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Call of Duty players who may be looking forward to Treyarch’s upcoming release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, will be excited by this news. Treyarch announced on its community blog that “not one, but two betas” are headed our way in anticipation of the next chapter in the Black Ops series.

The studio clearly wants to give fans something juicy to sink their teeth into. Treyarch’s Co-Studio Head Dan Bunting stated, “Games are better when they’re a result of a dialogue with our community. Not only does it improve the game’s quality, but it allows us to respond to player feedback and custom-craft the experience to how players engage most with the game. We want launch day to be a celebration that players around the world can enjoy together, and we know it won’t stop there – we will always work tirelessly to improve, grow, and evolve the game beyond launch.”

So, why offer the second beta?

The second chance to gear up in the Black Ops world will be uniquely for the battle royale mode, Blackout. Like everything for the Call of Duty series these days, PlayStation 4 will be getting first access to the beta. Battle royale was a highlight of the original announcement for the game earlier this year, but not much is known about the mode at this time. While the Blackout mode may be Call of Duty‘s version of battle royale, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will mirror the same experiences we’ve seen in PUBG and Fornite with 100-player matches on a large open island map.

When and how can you participate in both betas?

To kick things off, the Private Multiplayer Beta begins on August 3. That, of course, is for the PlayStation 4 with access for the Xbox One and PC to follow. Additionally, the newly announced second beta will then be available in September. Dates for the September beta have not been provided at this time, but Treyarch has told us to stay tuned on that front. For the original beta, see below for the schedule as detailed on Treyarch’s community blog.

  • PlayStation 4: Starts August 3 at 10 am PT, ends August 6 at 10 am PT
  • PlayStation and Xbox One: Starts August 10 at 10 am PT, ends August 13 at 10 am PT
  • PC Beta Early Access: Starts August 10 at 10 am PT (PC exclusively on Battle.Net)
  • PC Open Beta: Starts August 11 at 10 am PT, ends August 13 at 10 am PT
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - Private Beta
Photo courtesy of Treyarch

Digital goodies for beta participation

Players will receive rewards for participating in the Private Beta. A unique calling card will be given to all participants in the beta that can be displayed in multiplayer. Furthermore, players who achieve the maximum rank in the beta will earn a Permanent Unlock Token. This can be applied to any piece of gear from the Create-a-Class content upon the game’s launch.

What can be expected from the Private Beta in August?

The Private Beta will be rather significant as six maps will be included for play. Two specialist classes will be available to choose from. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 fans will recognize them as Nomad and Prophet. However, they will apparently have new gameplay mechanics that are new to Black Ops 4.

Five modes of play will be featured in the beta that includes Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and the new objective-based mode, Control. Control will cycle teams between attacking and defending two fixed objectives. Respawns are limited, and the first team to achieve three round-wins is crowned the winner of the match.

How do I gain access to the first Private Beta?

It’s simple: pre-order a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Be sure to check with the retailer you are pre-ordering with to secure your beta code. Amazon will send the code to you within three days of pre-ordering. Beta codes are limited. So, be sure to secure yours if you want a shot at the action in the Private Beta in August.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is scheduled to launch Oct 12, 2018. To see the beta announcement in full, check out Treyarch’s community blog here. For an interesting dive into the ghosts of Call of Duty past, check out my article where I shared my five top picks for the best multiplayer innovations in the Call of Duty series.

And as always, check back in with Daily Esports for the latest on Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.