When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks Call of Duty Black Ops 4 fans are counting down to the start of this weekend's multiplayer beta. The Black Ops 4 beta has an August 3 release date on PS4. It ends a few days later on August 6. Activision has announced a 6pm UK start time for the beta, so there's not long to wait. Pre-loads should be available from the evening of August 2. Activision updates tend to go live at 6pm, so it's worth checking the PlayStation Store from then. Unfortunately for Xbox One and PC users, the initial beta is a closed test on PS4 only. This means that you need an invite code to play. To get a beta code, just pre-order a copy of Call of Duty Black Ops 4 online or in store. If you pre-order a physical copy of the game, you'll have to redeem a code on the Call of Duty Black Ops 4 beta website. Most codes can be found on the printed receipt, or will be emailed over. If you pre-ordered digitally - from PSN or Xbox Live, for example - then you'll automatically be entered into the beta program. *Black Ops 4 beta codes: How to get a code for the PS4 closed beta* Take a closer look at the Call of Duty Black Ops 4 beta contents in the gallery below...<doc-sep>[Update] The beta is now live. [Original story] Preloading for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 beta on PS4 has begun, which means that you can download it now and be ready to play when it starts later today. The multiplayer beta is private, so you'll need to have a code, which is obtained by pre-ordering at select retailers. The beta can be downloaded through the PlayStation Store and weighs in at 18.09 GB. The Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 private multiplayer beta weekend starts on August 3 and will run through August 6. A second beta weekend will then happen on August 10 through August 13. While the first weekend is exclusive to PS4, the second one will be available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. You can take a look at the full schedule below. Gallery Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Private Multiplayer Beta Dates PlayStation 4 Starts: August 3 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 3 AM AEST (August 4) Ends: August 6 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 3 AM AEST (August 7) PlayStation 4 and Xbox One Starts: August 10 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 3 AM AEST (August 11) Ends: August 13 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 3 AM AEST (August 14) PC Beta Early Access Starts: August 10 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 3 AM AEST (August 11) PC Open Beta Starts: August 11 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 3 AM AEST (August 12) Ends: August 13 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 3 AM AEST (August 14) As revealed in a previously released Black Ops 4 trailer, the multiplayer beta will have a bunch of weapons and 10 Specialists, including Nomad and Prophet, who Treyarch says have "brand-new gameplay mechanics built for Black Ops 4." The beta will also have six maps to battle on, two of which will be making their public debut in the beta. Modes available in the beta include Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, and Search & Destroy. Control, a new objective-based mode that has teams alternating between attacking and defending two static objectives will also be available. Arguably the most exciting addition to this year's Call of Duty, however, is the Blackout mode, which is the series' take on the Battle Royale genre. Blackout won't be playable during the multiplayer beta, but Activision has said it plans to host a separate beta for it in September.<doc-sep>If you're a PS4 player who pre-ordered Blacks Ops 4, you're in luck - the Blackout beta is now live a few days early exclusively on Sony's console. It may feel like the multiplayer beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 only took place just a few weeks ago (hint: it did! ), but Treyarch using this week as the testing ground for the Blackout beta, the sequel's much promoted battle royale mode inspired by games like Fortnite and PlayUnknown's Battlegrounds. Victory royale awaits those brave enough to take part. As these limited time previews take place over multiple regions, at multiple times, and with various terms and conditions attached, the process of jumping into the Blackout beta won't be as straightforward as downloading to your favored platform and jumping in right away. Instead, you'll find all the information you need to play Blackout as quickly as possible, including details on start times, download sizes, and more. Read more: Call of Duty Black Ops 4 review: "Multiplayer shines like never before" What's in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout beta? Simple: full access to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode, a battle royale multiplayer match in which a large number of players fight it out to the death in an ever enclosing arena. Treyarch has confirmed that Blackout will include separate Solos, Duos, and Squads mode, where players can either compete as lone wolves or in teams of two to four, while air, land, and sea vehicles have all been announced as part of the experience. How many players does Blackout support? Well, it's kind of in the air, hence this being a beta. Here's what Treyarch