Every Battlefield 6 Game Mode Explained (And Which One You Should Play)

If you’ve just jumped into Battlefield 6, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of ways to play. Trust me, I get it—the mode selection screen can look like a buffet where you don’t know what half the dishes are.

The good news? There’s genuinely something here for everyone, whether you’re the type who wants to pilot helicopters across massive maps or you just want to run around with a shotgun in tight quarters. Let me break down every mode so you can find your perfect match.

The Big Picture: How BF6’s Modes Are Organized

Before we dive in, here’s the simple version: Battlefield 6 splits its modes into three main categories:

• All-Out Warfare – The classic large-scale Battlefield chaos with vehicles, 64+ players, and massive maps
• Small Scale Combat – Infantry-focused modes with tighter maps and smaller player counts
• Limited-Time Events – Special seasonal modes that rotate in and out

Plus, there’s the whole Battlefield Portal thing where the community creates custom modes, but that’s a whole other rabbit hole we won’t dive into today.

---

All-Out Warfare: The Main Event

This is what most people think of when they hear “Battlefield.” Big maps, lots of players, tanks rolling around, helicopters buzzing overhead—you know the deal.

Conquest: The OG Battlefield Experience

What it is: Teams fight to capture and hold control points across the map. Each kill depletes the enemy team’s respawn tickets, and whoever hits zero first loses.

Why you should play it: If you want the “true” Battlefield experience, this is it. Conquest has been the backbone of the series since the beginning, and it’s where the game really shines. You get the full sandbox experience—infantry combat, vehicle warfare, and tactical flag-capping all mixed together.

Pro tip: Don’t just mindlessly zerg rush the closest flag. Spread out with your squad and capture multiple points. Controlling more flags makes the enemy team’s tickets drain faster, even without kills. Check out our Battlefield 6 best tips and tricks guide for more strategic insights.

Escalation: Conquest’s Intense Little Brother

What it is: Think Conquest, but with a twist—the map literally shrinks as the match progresses. Teams fight for control, and when one side scores a point, one of their captured zones locks permanently, making the battlefield smaller and forcing everyone into tighter combat.

How it works:

• Control more zones than the enemy to fill your team’s progress meter
• Hit 100% and you score a point
• Score a point = one of your zones locks forever and the map shrinks
• First to 3 points wins

Why you should play it: This mode brilliantly solves one of Conquest’s biggest problems—those boring mid-match lulls where teams are spread too thin. As the map shrinks, the action intensifies, vehicles spawn more frequently, and you’re forced to adapt your strategy on the fly. It keeps things fresh.

Real talk: Escalation can feel chaotic at first, but once you understand the flow, it’s incredibly satisfying. Just don’t get too comfortable camping one spot—you’ll need to relocate as zones disappear.

Breakthrough: Attack and Defend Madness

What it is: Pure offense versus defense. Attackers must capture sectors of the map one by one, pushing the defenders back. Attackers have limited respawns, and defenders must hold their ground or lose everything.

Why you should play it: If you like clearly defined objectives and frontlines, Breakthrough is your jam. Unlike Conquest where the action can feel scattered, Breakthrough creates intense, focused battles around specific sectors. You always know where the fight is.

The tension when you’re on your last set of tickets as attackers? Chef’s kiss.

Heads up: Playing assault class works great here since you’re constantly pushing forward or holding choke points.

Rush: Classic High-Stakes Combat

What it is: The beloved mode from previous Battlefield games returns. Attackers must plant and detonate explosives on M-COM stations while defenders frantically try to defuse them. It’s capped at 24 players, making it more intimate than other All-Out Warfare modes.

Why you should play it: Rush is pure adrenaline. The back-and-forth of arming and disarming objectives creates some of the most tense moments in the entire game. Plus, with only 24 players, individual skill and squad coordination matter way more than in 128-player modes.

Strategy note: Communication is key here. One person with a mic calling out enemy positions can completely change the outcome. And if you’re defending, learn to use the combat roll to dodge those last-second defuse attempts.

---

Small Scale Modes: For When You Want to Just Shoot Stuff

Not everyone wants to deal with helicopters and tanks. Sometimes you just want boots-on-ground gunfights, and that’s totally valid. These modes strip away the vehicles and focus purely on infantry combat.

