EA has confirmed that the newest game in the Battlefield franchise will be arriving late this year. Details on the game are scarce, though news should be coming relatively soon. So little is known about the game, in fact, that nobody even knows what it's called, yet.
Logic would dictate that the game should be called Battlefield 6, though past games in the Battlefield franchise may argue against that point. The last couple of games in the franchise have thrown players a curveball in one way or another, so past games in the franchise could indicate what the newest Battlefield may possibly be named.
Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 was the next Battlefield game to release after Hardline, and the next mainline release in the franchise after Battlefield 4. The naming convention here, while unnecessary, made relative sense; Battlefield 1 was taking players into World War 1. It had been a while since the franchise had a historical setting, and many players found this to be a nice change of pace from previous entries, especially after Hardline.
The game did lack the weapon customization that the last few main Battlefield games included due to the setting, but many players found the gameplay compelling enough that it seemed to go over smoothly. While this title did make sense for the game, it's not as if players wouldn't have been able to tell it was set in World War 1 if it had been called Battlefield 5.
Battlefield V
Coming along next was Battlefield 5, or Battlefield V. While "V" is the Roman numeral for five, it seemed like this was an unusual choice. It seemed like DICE and/or EA wanted to keep the more historical games numbered differently than the ones that took place in the present day. This game kind of did both (and neither?), numbering itself with a Roman numeral instead of the way Battlefield games had in the past. Utilizing roman numeral notation may have served as a way to cement itself as the fifth in the franchise, while still not numbering itself in the same way as the rest of the franchise.
Reception-wise, there was controversy surrounding this game at release for its inclusion of characters that weren't strictly white males, as if white males were the only ones involved in World War 2. Removing the 'fans' perpetuating this utterly ridiculous review bombing, the game was still received less favorably than Battlefield 1, though many still enjoy the gameplay changes made in this entry. It introduced fortification mechanics into the game, allowing players to make small (and not so small) changes to the structures throughout the maps, making it one of the more inventive games in the mainline franchise.
Battlefield 6? (2021)
And now onto Battlefield 2021, the title of which is currently unknown. The current rumors surrounding the game suggest that the game will return to a modern setting, which could lend credibility to the title really ending up as Battlefield 6. That said, perhaps the trend away from the normal-style titles wasn't simply because Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V were historical games. Perhaps it's indicative of how EA and/or DICE intend to name all of the games in the future, regardless of setting.
If so, it probably won't be Battlefield VI, which could potentially make it look like a direct sequel to Battlefield V. It could be something more along the lines of Battlefield: Hardline, where there's no number whatsoever and instead simply has a subtitle. Though, doing that risks some players feeling like this isn't a new mainline Battlefield release. Regardless, anticipation is high for whatever details EA and DICE provide about the game in the coming months.
Battlefield 6 is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, with no word currently on last-gen consoles.