Fans hoping to finally get their hands on Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War will be test out the game during the free open alpha on Sept. 18-20, starting at 1 pm ET that Friday.
During the alpha, players can test out three traditional multiplayer modes — Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Kill Confirmed — across the game’s new Miami, Moscow, and Satellite maps, according to Activision.
A new mode, Combined Arms: Domination, will also be included in the alpha. The mode is described as a “12v12, vehicle-inclusive twist on traditional Domination, set in larger maps compared to the game’s traditional 6v6 play spaces.” Armada and Crossroads will be the maps included for this mode.
There’s just one catch, you’ll need a PS4 to participate in the Cold War open alpha. The alpha is exclusive to the PlayStation, which means Xbox and PC gamers will have to wait until October to play Cold War.
Fortunately, the alpha will be followed by a beta period just few weeks later. The Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War open beta will begin on Oct. 8 on the PS4, which is again 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. New modes include the 6v6 objective-based VIP Escort, the 12v12 large-scale mode Combined Arms, and the 40-player multi-team mode Fireteam.
The game, which is being developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, will also feature a single-player campaign and a co-op Zombies mode.
Cold War continues the story of the very first Black Ops game, which saw US operatives deal with a Russian threat in the days leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The new game, which is set in the 1980s, will have to reckon with the tail end of the Cold War. Returning characters include Alex Mason and Frank Woods from the first game as well as the debut of Ronald Reagan in the Call of Duty franchise.
“Nothing is ever as it seems in a gripping single-player campaign, where players will come face-to-face with historical figures and hard truths, as they battle around the globe through iconic locales like East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, Soviet KGB headquarters and more,” reads the campaign’s description.
Cold War will allow players to bring all of their progress and items from the Modern Warfare version of the Warzone battle royale mode to the Cold War version of Warzone. Players will be able to continue playing Warzone through Modern Warfare when the new game launches as well.
“Uncover dark Cold War experiments that unleash a new Zombie threat to take on in frightening and intense co-operative gameplay with friends,” Activision said of the undead component of the new game. More details regarding Zombies are coming at a later date.