“Top Gun: Maverick saved cinema” is a joke that action lovers make. It took a cult classic, made it better, and got butts in theater seats like no other. And now, Top Gun is making its way to Battlefield 6, and there honestly couldn’t be a more inspired pairing to kick off Season 4 of the military shooter.
If you’re unfamiliar, Battlefield as a franchise has long been defined by large-scale battles and vehicular warfare that lets players fly planes, drive tanks, and more. Additionally, the series and its most recent release, Battlefield 6, have doubled down on achieving something that is as cinematic as it is balanced for play.
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Now in its fourth season, Battlefield 6 isn’t just making the game bigger, but trying to hone in on experience-driven elements of play, and this collaboration captures that. With all the bells and whistles expected from a new Season update, the limited-time event.
The developers explained that the collaboration focuses on bringing Top Gun into Battlefield 6 in a way that feels authentic to the game and the film series. They’ll do that by including actors like Miles Teller (Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw), Lewis Pullman (Lt. Robert “Bob” Floyd), and Charles Parnell (Rear Admiral Solomon “Warlock” Bates). Notably absent is Tom Cruise, but since the focus of Maverick was passing on the torch to Rooster, it also makes sense.
When it comes to the process, Top Gun: Maverick had its actors deliver lines while in the cockpit, with the full force of gravity impacting them. Now, they’re replicating it for the collaboration event. Going one further, though, the real element in this collaboration that I can’t stop thinking about is how much the collaboration between the film series and the game has come together to enhance the other medium.
Here, the actors are aiming to bring the movie to life in a game, where fans can finally control a fighter jet. They’re taking their craft and putting it into a tactile project. “I hope they are taken back to their favorite memories of the movie. That they get that feeling in their gut when they turn on the controller and start playing,” Parnell said.
And that goes even further since the arrival of the Top Gun event in Battlefield 6 isn’t just slapping a skin on the game and calling it a day. With the character skins available, as you complete challenges and collect Ace Medals, the game is leaning all the way in. It’s also bringing in a new naval icon of aviation, new modes, and bringing back an old fan favorite as a new map for the game, since it works for Top Gun oh so well.
While I have never been the biggest fan of aerial combat, something about giving Battlefield the Top Gun treatment immediately makes me want to boot up the game when it goes live on August 18, 2026. But most importantly, I think, for fans of military shooters who are tired of collaborations that pull in, say, Gundam into serious action, Top Gun just feels right. And the game’s developers even alluded to multiple Easter Eggs for players to find.
Skins for games will always be ridiculous, and that’s the road Battlefield’s competitors have taken. Still, with this film collaboration, the video game franchise’s focus seems dialed into why fans come to the game in the first place, and it’s delivering.
Battlefield 6 shows that a studio can pull off a Hollywood crossover without forgetting the core pillars that define it. Military sim, meet military sim theater, a pairing made in the sky, and one that I hope keeps returning with more actors, more jets, and maybe even some themed challenges to let Top Gun lovers truly step into Rooster’s cockpit.
For more on what’s coming to the title in the new free event, see below.
What’s new in Top Gun x Battlefield 6 for Season 4?
Coming to both Battlefield 6 via the Redacted Sector, RedSec (the game’s free-to-play multiplayer title) at different times, this cinematic collaboration is bringing new vehicles, weapons, modes, and, of course, a new map (well, an old one renewed).
In addition to the new items listed below, players will also be able to enter a new POI with the aircraft carrier and get to experience two new features in Battlefield Labs with Spectator Mode+ and custom lobbies. And of course, it’s not real until there is a new weapon, and players will be able to use the new Interdictor with this new event and update.
New Vehicles
The two new planes are designed to push players into co-op play, just as we see in Top Gun. Every ace pilot needs a good wingman, but they also need a good spotter.
- F-74A: The first time that this fighter jet, an icon in naval aviation, is making its appearance in a Battlefield title, and it’s a 2-seater jet too.
- F/A-81F Super Spectre: Another 2-seater fighter jet, the jet makes it return to the franchise.
