What to know
- Custom Search lets you line up for particular maps and modes, but it switches to alternatives if a quick match isn't available.
- After your initial successful search, follow-up attempts can fail unless you restart the game.
- The setup favors speedy matchmaking over sticking to your exact choices, which leads to unwanted placements.
- Developers are looking at a toggle to let players wait longer for precise matches and plan to fix how custom search settings carry over.
How Battlefield 6 custom search works and common problems
Custom Search is built to help you choose favored maps and game modes, but matchmaking limits mean that if nothing lines up fast with those picks, the game broadens the hunt to other options for quicker entry. This is deliberate to keep wait times down, though it annoys folks who want full command of their sessions.
One frequent snag is that right after launching the game, your first custom search hits the mark, but later ones during the same run often snap back to basic matchmaking without warning. On top of that, once a game wraps up, the next queue can shove you into maps or modes you never chose.
Why does custom search often put you in the wrong match?
Matchmaking stretches past your starting selections when no instant spots open up, all to sidestep drawn-out delays. Players gripe about getting stuck in the same unwanted maps time after time. The game holds off on new lobbies until they're almost full, and that can stretch waits to 4-5 minutes if your preferred map or mode isn't popular in the queue right then.
Ongoing issues and developer considerations
The Battlefield Studios crew is on top of the sluggish queue times and search glitches. They've trimmed some delays from five minutes to as short as 40 seconds or two minutes in spots. The group is also eyeing a "fine with waiting for the exact fit" switch, so you can decide between holding out for your ideal map and mode or settling for a fast close match. They're lining up ways to keep custom search choices active across game sessions too.
Alternatives and workarounds
A proper server browser for hands-on server picks is coming, but it's not tied into quick-play matchmaking yet. In the meantime, a game restart can reset the custom search back to life. Jumping into Portal mode to pick or build your own games works as a side option, even if it skips the custom matchmaking lines.
Comments