Battlefield 5's Competitive 5v5 Mode Has Been Cancelled

The latest chapter in Battlefield V’s Tides of War has introduced new content to the game over the past few months, including free maps, weapons, vehicles, and quality of life improvements. An adverse effect of all this new content, however, is that Chapter 4: Defying the Odds has also introduced a number of issues to the overall quality of the Battlefield V experience. As a result, the upcoming competitive 5v5 mode has become an unfortunate casualty.

In a post detailing the current status of Battlefield V, DICE senior producer Ryan McArthur has provided an update on the studio’s current commitments. “We’ve been hard at work to address these [issues] with several updates and will continue to do so until Battlefield V is where it should be,” the post says. “We’re fully committed to expanding and improving our core multiplayer experience. That’s why fixing the issues is our highest priority. This commitment will be met by keeping our focus and resources invested in producing the great content our players deserve.”

The upcoming 4.4 update contains fixes for stuttering issues, desyncs seen on hitboxes, and tweaks to the Commo Rose. It will also deliver two new infantry maps and an increase in max Rank, allowing you to go beyond Rank 50 and start earning XP on a journey to Rank 500. Improving game stability, UI communication around damage, and other items the community has flagged will also be part of future updates.

The recently released Al Sundan map is currently only available in Squad Conquest and Team Deathmatch, but will eventually make its way to large-scale modes such as Conquest. The reason for the delay is an unforeseen issue that accompanied Chapter 4, causing an unusual graphical problem when playing the larger version of the Al Sundan map. “The team is pushing to get the fix into our 4.6 release next month, but we can’t confirm that just yet, as we first want to make sure the fix is working properly and won’t create problems elsewhere, which has been the case with some past updates.”

Due to “the added focus on improving the quality of the experience and adding more of the content you want,” McArthur says the upcoming 5v5 mode has been cancelled. “Not creating this mode was a tough decision, but vital for us to more quickly reach our bug-crushing and content goals.” Despite this, DICE aims to continue building a competitive experience in Battlefield V.

In more positive news, the infantry-only maps Provence and Lofoten Islands, are set to arrive in Battlefield V’s 4.4 update. Both maps will initially feature two modes: Squad Conquest and Team Deathmatch. Looking ahead to update 4.6, meanwhile, sees the classic Operation Underground map arrive in Conquest, Team Deathmatch, Breakthrough, and Squad Conquest. The map is a reimagining of Operation Métro from 2011’s Battlefield 3 and is being worked on by its original creator.

Beyond this, DICE is returning to the Pacific in the future with two new Iwo Jima, as well as two other locations you’ll deploy to before the end of the year.