between indoor and outdoor areas for better visibility.
• Fixed an issue where the zipline carabiner could appear offset and fly next to the wire instead of along it.
• Squad names are now randomized at the start of Squad Deathmatch matches.
• Added visible bomb meshes to armed M-COMs in Rush.
• Updated overtime UI visualization across all modes.
• Fixed animation and positioning issues during insertion sequences on all maps.
• Fixed an issue where the game mode UI could display incorrect scores or fail to update during a round.
• Fixed an End of Round progression issue in King of the Hill mode.
• Fixed an issue where players could encounter a bouncing animation when spawning at HQs after capturing new territories in Escalation across multiple maps.

Mirak Valley

• Fixed a misaligned zipline mesh in Conquest.
• Fixed an issue where the deploy camera in Rush displayed attackers on the wrong side of the map.
• Fixed an issue that prevented players from arming M-COM A in Rush due to a misplaced asset.

Siege of Cairo

• Fixed overlapping territory lines and boundaries during the briefing screen in Escalation.

Liberation Peak

• Fixed an issue in Escalation where a portion of the map on the NATO side was disconnected during the first period of the match.
• Fixed an issue in Rush where part of the Attacker’s HQ area was incorrectly marked as out of bounds.

New Sobek City

• Fixed an issue preventing players from capturing part of Flag C in Escalation.
• Fixed an issue where players could ignite when spawning near a burning lorry in Team Deathmatch.
• Adjusted an infantry vehicle spawn that was placed too close to a building in the PAX Armata HQ area.

Manhattan Bridge

• Fixed an issue in Breakthrough where players could become stuck on the End of Round screen if the party leader left during the EOR sequence.

UI & HUD:

• Added new markers for newly unlocked weapons, weapon packages, attachments, gadgets, and throwables.
• Updated 3D previews for certain gadgets to show their deployed state.
• Added preview videos demonstrating how gadgets work.
• Added new cosmetic options for selected gadgets.
• Changed “Save & Close” to “Close” in the Deploy menu for clarity.
• Fixed various UI issues in Loadouts.
• Fixed an issue where Battlefield 6 Ownership XP Boost did not display properly at End of Round.
• Fixed multiple text inconsistencies in Dog Tags and Challenges.
• Fixed an issue where the HUD would not appear when using a 16:10 aspect ratio with certain resolutions.

SETTINGS:

• Added Flick Look bindings to Helicopter, Jet, and Transport control schemes.
• Fixed visual issues where some aspect ratio settings caused transparent borders or inconsistent display behavior.

SINGLE PLAYER:

• Fixed an issue in Mission 01 where players were unable to lean out during the Last Stand sequence if the cinematic began while the knife was equipped.
• Fixed a black screen issue in the Night Raid mission.

PORTAL:

• Fixed an issue where the Host Experience screen did not display the Portal experience image.
• Fixed a crash that could occur if a party leader started a Portal server while Content Packs 01 and 04 were disabled.
• Improved loading times for the Server Browser experience info tab to ensure joining functions properly.
• Corrected a spelling error in the message shown when attempting to join an unavailable server.

AUDIO:

• Fixed an issue where footstep sounds were missing when moving with the knife equipped.
• Fixed a voiceline issue where directional callouts (e.g., “enemy north”) played the wrong direction.
• Tuned haptic feedback across multiple actions, including window barging, defibrillator use, swimming, rocket pods, mounted MGs, and sea vehicle collisions.
• Polished large projectile audio with new missile, rocket pod, and cannon shell flyby effects; improved distance handling and overall mix for more realistic impact sounds.
• Updated audio configs for light rockets and LMGs; refined explosion sound crossfades and adjusted distant sound behavior.
• Improved vehicle and weapon firing audio balance, reducing noise artifacts, unwanted phasing, and over-saturation.
• Added radio chatter through controller speakers.
• Fixed an issue where firing range dummies and vehicle-hit reactions sometimes played incorrect or processed hurt sounds.
• Disabled radio processing for stationary vehicle pings and fixed compass orientation for ping indicators.
• Fixed missing or incorrect ambient and destruction sounds across several maps, including Siege of Cairo, as well as missing explosion sounds for silos and tanker trailers.
• Added missing ambient audio setups for environmental props like construction barriers and buses.
• Added new sound effects for the bulletin and takeover sections of the main menu, including improved reveal animations.
• Fixed an issue where delayed challenge tab displays triggered early audio playback.
• Fixed an issue where defibrillator loop sounds could get stuck when vaulting.
• Fixed missing or out-of-sync reload sounds.
• Corrected the M39 EMR using suppressed audio when unsuppressed.
• Restored missing external sound effects for RWS Gunner countermeasure mines.
• Fixed issues where soundtrack tracks cut off abruptly or skipped mid-song.
• Reload audio polish for several weapons.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.