When Battlefield 6 launches on October 10, 2025, one of the most pressing debates among fans won’t just be about graphics, maps, or new features, but whether console players should keep crossplay turned on despite the risk of PC cheaters. 
Developers at Ripple Effect, the studio co-leading the project under EA’s Battlefield umbrella, have been outspoken in their hope that console users stick with crossplay, even though they openly admit that cheating on PC can never be completely eliminated.
In a recent interview with IGN, Christian Buhl, Ripple Effect’s technical director, and Matthew Nickerson, senior console combat designer, pulled back the curtain on the game’s anti-cheat strategy. According to Buhl, EA and the Battlefield studios have built an entire infrastructure devoted to keeping cheaters at bay. “We have a whole team within Battlefield dedicated to anti-cheat, including engineers, analysts, and researchers. They review suspicious behavior, identify new cheat programs, and ban players,” he explained. On top of that, EA maintains a separate anti-cheat division working in tandem with Ripple Effect.
The cornerstone of their defense is a new in-house anti-cheat platform called Javelin, supported by secure boot systems and constant monitoring. The developers admit, however, that cheating is a moving target: whenever studios block one exploit, cheat developers evolve and adapt. “It’s a never-ending cat-and-mouse game,” Buhl said bluntly. “We can never fully win. But what we can do is make life for cheaters as difficult and short-lived as possible, and protect the health of the game.”
Evidence of those efforts surfaced during the Battlefield 6 beta in August. EA reported more than 330,000 cheating attempts blocked by August 8, just one day after the early access period began. Despite these preventative measures, some cheaters inevitably made it through, frustrating players who had hoped for a clean test run. Nickerson admitted the frustration is real but stressed that the studio is “being extremely aggressive” in fighting unfair play and will continue to refine detection systems post-launch.
That brings us to the crossplay dilemma. Crossplay is on by default in Battlefield 6, meaning PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC players will find themselves in the same lobbies unless console users opt out. Nickerson clarified that if console players switch crossplay off, they won’t be isolated – they’ll still be matched with players from the other console family. “Console-only crossplay happens if you turn it off,” he explained. “That way, PlayStation and Xbox players can still play together, just without PC.”
Still, many fans feel strongly about keeping PC out of their matches. The reasons go beyond cheating: mouse and keyboard controls provide undeniable precision advantages over controllers, even with aim assist enabled. Some console veterans argue that the competitive balance has never felt fair when they face PC sharpshooters who can flick aim across the map with lightning speed. Others miss legacy Battlefield features like server browsers, which offered more player control over match environments, and complain about AI bots filling empty slots – an issue that plagued Battlefield 2042.
Buhl acknowledged those concerns but remains hopeful: “We want console players to feel confident that most of the people they’re playing with are legit. We’re investing a huge amount of effort into anti-cheat so that players don’t feel like they need to turn crossplay off.” In practice, this means console players will have a choice: embrace larger lobbies and quicker matchmaking by keeping crossplay on, or sacrifice that in exchange for peace of mind in console-only lobbies.
What makes this debate unique is that both sides of the community feel like they’re protecting fairness. Console players worry about cheaters and the natural input advantage of PC gamers, while PC players resent being lumped in with cheaters and want to play with console friends without suspicion. The developers’ challenge is to prove their system is strong enough to win back trust.
As the launch date approaches, fans remain divided. Some vow to shut crossplay off immediately, while others are willing to give Ripple Effect’s anti-cheat measures a chance. Either way, Battlefield 6 will be entering the spotlight with one of the most aggressive anti-cheat pushes in the series’ history, and whether console gamers embrace or reject crossplay will play a major role in shaping the community’s future.