co-studio head Dan Bunting told Game Informer: "What’s really more important to us than a number is that the gameplay experience is as refined as it can be, that’s it the ideal perfect format for what players are going to play. ... So we’re starting with 80 players, but we’ve gone higher than that. Whenever we launch a game as a beta or whatever, that’s the beginning of something. We’re going to actively be participating in the community and taking feedback, making changes and adapting, evolving the game as feedback rolls in. So there’s a lot that can go on that can happen beyond that first impact of the game going out there." But yes, the short answer to "how many players in Black Ops 4 Blackout mode" is 80. For now. You can get a taste of Blackout via our footage up top or the gameplay trailer above, which also reveals that key locations, characters, weapons, and even zombies from previous Call of Duty games will feature in the battle royale mode, alongside other gadgets like wingsuits and gun mods. When does the Black Ops 4 Blackout beta start? If you're a PlayStation 4 owner, you'll have four days early access to an exclusive preview of the Blackout beta from September 10 (10:00 PST/18:00 BST) to September 14 (10:00 PST/18:00 BST). The beta will then open up to the PC and Xbox One community alongside PS4 players from September 14 (10:00 PST/18:00 BST) to September 17 (10:00 PST/18:00 BST). For the PC crowd, the beta will be open to everyone - and not just those who pre-ordered the game - from September 15 (10:00 PST/18:00 BST) until that aforementioned end time two days later. How do I get into the Black Ops 4 Blackout beta? This Blackout beta is private, meaning that you'll have to pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 if you want to gain access to it. If you already played the multiplayer beta, then you don't need to do anything; just keep that file saved on your system, or redownload it, as this will be the same application you'll use to play Blackout. For those yet to gain access, you can pre-purchase the game digitally through the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, or Blizzard's Battle.net (where the PC version will be distributed). Digital customers won't need to do anything else, as you'll be automatically signed up for the beta, ready for when it goes live. If you pre-order the game from an actual shop, with actual humans, or from an online retailer like Amazon, you'll find a beta redemption code on your receipt or email confirmation. Once you've got the code, head over to the Black Ops 4 website and log in (or create) a Call of Duty account to redeem it, picking your platform of choice for playing the beta. This will get you registered, and Activision will email you a Beta Token, which can then be used to access the game itself once everything's up and running. Can I pre-load the Black Ops 4 Blackout beta? Yes, and you can do it right now. The app has been available to download from the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and Battle.net since the the multiplayer beta took place in July, so start pumping those GBs into your console of choice if you haven't already. Any other outstanding questions you might have about the Black Ops 4 Blackout beta can hopefully be answered by Activision's own support page, which has a detailed FAQ for any more specific queries. For more updates about the biggest titles on the way, read up on our guide to the best new games for 2018 and beyond.<doc-sep>
The Call of Duty: Black Op 4 Multiplayer Beta Pre-Load for Playstation 4 has started, letting you download the full package so that you are ready join in the fun when the servers go live later today. The size of the beta files are large enough for you to justify pre-loading the whole thing, since the beta periods are limited on all platforms through the month. As you might already know if you have been invited, the first Playstation 4 Call of Duty: Black Op 4 Multiplayer Beta starts today at 10am PT, 1pm ET, 6pm BST. You’ll be able to play for the entire weekend until Monday August 6th at the same times. After that Xbox One and Playstation 4 will get another free weekend starting August 10th, with PC joining the fight on the same day but only for those who pre-ordered the game. A day later, the private beta on PC will switch to open and all players will be able to participate through their Battle.Net accounts. Why do you need to pre-load though? As you’ll find out if you log into your PS4 account now and go pre-load Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Multiplayer Beta, the game weights in approximately 31GB. This is much higher than what we anticipated and comes as a surprise since this beta phase includes only the multiplayer mode of the game. Here’s what modes you can play during the beta: Black Ops 4 beta game mode playlists Control Chaos Team Deathmatch (6v6, includes both TDM, and Kill Confirmed) Capture Moshpit (Includes both Domination, and Hardpoint) Search & Destroy A few other things needed to be said at this point is that there’s no need for PS Plus in order to get into the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Multiplayer Beta but, your progress won’t carry over to the full game when it releases. Also, note that this beta will include only the multiplayer segment of the game, with a beta for Blackout going live in September.