Portal Custom Lobbies changes in Battlefield 6

The Start tile in Portal Custom Lobbies now keeps working after you open Lobby Settings or the Pause menu during the countdown.

Opening Lobby Settings during the countdown no longer kills the Start tile.

• EA lists this under Portal in the 1.4.2.5 changelog: the Start tile now remains responsive after opening Lobby Settings or the Pause menu while the lobby countdown is active. EA calls out Custom Lobby reliability as one of the update's three highlights. Custom Lobbies shipped with the Top Gun update as an early implementation, and EA has continued patching them since.

TipYou can now open Lobby Settings or the Pause menu during the countdown and the Start tile keeps responding. If you host, that removes the reason to have everything configured before you start the timer.

Portal Custom Lobbies let hosts assign teams, pick maps and turn on Spectating for Battle Royale Quads and Conquest, but both features are still early and Spectating is less reliable.

Portal can now host organised matches with assigned teams and spectators, but EA calls it an early implementation.

• Custom Lobbies are now available through Portal as an early implementation designed primarily for organised and competitive communities. They are available for Battle Royale Quads and Conquest, and hosts can assign players to specific teams, select compatible maps, and enable Spectating. EA states that both Custom Lobbies and Spectating remain works in progress, with Spectating in particular currently subject to more noticeable limitations and reliability issues. The notes do not say which maps count as compatible or what the Spectating limitations are.

TipIf you are organising a scrim, test Spectating before match day - EA singles it out as the least reliable part, and only Battle Royale Quads and Conquest are supported.