Domination: Conquest Without the Vehicles

What it is: Basically Conquest lite. Smaller maps, fewer control points, no vehicles, and a score limit instead of tickets.

Why you should play it: Perfect for warming up or if you want to focus purely on gunplay without worrying about getting run over by a tank. The pace is faster, matches are shorter, and it’s honestly a great place to learn the maps without the overwhelming scale of All-Out Warfare.

Bonus: Great for grinding weapon challenges since you’ll see consistent action.

Team Deathmatch: No Frills, Just Kills

What it is: Do I really need to explain Team Deathmatch? Kill more enemies than they kill you. First team to the score limit wins.

Why you should play it: Sometimes you don’t want to think about objectives or strategy. You just want to click on heads. TDM delivers exactly that. It’s also the best mode for testing new weapons and leveling up fast if you’re decent at fragging.

King of the Hill: Musical Chairs with Guns

What it is: One control point spawns on the map, everyone fights for it, then it moves somewhere else. First team to hit the score limit wins.

Why you should play it: King of the Hill creates natural hot zones where all the action concentrates. You’re not running around looking for fights—the fight comes to you. The constantly moving hill keeps things dynamic and prevents spawn camping.

Smart play: Use the recon class to set up near the next hill location before it activates. You’ll have positional advantage when everyone else rushes in.

Squad Deathmatch: Small But Mighty

What it is: Four squads of players duke it out in a free-for-all. First squad to reach the kill limit takes the crown.

Why you should play it: This is where squad coordination really matters. Since you’re only as strong as your 4-person team, sticking together and communicating makes a massive difference. It’s almost tactical compared to the chaos of larger modes.

Important note: All these small-scale modes use condensed sections of the main maps, so you’ll start recognizing locations and learning optimal routes. Definitely worth checking out our maps ranked guide to understand the layouts better.

---

Limited-Time & Seasonal Modes: The Wild Cards

DICE loves to shake things up with special modes that appear during events or seasonal updates. These don’t follow the traditional formula and often feature unique rule sets.

As of Season 1, we’ve seen three special modes rotate through:

• Strikedown – Details are still emerging on this one
• Sabotage – Objective-based mayhem with unique win conditions
• Ice Lock – Likely a winter-themed variant (the name certainly suggests it)

Here’s the thing: These modes are hit or miss. Sometimes DICE drops an absolute banger that everyone loves, and sometimes… well, not so much. But they’re always worth trying because they break up the routine and sometimes introduce mechanics that end up in the main game.

Where to keep up: The Battlefield 6 subreddit is your best bet for finding out when new limited modes go live and whether they’re worth your time.

---

Which Mode Should YOU Play?

Still not sure where to start? Here’s my quick recommendation guide:

Play Conquest if: You want the full Battlefield sandbox experience with everything turned on

Play Escalation if: You like Conquest but wish matches stayed intense from start to finish

Play Breakthrough if: You prefer clear objectives and frontlines over free-form chaos

Play Rush if: You want high-stakes objective play with a more tactical feel

Play Domination if: You want Conquest-style gameplay without vehicles

Play Team Deathmatch if: You just want to shoot people and don’t care about objectives

Play King of the Hill if: You like objective modes but want guaranteed action

Play Squad Deathmatch if: You have a solid squad and want coordinated small-team combat

---

Final Thoughts: Mix It Up

Here’s my honest take after sinking way too many hours into this game: don’t marry yourself to one mode. Yeah, you might be a Conquest purist, but jumping into Rush or King of the Hill occasionally will make you a better overall player.

Different modes force you to develop different skills. Conquest teaches map awareness and strategy. Breakthrough teaches pushing and defending. Team Deathmatch hones your gunfight mechanics. Mix them up and you’ll notice your performance improve across the board.

And seriously, don’t sleep on those limited-time modes when they pop up. Some of my favorite Battlefield moments have come from weird experimental modes that only lasted a weekend.

Whether you’re grinding through close quarters challenges, working on your Deadeye challenges, or tackling Danger Close challenges, there’s a mode that’ll help you get there faster.

Now get out there and find your favorite way to play. See you on the battlefield.

---

Available Platforms: PC (Steam) | PlayStation | Epic Games Store