DICE Explains Battlefield 6 Bot System Amid Player Confusion
If you’ve dropped into a Battlefield 6 match lately and thought, “Why does half my squad feel like they’re sleepwalking?”—you’re not alone. Players have been sounding off about the sheer number of AI bots in multiplayer lobbies, and now DICE has finally responded. According to lead producer David Sirland, the bots aren’t a bug or a shortcut—they’re a matchmaking solution. And depending on your patience level, they might be the only reason you’re playing at all.
Let’s break down how the bot system works, why it’s here, and what it means for the future of Battlefield’s online experience.
Why So Many Bots in Battlefield 6?
According to Sirland, bots are used to seed lobbies when matchmaking takes too long. If a playlist (not a music playlist, people) takes more than three minutes to fill during the pre-round phase, the game will automatically populate the match with AI soldiers to hit the minimum player count. Once real players join, bots are kicked out one by one until the lobby is fully human.
In his own words:
“Players kickstart a lobby for a playlist, and the pre-round takes longer than three minutes. At that point, the bots fill the server to the necessary limit to start the game.”
So if you’re the first one into a server, you’re going to see bots. But if you stick around, the game will gradually replace them with actual players. The alternative, Sirland says, is “waiting possibly forever” for a match to start—especially in low-population regions or niche playlists.
What About Casual Breakthrough Mode?
Bots can be a great matchmaking tool (if utilized properly)—they’re also a core feature of Battlefield 6’s new Casual Breakthrough mode. In this playlist, each team has 8 real players and 16 bots, creating a 48-player match that’s intentionally less sweaty than full PvP. It’s designed for progression, warmups, and challenge grinding without the chaos of high-level competition.
You can earn all of the XP in this mode. Career XP, Weapon XP, and Battle Pass XP in this mode, but bot actions grant reduced XP, and you won’t earn Dogtags or Accolades. It’s a compromise between accessibility and reward, and while some players appreciate the chill vibe, others feel it waters down what makes Battlefield special.
Why Are Players Frustrated?
The biggest complaint isn’t just the bots—it’s the lack of a server browser. Without it, players can’t manually choose a populated server or switch regions when matchmaking stalls. Combined with a bloated playlist offering and inconsistent population across modes, the bot system feels more like a band-aid than a fix.
As IGN put it, “Even if bots only temporarily fill a match, it sounds like BF Studios prefers the trade, with the alternative being wait times that could last forever.”
Final Word: Bots Are a Symptom, Not the Problem
DICE’s explanation makes sense on paper. Bots keep matches moving, reduce wait times, and help new players ease into the game. But the frustration isn’t just about AI—it’s about control. Players want to choose how they play, where they play, and who they play with. Until Battlefield 6 brings back server browsers or rethinks its playlist structure, bots will keep showing up—and players will keep asking why.
