It’s time to grab your wingman and fly back into Battlefield 6 with the latest update. In a recent preview session, we got hands-on with the upcoming Battlefield 6 mid-season Season 4 update. Inspired by Top Gun: Maverick, this limited-time event will introduce a new game mode, a range of film-inspired cosmetics, one new weapon, and two new jets: the F/A-81F Super Spectre and F-74A Seacat (both two seater jets)
The new game mode Top Gun: Carrier Strike sees both sides attacking and defending their aircraft carriers on the map. The more points you control on the map, the more damage fixed rocket stations will deal to your enemy’s aircraft carrier. It took a bit of adjusting at the start but if you’ve played games like Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefield 2142 – you’ll be somewhat familiar with the objective.
Once the enemy aircraft carrier health reaches 50% – your team can attempt to board the carrier and plant explosives in order to fully destroy and win the game. This mode in terms of intensity felt really close to breakthrough and at times chaotic especially when you’re trying to board the enemy’s carrier (if they’re defending it)
Another addition to the update is the Interdictor, a new sniper rifle billed as the longest-ranged sniper in the game. If you decide to peek out from cover, this is one weapon you’ll want to watch out for. After getting to try it out in one of the preview matches, I was impressed by how fast and agile it felt, even against moving targets. It also has an incredibly satisfying firing sound and hit ping. I can’t quite explain it, but whoever worked on the audio for this weapon absolutely cooked with this one.
The biggest highlight of the update is the return of Wake Island. The classic map has been reimagined for Battlefield 6, and it’s honestly more chaotic than I remembered. Compared to Tsuru Reef, the largest map introduced in the last update, Wake Island is smaller, tighter, and packed with cover, while still retaining the land, sea, and air combat that defines this season. A very classic map and a no-brainer of a return for the franchise.
The Top Gun update feels very much in line with what Battlefield 6 is all about, something I didn’t expect, but definitely welcome. This season has been the best so far and, more importantly, feels like a return to what makes Battlefield great: sandbox combat. The only downside is that Carrier Strike is a time-limited mode, which is a bit of a letdown. It fits the identity of Battlefield perfectly and honestly feels like something that should remain available as a permanent option on the naval maps.
Battlefield 6 Season 4 arrives August 18th 2026.
