Cold War Beta rumoured for October launch

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta is rumoured for an October launch from Activision.

31st Aug 2020 10:07

Images via Treyarch

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As Activision wages "war" on its biggest rivals, all eyes are on the upcoming launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. After some tantalising teases in Season 5 of Warzone, there was a botched marketing campaign where influencers were gifted a projector and had to try and piece together the clues. 

A return to Black Ops had already been teased, but now we know it's official, an official sequel to 2010's beloved Call of Duty: Black Ops is finally on the way.

While fans know Cold War is set to parachute into our lives on November 13, there are questions about when the game's beta will open and we get our first proper look at what's going on under the hood.

There's been plenty of hype surrounding the beta - with the recent Call of Duty League Champion Weekend giving away 10,000 early access codes. Elsewhere, only those who've pre-ordered a digital copy of the game will get access to the Cold War beta.

When is the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta?

Update: the Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Beta launched on the following dates:

PS4 only weekend:

  • October 8 to October 9: Beta access needed for early access on PS4 
  • October 10t to October 12: Free for all players Open Beta on PS4 (

Second weekend for PS4, Xbox One, and PC:

  • October 15 to October 16:  Free for PS4 players Open Beta on PS4. Beta access required for early access on Xbox One and PC
  • October 17 to October 20: Free for all players Open Beta on PS4, Xbox One, and PC

According to COD Tracker, players should mark October 8 in their diaries. The in-game store for Modern Warfare and Warzone apparently lists October 8 as the big day. The listing is only on Arabic copies of the game, which apparently translates as, "Early Access for the Open Beta starting October 8, and will be available on PS4 first". The same information was shared by the Call of Duty: World War II store on Reddit.

Treyarch announced that a Cold War beta will be part of multiplayer mode, leading hopeful fans to think it could drop just after the Worldwide Multiplayer Reveal on September 9. Sadly, it looks like we were a little too optimistic. 

Cold War Beta

Looking at the Call of Duty name in general, multiplayer is on the rise. After the controversy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 completely ditching single-player, it was a return to form with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. It was here that the insanely popular Warzone was introduced and CoD really started to make its mark on the esports scene. With so much love for Warzone there are equally high expectations for Cold War's multiplayer to deliver.

As with all these leaks, things should be taken with a large pinch of salt. Only recently, devs promised to crack down on leakers and try to stop them in their tracks. Despite Cold War being one of 2020's most anticipated new games, there's been a flood of leaks that have thrown a spanner in Activision's well-laid marketing plans.

Activision hasn't confirmed any more details on the Cold War beta, other than the fact you'll need to pre-order a digital copy on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or PC (Battle.net) 

Tom Chapman

About The Author

Tom Chapman

Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.

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