Why Battlefield 6’s PC Crossplay Decision Is Brain-Dead

And why aim assist is basically a built-in cheat

The Battlefield 6 open beta has given players a first taste of what’s coming — and for PC players, it’s also given us a taste of DICE’s baffling, frustrating matchmaking philosophy. The problem? There’s no way to turn off crossplay on PC, and that’s a brain-dead decision.

The Excuse From DICE

DICE’s reasoning is that “PC crossplay” just means lumping all PC players together, regardless of whether they’re on Steam, Epic, or EA App. In other words, since you’re “only” fighting other PC players, the toggle is “unnecessary.”

That’s cute. But it’s also completely missing the point.

The moment you let console players into PC lobbies — whether intentionally or as a fallback during low player counts — you’ve invited aim assist into the equation. And aim assist is not some mild little helper. In modern shooters, it’s a full-blown lock-on mechanic dressed up as accessibility. You can try to sugarcoat it all you want, but in a game where milliseconds matter, aim assist is a built-in cheat.

Aim Assist: The Elephant in the Room

PC players are tired of pretending that aim assist is just “compensating” for the disadvantages of a thumbstick. The fact is, in the right hands, aim assist outperforms raw mouse aim in close-quarters fights. It tracks through smoke, it magnetizes to targets, and it can sometimes “snap” to enemies faster than a skilled human reaction.

In a competitive FPS like Battlefield, that’s not just an accessibility feature — it’s an unfair mechanical advantage.

And here’s the kicker: with PC crossplay stuck in the “always on” position, there’s no way for players who don’t want to play against aim assist users to avoid it. You’re forced into it.

Population Excuses Don’t Cut It

DICE and other studios love to say they keep crossplay mandatory on PC to “maintain healthy matchmaking populations.” Translation:

“We’d rather you get stomped by aim-assisted console sweats than wait an extra 30 seconds for a match.”

It’s lazy. Battlefield is a franchise with millions of sales, and if your matchmaking can’t survive a toggle in a AAA title, that’s a problem with your matchmaking design, not the players asking for fair lobbies.

The Slippery Slope

Leaving the option out in the beta is bad enough, but it sets a precedent for launch, and once it’s baked into the final game, history tells us DICE will never add it. That means every PC player who wants a level playing field will either have to put up with aim assist or stop playing altogether.

The Fix Is Obvious

This isn’t complicated:

  • Add a simple “Crossplay: On/Off” toggle for PC, just like consoles get.

  • Let PC players decide if they want to mix with console lobbies.

  • Be transparent about matchmaking trade-offs — if queue times are longer, so be it. At least we’d have a choice.

Final Thoughts

Battlefield has always been about epic combined-arms warfare, not unfair input advantages. Forcing PC players into lobbies where built-in aim hacks are part of the controller meta is not just frustrating — it’s insulting.

DICE, give us the toggle. Let us choose the battlefield we fight on. Until then, every headshot from a console player will feel just a little too sticky.