Treyarch is fast at work developing Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Ahead of the game’s release, the developer plans to host several Black Ops Cold War beta tests. Eligible participants will be able to get an early look at the game and help iron out any problems that may arise. Here’s how to play the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta next month.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | How to play the beta
To play the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta early, you need to pre-order the game on PS4 or PS5. The PlayStation exclusive early access beta takes places on October 8 and October 9. After that, the Cold War open beta will begin for PS4 players first, followed by Xbox One and PC players the next week.
Here’s a breakdown of each Black Ops Cold War beta period:
- October 8-9 – PlayStation 4 pre-order early access
- October 10-12 – PlayStation 4 open beta
- October 15-16 – Xbox and PC early access beta; PS4 open beta
- October 17-19 – All platform open beta
Both the early access beta and the open beta tests are scheduled to begin on Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. However, Activision has not provided a specific time zone just yet. In fact, the team has stated that “exact timing [is] to be decided,” so the actual start time is still subject to change.
Regardless, everyone will be able to play the Black Ops Cold War beta between October 17 and 19. Those who pre-order the game for PlayStation are given the most amount of time, from October 8-12 and then again from October 15-16. This leaves Xbox and PC fans with only two days to themselves before the crossplay-enabled open test goes live for all platforms.
If you’re looking to play the new Call of Duty release on next-gen platforms, be sure to check out our guide detailing which Black Ops Cold War editions include cross-gen support. No matter which platform you pre-order for, you’re guaranteed access to the upcoming beta weekends.