Battlefield 6 doesn’t come with ray-tracing support due to the developers prioritizing performance over graphical fidelity. Given how this particular technology has become prevalent in AAA games, Battlefield 6’s decision to skip it entirely surprised some players who tried out the game’s open beta, which concluded around mid-August.
Performance vs. Visual Trade-Off
The trade-off between performance and visuals is something modern game studios are no strangers to. Developers routinely have to make important calls on such compromises, such as whether to incorporate ray tracing, in order to better serve their targeted player experience.
For those unaware, ray tracing is a resource-intensive rendering technique that makes in-game environments look more immersive by enhancing lighting, reflections, shadows, and even weather effects. While stunning, it demands significant GPU power, which can reduce frame rates—something Battlefield fans are especially sensitive to.
Official Statement from the Developers
In an interview with ComicBook, Christian Buhl, studio technical director at Ripple Effect (a part of Battlefield Studios), explained that Battlefield 6’s lack of ray-tracing support comes down to the team’s choice to “focus on performance.”
Buhl confirmed that EA’s military shooter won’t include ray tracing at launch, nor will it receive the feature in the near future. He elaborated that the team dedicated its energy to making the game “as optimized as possible for the default settings and the default users.” This decision was made relatively early in development, ensuring Battlefield 6 would prioritize performance for everyone, including players with non-default settings.
Why Fans May Not Be Affected
Despite ray tracing becoming increasingly common in big-budget games, this move may not significantly impact Battlefield fans. The series is celebrated for its large-scale online multiplayer battles, where higher frame rates and fluid gameplay are more critical than visual upgrades.
By leaving out ray tracing—which is notoriously demanding on system resources—DICE ensures that Battlefield 6 can deliver a more consistent and competitive experience, especially in 64+ player matches where stability is crucial.