Everything New In The Top Gun Update For Battlefield 6

Published Aug 18, 2026, 4:02 PM EDT Collin is a Guides Staff Writer at TheGamer who has been writing guides for nearly ten years. He is also a professional game/level designer. More importantly, he's still waiting for a new Ape Escape game to release. Battlefield 6's mid-season update has arrived, which is bringing a new weapon, two game modes, the return of a fan-favorite map, and a Top Gun-themed event. If you're returning to Battlefield 6 or trying it for the first time thanks to the limited free-to-play trial, there is quite a bit to sink your teeth into. Below is a complete breakdown of what you can expect during the Top Gun event, along with what's been added during the mid-season update. Remember, the free-to-play trial runs until August 25th, so even if you don't own the game, you can experience all the content listed below without purchasing the game for this brief window. Carrier Strike And Fighter Sweep With the Top Gun update, two new game modes have been added. The first is Carrier Strike, which sees two teams of 32 spawn on their respective aircraft carriers. From here, both sides will fight on the island between them for five different capture points to secure artillery positions that will launch rockets at the opposing team's ship. At the top of your HUD will be a bar displaying the ship's health, which will steadily deplete as you launch rockets at it. The more artillery sites you control, the faster damage to the aircraft carrier will accumulate. Once it falls below 50 percent health, you will be able to actually board the enemy aircraft carrier and plant a bomb. This acts exactly as it does in the Breakthrough mode, with the attackers having to plant and wait for the timer to expire while the defenders need to disarm any bombs planted. Once the bomb in the hangar explodes, you can plant another in the reactor room, which will fully destroy the enemy's ship when it detonates. As for Fighter Sweep, this is an entirely jet-focused mode where six two-man teams battle it out over several islands filled with stockpiles you can destroy. Taking down an enemy aircraft will net you 50 points, while destroying a stockpile grants 15 points. Whichever duo has the most points by the end of the round will be the winners. If you've ever wanted to practice flying a jet without fear of ruining the experience for your team, this is a great mode to try out. Top Gun Event Rewards As you play the new modes, you will make progress toward the various Top Gun challenges. These challenges will reward you with Ace Medals upon completion, which is a new currency you can use to purchase exclusive cosmetics for your jet and several weapons. You can only earn Ace Medals through these Top Gun challenges, so make sure to focus on them because they will only be around for 27 days. To spend your Ace Medals, go to the Event tab in the Main Menu and select which of the ten rewards you want to unlock. They can be obtained in any order, and once you've unlocked all of them, you'll be given the Ace Aviator skin. Here is a full list of all the cosmetics you can earn and what their Ace Medal cost is: Name Type Ace Medal Cost Interdictor Sniper Rifle 100 Crucible of Victory Player Card Background 20 G-Force Reckoner PW5A3 Skin 150 Defiance F-74A Seacat Skin 50 Hanging Edge KBR Mark II Knife Skin 100 Adrenaline Spike M16A4 Skin 150 Crested Courage Weapon Charm 30 Phoenix Sniper PSR Skin 150 Rogue State SU-57 Skin 100 Payback M240L Skin 150 Interdictor Sniper Rifle The new weapon added in this update is the Interdictor sniper rifle. This is a heavy-hitting, long-range weapon that fires explosive rounds and specializes in hitting targets well beyond 100 meters. While the weapon itself deals a ton of damage, the rifle has a comical amount of recoil and a rather slow reload speed, which doesn't make it great for quickly engaging multiple targets. Interdictor is better used at range to deal with problematic threats or counter-snipe other Recon players. To unlock the Interdictor, you will need to earn 100 Ace Medals via the Top Gun challenges and then purchase it from the Event tab. There are no additional rewards you have to unlock before it, like in the Battle Pass, so make sure to snag this weapon first. Once the event is over, you'll more than likely need to complete a specific series of challenges to unlock the weapon. Wake Island Returns Wake Island is the last major addition during the mid-season update. A fan favorite map that has appeared in multiple games, going as far back as Battlefield 1942. This crescent moon-shaped island separates two enemy aircraft carriers, which will launch troops at the start of the match. Players will then battle for control over the island, which features a large airfield in the middle. Additionally, some new additions to Wake Island include ziplines from the ships to the mainland for faster travel and a destroyed ship off the coast in the center to act as cover for the boats or from snipers on the other side. It's a smaller-sized map in comparison to recently added additions such as Golmud Railway, making it quite an intense experience.