Ahead of the upcomingBattlefield 6reveal,Battlefieldfans have begun to debate about the use of ambient occlusion in the next game, and whether PC players will be able to turn it off. Currently, members of theBattlefield Labsprogram are able to test out some of the new features of the nextBattlefieldgame on PC.
Battlefield 6is in development by the largest team of developers that the franchise has ever had at Battlefield Studios, comprised of DICE, Criterion, EA Motive, and Ripple Effect. To aid with the game’s development, players can test several new features and pieces of content in the works in Battlefield Labs, and they can provide feedback directly to the developers. Regularly, newBattlefield Labsinvites are sent out to fans, giving them the opportunity to join the program under a non-disclosure agreement in order to play the game.Battlefield Labsis accessible on PC, which has been a key platform for theBattlefieldfranchise over the past two decades. To get more performance out of aBattlefieldtitle, players may reduce settings, including ambient occlusion, to boost their overall frame rate on PC. Since ambient occlusion is a shading and rendering technique that simulates light and shadow interactions, turning this setting off can reduce some of the overall workload for the title, and in turn, increase frame rate to varying extents.
Reddit user 3deal ignited a debate on theBattlefieldsubreddit, stating that PC players shouldn’t be allowed to disable ambient occlusion and grass settings inBattlefield 6when it launches. 3deal believes that everyBattlefield 6player should have the same visibility in the PC version, since turning these features off would disable some ofBattlefield 6’svisual qualities and elements. The user’s Reddit post proved to be quite divisive, as many PC gamers andBattlefieldfans would like to have the option to turn ambient occlusion and grass settings on or off, as the settings could affect performance and overall visibility on lower-end hardware, such as low-powered gaming laptops and budget PCs.
Battlefield Fans Argue About Potentially Turning Ambient Occlusion Off in Battlefield 6 for Better Performance on PC
ManyBattlefieldplayers also argue about whetherBattlefield 6will be properly optimized on PC or not. Some believe that the feature to turn off shadows and grass inBattlefield 6shows a lack of diligence from the developers to ensure key graphical settings and features can run on a variety of hardware. Others just want to be able to have tools and features at their disposal inthe PC version ofBattlefield 6, but it’s clear that a common consensus likely won’t be reached yet when it comes to ambient occlusion. As a result, comments on the Reddit post are now locked, withBattlefieldsubreddit moderator OddJob001 saying that the discussion has gone “out of hand.”
TheBattlefield 6reveal is still planned for summer 2025, so players could soon get some insight into what’s going to be featured in all versions of the game, including the PC version. According to Battlefield Studios' global senior director of integrated communications, Andy McNamara, the development team is focusing onBattlefield Labsleading up to the reveal.Battlefield Labsmembers have an exclusive opportunity to see howBattlefield 6could change before the game’s reveal and subsequent launch. As previously confirmed by EA, thenewBattlefieldgame is expected to launch within EA’s current fiscal year, which runs until July 05, 2025. EA CEO Andrew Wilson stated that EA plans to execute a “deep pipeline” of titles, beginning with the highly anticipated reveal ofBattlefield 6this summer.
