Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War Beta Dates Revealed

The Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War open beta will begin on Oct. 8 on the PlayStation 4, which is getting the beta before any other platform. In order to access the early access beta on Oct. 8-9 on the PS4, you’ll need to pre-order the game on the PS4 or PS5. The PS4 open beta will begin on Oct. 10. The Xbox and PC early access betas will be open to those who pre-order the game on those platforms on Oct. 15-16. Everyone else get access to the open beta on Oct. 17-19.

Here’s a full breakdown of the dates:

While Activision didn’t share more details about what will be playable during the beta, it’s safe to say that it will focus on the multiplayer aspect of the game. A mix of Team Deathmatch, Search & Destroy, Domination, and Kill Confirmed are probably your best bet, although Cold War is also introducing a few new match types to the mix.

Activision broke down the new modes in a blog post:

VIP Escort

In this new 6v6 objective core game mode, teams either protect or subdue a randomly selected player who becomes a VIP. This Very Important Player only gets a kitted-out pistol, a smoke grenade, a UAV for team intel, and the satisfaction of having up to five other squadmates defend them.

These protectors must escort the VIP to an extraction point as they fend off the attacking team, whose goal is to neutralize the VIP before they escape. A non-VIP who dies during the round is out until the next one, but a downed player at zero health can defend themselves in Last Stand or be revived by a teammate to get back into the fight.

Combined Arms

A 12v12 battle that combines infantry and vehicular gameplay, Combined Arms is a larger-scale mode where the action is tailed to the environment it takes place within.

Depending on the map, vehicles such as Tanks, Snowmobiles, Attack Helicopters or Wakerunners will amplify and advance the action alongside traditional gunfights, allowing for jaw-dropping moments right in the middle of an intense engagement.

At launch, expect to play multiple Combined Arms Maps across a handful of Combined Arms Modes, including Domination, which places multiple flags around a given map for teams to capture and defend.

Fireteam

Fireteam is a new 40-player category of Black Ops Multiplayer with up to 10 teams of four, where the action is centered around not just the operators in the field, but also the environment they battle in. The first available Fireteam game type is called Dirty Bomb, which we’ll have more information on as we get closer to launch!

The sequel is also getting quite a few new maps, including Armada, a shipyard in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean; Crossroads in Uzbekista, which pits MI6 operatives against Russian Spetsnaz forces; Miami, which brings the action to South Beach; and Satellite, which takes the fight to Angola in Central Africa.

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War is out on Nov. 13 for PS4, XBO, and PC. The game will also release on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 at a later date.