A Top Gun Crossover Without Maverick? Battlefield Says Yes

"It's a huge honor to appear in a long-running franchise like Battlefield with its millions of fans, and talented people working on it," Miles Teller said in EA's press release for the new Top Gun collaboration. "And with Top Gun, it's like two titans meeting."

That's a great quote from Teller, who plays Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick. But read between the lines and you'll notice something conspicuous. Teller is talking about himself appearing in Battlefield 6. Not Tom Cruise. Not Maverick, the character whose name is literally in the film's title. According to EA's announcement, the collaboration between EA and Paramount Games Studio will feature three voiced characters from the Maverick cast: Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), Lt. Robert "Bob" Floyd (Lewis Pullman), and Adm. Solomon "Warlock" Bates (Charles Parnell). Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, the single most recognisable fighter pilot in cinema history, is absent.

As IGN noted in their coverage, Tom Cruise has famously avoided licensing his likeness for video games and merchandise, reportedly even blocking a Funko Pop based on his character from The Mummy before it could release. So the omission isn't exactly shocking if you know Cruise's track record. But it's still funny to see a Top Gun collaboration built around the supporting cast. This is like doing a Harry Potter crossover starring Neville Longbottom.

I don't want to be too harsh here, because the actual content looks solid. The crossover, arriving on August 18 as part of Season 4's second phase, brings the F-14 Tomcat (called the F-74A Seacat in-game) and the F/A-18 Super Hornet (F/A-81F Super Spectre) to Battlefield 6. Both are two-seater jets, making this the first time a Battlefield game has featured them since Battlefield 2. That alone would be a meaningful addition. Strapping a friend into the back seat for dogfights is the kind of co-op fantasy that fits Battlefield perfectly.

Carrier Strike Returns

Beyond the jets, the crossover revives Carrier Assault from Battlefield 4, rebranded here as Carrier Strike. The mode's DNA traces all the way back to Battlefield 2142's Titan mode, as PC Gamer pointed out in their coverage. Two teams fight to sink each other's aircraft carrier using land, air, and sea forces. In previous games, this culminated in an on-foot boarding assault of the enemy carrier, though EA hasn't confirmed whether that phase survives the rework. Carrier Strike will be a limited-time mode set in the Top Gun crossover universe, complete with characters and voice-overs from the films.

There's also Fighter Sweep, a jets-only Gauntlet mission coming to REDSEC, Battlefield 6's free-to-play battle royale component. Players will pilot the new two-seater jets in pure aerial combat on a modified version of Tsuru Reef. For those who find REDSEC tedious, the jets will also be usable on jet-only Portal servers.

The Top Gun event is part of a larger Season 4 rollout that begins July 21 with Phase One: Pacific Front. This phase introduces Tsuru Reef, the biggest map in Battlefield 6 so far and the game's first to feature naval combat. Two water vehicles arrive with it: the RCB-90 Patrol Boat and the RHIB light transport boat. Phase One also adds three weapons, including the Bren 3 Carbine, EF88 Assault Rifle, and the VSSM DMR, which can be toggled to full-auto. Phase Two on August 18 brings the Top Gun content alongside a reimagined Wake Island, complete with aircraft carrier spawn points. A fourth weapon, the Desert Tech HTI sniper rifle, described as the longest-range sniper in BF6, rounds out the season's arsenal. Phase Three, Tidal Strike, kicks off September 15 with details still under wraps.

Battlefield 6 launched on October 10, 2025, and sold over 7 million copies in three days, making it the biggest launch in series history. Reception has been mixed since then. Steam approval started at 76% before dipping to a "Mixed" 67% score, as Polygon noted, driven by Battle Pass frustrations and balance complaints. Season 4 looks like EA's biggest swing at winning back lapsed players, and the sheer volume of content here, from naval warfare to a revived classic mode to a Hollywood crossover, suggests the studio knows it needs a strong showing.

I'm cautiously interested in Carrier Strike, though the "limited-time" label stings. Bringing back a beloved mode only to yank it away after the crossover window closes is the kind of decision that'll frustrate players who've been asking for it for years. And the Top Gun branding, while fun, can't fully mask the irony: the franchise's most iconic character won't be there. You'll be flying an F-14 Tomcat with Rooster's voice in your ear instead of Maverick's. Season 4's first phase launches July 21 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.