Following the largest Alpha in Call of Duty history on PlayStation®4, the community has another chance to experience the next generation of Multiplayer combat early before the official launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on November 13.

During the Beta, experience signature Black Ops combat across traditional 6v6 modes, the higher player count 12v12 Combined Arms, and a brand-new 40-player mode, Fireteam: Dirty Bomb. The Beta will feature a selection of the game’s Multiplayer maps set in distinct global locations during the Cold War. Players can progress and rank up in the Beta-specific levelling system where loadout items, including new weaponry, covert spy tech through Field Upgrades, and badass Scorestreaks can be unlocked by earning XP.

The Black Ops Cold War Open Beta will be free across all platforms, with players who pre-ordered digitally gaining early access.

Read on for details on pre-loading, downloading, schedule, and what’s included in the Black Ops Cold War Beta:

Open Beta Dates and Times: Time to Play

There are two weekends of the Black Ops Cold War Beta. Each “weekend” is scheduled to last a total of four days, with both play periods scheduled to begin on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. PDT and ending on Monday morning at 10 a.m. Follow @CallofDuty and @Treyarch for ‘live now’ announcements and any updates to the schedule.  

Weekend One (October 8 – October 12): PlayStation 4 Exclusive

The first Beta weekend is exclusively for PlayStation 4 owners, and is scheduled to run from Thursday, October 8 to Monday, October 12.

Early Access: Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9 are available to players who pre-ordered Black Ops Cold War digitally on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5.

Open Beta: The rest of the Beta period – Saturday, October 10, to Monday, October 12 – is free to all PlayStation 4 owners*. If you have a PS4 and an internet connection, ready up for Black Ops combat and join in during the Open Beta.

Weekend Two: All Platforms (Crossplay)

The second Beta weekend is available on all three platforms, and it’s scheduled to run from Thursday, October 15 to Monday, October 19. As a complete connected experience, crossplay will be active allowing you to party up with friends and the greater community, no matter what they play on.

PlayStation 4: Regardless of whether you digitally pre-ordered the game or not, Weekend 2 is a free Open Beta for all PlayStation 4 owners.

Xbox and PC Early Access: Those who pre-ordered the game digitally on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, or PC via Blizzard Battle.net can begin playing the Beta on Thursday, October 15 and on Friday, October 16. Xbox Live Gold is required for Xbox players, and PC players are required to have a Battle.net account.

Xbox and PC Open Beta: The rest of the weekend, from Saturday, October 17 to Monday, October 19, is accessible to Xbox and PC players regardless of pre-order status. Now, everyone in the Call of Duty community can hop on and play together.

What’s Inside the Beta

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta will feature a mix of maps, modes, and playlists. Similar to past Betas, the Black Ops Cold War Beta will also include a progression system where players can earn XP in order to unlock new content for their loadouts including weapons, equipment, Create-a-Class slots, and Scorestreaks.

Expect frequent updates and a few surprises to take place within the Beta across both weekends and stay tuned to official Call of Duty and Treyarch channels for specific details.

Visit the Cold War landing site to get detailed information on the game, Beta, and specific Beta Multiplayer intel like game modes and Loadouts.

Earn an SMG Weapon Blueprint for Reaching Level 10

All players who reach Level 10 within the Beta will receive an exclusive SMG Weapon Blueprint at the launch of Black Ops Cold War.

A Weapon Blueprint is a variant of a weapon family within the game, complete with its own unique name and cosmetic differences. Weapon Blueprints may also come pre-equipped with attachments, allowing you to use them on that specific weapon without needing to level it up to unlock those attachments organically. These attachments can be swapped out in favor of other attachments earned by levelling up the weapon normally.

Access the Beta

As mentioned through the schedule, digital pre-order customers will be entitled to early access (Thursday and Friday) through their account on which they purchased the game. All other players can still access the open portion of the Beta (Saturday through Monday) for free.

Download the Beta from your platforms respective first-party store and follow the prompts to download. On PC (Week Two), the Black Ops Cold War Beta can be found under “Partner Games”.

Pre-load Information

Prior to the beginning of each weekend, all players will be able to pre-load the Beta.

PlayStation 4 (Week 1 and 2): Pre-load the Beta starting on October 6 at 8 a.m. PDT.

Note: If you are on PlayStation 4 and pre-load or download the Beta during its first weekend, you do not need to redownload it for the second weekend. Also, players can delete the Alpha, as the Beta is a completely different file and requires a new download.

Xbox and PC (Week 2): Pre-load the Beta starting on October 13 at 8 a.m. PDT.

Pre-Order Now on Digital and get Early Access

Pre-order players can secure early access to the Open Beta and receive instant rewards like the Woods Operator Pack** for immediate use in Modern Warfare® and Warzone™.

Multiple options for the game are available to choose from, including the Standard Edition, Cross-Gen Bundle Edition or Ultimate Edition. All digital editions come with early access to this Open Beta.

Pre-order now on the game’s official website, while also checking out which edition is right for you in this detailed blog.

Stay Connected to Additional Intel

Be sure to check back here at the Activision Games Blog daily for the latest information on the Beta and Black Ops Cold War as its launch on November 13^th approaches. Also, be sure to visit Treyarch’s Blog for more Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War announcements and content.

Follow @CallofDuty and @Treyarch on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for additional information. 

Pre-orders at participating retailers are available now, or at CallofDuty.com.

Execute the mission.

*PS4™ owners in Germany will need a PS Plus subscription due to the game’s age rating.

PS4 owners in Japan must be at least 18 years old to use this content. The price of this content is 100 yen (tax included). At the time of purchase, regardless of the balance of the wallet, the same amount as the content price will be paid from the credit card. The same amount as the price will be returned to the wallet of the account that purchased this content.

Actual platform availability and launch date(s) of MP Beta subject to change. See www.callofduty.com/beta for more details. Minimum Open Beta duration is 2 days. Limited time only, while Early Access Beta Codes last, at participating retailers. Internet connection required. Online multiplayer subscription may be required.

**Call of Duty: Modern Warfare / Call of Duty: Warzone on pre-order platform required to redeem Woods Operator and Blueprint.  Sold/downloaded separately.  Must be redeemed by Nov. 13, 2021.

For more information on Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War, check out: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty and follow @Treyarch, @RavenSoftware, and @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

© 2020 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, and CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS, are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.

For more information on Activision games, follow @Activision on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.