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.

Battlefield 6 players have not-so-patiently waited for battle royale updates for months. Now that REDSEC is finally here to toss Battlefield into a battle royale blender, fans should know that it’s not the only new experience dropping today.

Gauntlet

If you need a break from battle royale, Gauntlet is a separate mode that is also offered as part of today’s new standalone free-to-play experience. While Battlefield battle royale may see squads prowling for loot in between shootouts throughout longer matches, Gauntlet is propped up as a relatively short, elimination-driven gameplay experience.

Instead of 100-player matches, just 32 players (eight squads with four players each) are spread across Fort Lyndon. BF Studios says Gauntlet is structured as a tournament, with teams tasked with fighting through fast-paced, round-based missions.

Players have five minutes to complete the objective for each round, with Gauntlet keeping everyone on their toes with rotating missions and locations. As objectives and settings shift, it’s teamwork that will determine which squad emerges victorious.

Portal

Battlefield fans have been familiar with Portal since its inception in Battlefield 2042. Although the community has already taken to Battlefield 6 Portal to create bizarre game modes and recreate fan-favorite maps, REDSEC Portal opens a new door of possibilities.

REDSEC takes the promise of limitless game-creation tools and brings them over to Fort Lyndon’s massive play area. It’s more room for fans to let their imaginations run wild, with one example we’ve seen including a midair obstacle course that features golf carts, colorful shipping containers, and narrow paths.

REDSEC Portal looks more Grand Theft Auto Online than Battlefield, but that also seems to be what EA and BF Studios are going for. Two official Portal maps will be available at launch, with more set to follow in the future.

How Does Battlefield 6 Work With REDSEC?

The base Battlefield 6 experience takes after Call of Duty, bundling in REDSEC so that players can access it from one main menu. Those who don’t own the recently released Battlefield game can still download REDSEC without issue and at no extra charge, but there are a few differences for those who own the full, premium experience and those who don’t.

Coinciding with the launch of Season 1 today is Battlefield 6’s battle pass system, which shares unlocked rewards and XP progress between both the base game and its REDSEC counterpart. Though some unique challenges and events will be tied to each experience, and some Battlefield 6 vehicle skins won’t appear in certain REDSEC experiences, EA says “there are no plans” for REDSEC-exclusive unlocks.

Portal is where things get slightly complicated. Creative fans who own Battlefield 6 can enjoy the new Portal tools introduced with REDSEC completely unrestricted, gaining access to all the new standalone experience and Fort Lyndon have to offer. Those without the base game, however, won’t have access to any Battlefield 6-exclusive content, such as maps, when making Portal creations. These restrictions don’t stop at the creation side of the user-generated community content hub, either, as EA clarifies that REDSEC-exclusive players won’t be able to create or play any content using Battlefield 6 materials.

Battlefield REDSEC isn’t just battle royale – it’s a completely different beast. This three-pillar standalone experience will change as seasonal updates continue to roll out, and if the weeks following the launch of Battlefield 6 are anything to go by, it will also likely rapidly change as community feedback pours in.

The October 10 release of Battlefield 6 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S proved to be quite the moment for the series, but the true test of its potential begins with REDSEC and Season 1. While we wait to see how EA and BF Studios plan to maintain yet another major addition to the Battlefield universe, you can read up on all of the changes introduced with Season 1. You can also learn about how Engineer players are putting their repair tools to good use, as well as the multiplayer skin that set the community ablaze.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).