REDSEC Ranked is a Battle Royale Squads mode where you climb seven ranks (Rookie, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Master), each split into five divisions, by earning Ranked Points (RP) for kills, assists and your final placement. From Bronze up, every match costs an RP entry fee, so you only climb when a match earns back more than you paid; at Master, you compete for the Elite Top 250 on your platform.
Season 5 is the moment to learn it: with Game Update 2.1.1.0 on October 13, 2026, Ranked Battle Royale officially launched beyond Battlefield Labs, with a new season, redesigned Ranked badges and new rewards. Everything below is verified against EA’s Ranked help article, which EA updated on October 13, and the Season 5 patch notes.
How to Start Playing Ranked
Ranked lives only in Battlefield REDSEC. If you own Battlefield 6, you already have REDSEC and Ranked; if you do not, REDSEC is free to download (our free trial and free-to-play guide covers every platform).
- Reach Career Rank 5. Career XP from both Battlefield 6 and REDSEC counts toward it.
- Open the Play tab and choose Ranked.
- Queue with your squad. Matches are Battle Royale Squads: 25 squads of four, last squad standing wins, with the ring closing as usual.
Two squad rules trip people up. EA says you “can only queue in groups of four as one squad,” and every player in the squad must be the same rank or within two ranks of each other. EA’s example: a Silver player can squad with Rookie, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum players, but not Diamond or Master.
Every Rank and Division
Everyone starts Unranked. From there, the ladder is:
- Rookie
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Master
Each rank has five divisions, I through V, and I is the lowest. You climb from Bronze I to Bronze V, and a promotion drops you into division I of the next rank. Master players also chase the Elite Top 250, which EA defines as the 250 players on each platform who earn the most Ranked Points that season.
To check your standing, open the Profile tab and look under Ranked on the left. For the leaderboard, go to Player Profile, then Competitive Rank, which opens the Ranked Hub.
Entry Fees: Why You Can Lose Points
From Bronze up, entering a Ranked match costs RP, and the fee rises with each rank. EA’s current table, in place since Season 4:
| Rank | RP entry fee per match |
|---|---|
| Rookie | 0 |
| Bronze | 20 |
| Silver | 30 |
| Gold | 35 |
| Platinum | 50 |
| Diamond | 60 |
| Master and Elite Top 250 | 90 |
EA’s advice is to treat the fee as your first target in every match: earn it back to hold your division, then earn more to move up. If a match ends with less RP than you paid, you lose the difference.
How You Earn Ranked Points
EA lists three sources:
- Kills confirmed: you down an enemy and they bleed out or get finished.
- Assists confirmed: you help down an enemy who then bleeds out or gets finished.
- Placement: your squad’s final placement in the match.
EA does not publish point values for each, but it does say that the RP you can earn from kills and assists is capped per match. That is why hunting kills alone stalls a climb: once you hit the cap, only a better placement adds more RP. EA’s own advice is to combine all three, “focus on winning,” support your squad and “take on fights carefully.”
Demotion and Shields
If you keep failing to cover your entry fee, you can slip back a division or even a rank. Shields soften that. Each time you enter a new division or rank, you get a number of Shields, and if a result would demote you while you hold one, you keep your place instead. EA does not state how many Shields each tier grants, so when one is used up, play the next match more carefully.
Leaving, Crashing and Teammates Who Quit
- Leaving early triggers a penalty warning first. If you leave anyway, you pay the entry fee and lose all RP earned in that match, and penalties grow if you keep doing it.
- Crashing is different. REDSEC’s Reconnect feature, added for Season 5, lets you rejoin an active match within a limited time. You return to your squad, redeploy if you are eligible for a second chance, or come back as a spectator who can be redeployed later.
- A teammate leaving costs you nothing, as long as you stay in the match.
Matchmaking, Crossplay and Vehicles
From September 2026, Ranked matchmaking looks for similarly ranked players first and widens the range over time if it cannot fill a match. EA updated those matchmaking bands ahead of Season 5 to keep players closer to their intended rank range.
Ranked does not mix PC and console lobbies. A full PC squad meets PC players, a full console squad meets console players, and a mixed squad goes into PC matchmaking. Battlefield 6 owners can still squad with friends who only have REDSEC.
Some vehicles appear in Ranked, including scout helicopters and the 7.7M NSW RHIB boat. Since Season 4, Vehicle Keycards, Main Battle Tanks and Infantry Fighting Vehicles are not available in Ranked.
Season 5 Changes That Affect Ranked
The Season 5 update reworked REDSEC as a whole, and Ranked inherits all of it, per the patch notes:
- Armor plating is 20% faster by default.
- The Hazmat Breacher and Drone Operator training paths are gone, and each class has one rebalanced training path. Recon trades the drone for a Handheld Jammer that can disrupt redeploy points.
- Many assault rifles, LMGs, carbines and SMGs take one more bullet to kill armored players at set ranges.
- Ranked end-of-round information was updated, and Total Ranked Point values now display correctly after switching tabs.
Our Season 5 patch notes breakdown covers the rest, and the Season 5 weapons guide covers the four new guns Season 5 added.
Resets and Rewards
Resets. Ranked resets when a new season begins. You get a new rank based on your final rank from the last season you played, you start with all demotion Shields for that rank, and players who have never played Ranked start Unranked. EA has not published the end date for this Ranked season; in-game, choose Ranked from the Play menu and look for the clock symbol near the top left, which shows the time left. A lock symbol means Ranked is inactive and a reset is coming.
Rewards. You earn them two ways:
- The first time you reach each new rank or division, delivered immediately.
- At the end of the season, based on the rank you finish with, not your highest. You also get the rewards for every rank below it: finishing Silver pays out Rookie, Bronze and Silver rewards.
Rewards work across Battlefield 6 and REDSEC, and the Ranked Hub in the Profile tab shows what this season offers. Season 4’s included a Diamond Vehicle Decal, which the Season 5 update moved into its intended Ranked cosmetics tab. If an item seems missing, EA says to wait 24 hours, since some take time to come through, before following its missing-content steps.
Ranked Is Not the Open Series
Ranked is the in-game ladder. The REDSEC Open Series is EA’s separate esports circuit, run through Battlefy from October 24 to November 21, 2026, with the top teams qualifying for the Elite Series, which runs from December 4 into January 2027 with a $1,338,000 prize pool, per EA’s competitive announcement. Rapid Royale, the faster 36-player mode that launched alongside Season 5, is a separate playlist; EA does not describe it as ranked.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Career Rank do you need for REDSEC Ranked? Career Rank 5. Career XP from both Battlefield 6 and REDSEC counts toward it.
How many ranks are in REDSEC Ranked? Seven: Rookie, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Master, each with five divisions. Master players also compete for the Elite Top 250 on their platform.
Can you lose rank in REDSEC Ranked? Yes. From Bronze up, each match costs RP, and repeatedly failing to earn it back can demote you a division or rank, though Shields protect you after each promotion.
Is REDSEC Ranked crossplay? Only within PC or within console. Full console squads meet console players, full PC squads meet PC players, and mixed squads go into PC matchmaking.
Can you play REDSEC Ranked solo? EA’s help article describes Ranked as four-player squads and says you “can only queue in groups of four as one squad.” It does not describe a solo Ranked queue.
Does Ranked reset in Season 5? Yes. Season 5 started a new Ranked season on October 13, with your starting rank based on where you finished the last season you played.
What happens if I leave a Ranked match? You pay the entry fee and lose all RP earned that match, and penalties grow for repeat leavers. Crashes are different: the Reconnect feature lets you rejoin.