‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ Beta Start And End-Times, File Size And Everything You Need To Know

The Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta is almost upon us. The beta kicks off first on PlayStation 4 before opening up to PC and Xbox One.

The two-weekend-long beta includes periods of Early Access for all three platforms, as well as open beta times for all players.

To be a part of the Early Access phase of either weekend, simply pre-order the game. I’d urge caution on that front, however: My impressions of the alpha were not positive in the least, and I’m still of the mind that Activision should have pushed this back to 2021 and given Modern Warfare more time to flourish as a true games-as-service title.

I also think Modern Warfare deserves a next-gen port, especially since Warzone is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X.

MORE FROM FORBES‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ Feels Like A MistakeBy Erik Kain

But maybe the beta will change my mind. Maybe the beta will offer up better gunplay, fewer gargantuan maps and sound design that doesn’t make it sound like bullets were recorded in a tin can. Maybe the beta will be the great redeemer—though without Gunfight, I just can’t get as excited for a new Call Of Duty.

In any case, the beta starts this week and then starts back up the following weekend. Here’s everything you need to know.

Beta Schedule:

Weekend 1 —  PlayStation 4 Exclusive 

• Early Access Begins: October 8 at 10AM PT
• Open Beta Begins: October 10
• Weekend 1 Ends: October 12 at 10AM PT

Weekend 2 — Beta on PS4, Xbox One, and PC 

• Early Access for Xbox & PC (PS4 Open Beta) Begins: October 15 at 10AM PT
• Xbox & PC Open Beta Begins: October 17
• Open Beta Ends: October 19 at 10AM PT

File Size

The file size for Xbox One and PC have not yet been announced, but the beta on PS4 clocks in at 31.1 GB. Pre-loading on PS4 is now open, so get the beta downloaded ASAP so you’re ready to hop in tomorrow at 10 am (or this weekend if you’re only joining the Open Beta).

Content

Activision and Treyarch haven’t announced a ton of specifics for the beta. There will be a rotation of maps that will likely be similar, but not exact, to the alpha. Judging by the trailer (below) that includes the night map Miami and the desert map Satellite. Hopefully some smaller maps as well.

There will also be regular updates and changes during the beta, so maps and modes will likely change throughout. To begin with, these modes will be available:

• Team Deathmatch
• Domination
• VIP Escort
• Kill Confirmed
• Combined Arms
• 40 player Fireteam Dirty Bomb mode

This means we’ll have 6v6, 12v12 and 20v20 modes during the Cold War beta. Hopefully we get some maps that actually fit 6v6 play styles. Hopefully we also get more objective based modes in the actual rotation, as my experience with the Alpha was almost entirely TDM and Kill Confirmed with almost no Domination whatsoever.

Trailer

I’ll say this: It’s refreshing to watch a Call Of Duty trailer that isn’t just loud hip-hop music.