New Mode
- Gauntlet: Fighter Sweep: A limited-time mode, this is focused solely on aerial combat, evoking the Top Gun wonder and thrill as players take on other squadrons in dogfights.
- Top Gun: Carrier Strike: A limited-time event, this is a Top Gun take on Carrier Assault as you stop the beaches, prime the jets, and take on the carriers to win.
New Map
- Wake Island: An old fan-favorite, Wake Island is returning in Battlefield 6 with this new collaboration.
Top Gun Event Rewards and Bundles
Players will choose the order of 10 items to unlock, including Weapon Packages across multiple weapon categories, aerial Vehicle Skins, and Player Profile items. And players who are able to get enough Ace Medals to unlock all 10 items will then gain access to one final exchange as a completion bonus: the “Ace Aviator” Soldier Skin.
Players will accumulate Ace Medals, a limited-time earned currency, during the event. By taking part in Ace Pilot Challenges, BF Pro Challenges, and, of course, by just playing the game during the event.
- Ace Pilot Challenges: Like the Bonus Path Challenges in previous events. The harder the challenge, the more Ace Medal tokens to earn.
- BF Pro Challenges: Additional challenges for Season 4 BF Pro members (sold separately), meant to supplement existing challenges as alternative means to earn Ace Medals.
Starting on August 18th, the Top Gun: Helix Legacy bundle and Top Gun: Helix Resolve bundle will be available in both Battlefield 6 and REDSEC for 2,400 BFC.
What is in the Top Gun: Helix Legacy bundle?
Cost: 2,400 BFC
The Top Gun: Helix Legacy bundle features two new NATO soldiers with their default skins. You can find their full descriptions from EA below. This bundle also includes two additional Soldier Skins for Rooster, a “Golden Thread” SVDM Marksman Rifle Weapon Package, and a “Brave Engage” P18 Sidearm Weapon Package to customize your playtime even further.
- Lt Bradley “ROOSTER” Bradshaw: Though no longer living in his father’s shadow, Rooster is still shaped by a tragic past and a career held back for years, leaving him grounded and cautious. In the sky, however, he has embraced the mantra: “Don’t think, just do.” That mindset pushes Rooster further on every mission, often surprising even himself.
- MSgt Aiko “KUNAI” Kamada: Born in snowy Sapporo, Aiko Kamada saw Pax’s rise as a chance to return Japan’s military to the world stage. She quickly carved a path in the JASDF’s Air Support Operations Squadron and devoted herself to JTAC certification. Calm under pressure, her strikes are fast, surgical, and absolute.
What is in the Top Gun: Helix Resolve bundle?
Cost: 2,400 BFC
The Top Gun: Helix Resolve bundle features two new NATO soldiers with their default skins. You can find their full descriptions from EA below. Additionally, there are two Soldier Skins for Bob, a “Measured Cadence” PS5A3 SMG Weapon Package, a “Reliable Triple Burst” M16A4 Assault Rifle Weapon Package, and other additional items inspired by Top Gun’s legacy.
- LT Robert “BOB” Floyd: At first, Bob hardly stands out among his loud and brash Top Gun classmates. Humble and friendly, he approaches every situation with quiet confidence and determination. Over time, Bob has proven himself to be an exceptionally talented Weapon Systems Officer, earning the respect of everyone around him.
- Cpt Chris “VORTEX” Del Aguila: Chris “Vortex” Del Aguila joined the Air Force at nineteen and earned his maroon beret after surviving the Pararescue pipeline. He went on to serve as a “Guardian Angel” with the 38th Rescue Squadron. Vortex proved himself via HALO drops, extractions, and firefights that would have pushed others to their breaking point but that left him only more eager to serve.
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When does the Top Gun event release?
The Battlefield 6 x Top Gun limited-time event will start on August 18, 2026, and kick off the game’s Season 4 in RedSect. The event will run until September 18, 2026. The next step in Season 4 is Tidal Strike, which arrives on September 15, 2026.
