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>PS4 owners will be the first to have a chance to try Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode thanks to an exclusive private beta session, but PC and Xbox One players won't have to wait too long for their opportunity. Activision has announced it will hold a beta session for the two other platforms later that same week. The second Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout beta will kick off on Xbox One on September 14, a few days after the PS4-exclusive session is scheduled to begin. As with the Black Ops 4 private multiplayer beta held earlier in August, the Blackout beta will only be open to those who've pre-ordered a copy of the game. PC players who've also pre-ordered any edition of Black Ops 4 will likewise be able to jump into the private Blackout beta on September 14, beginning at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. The test will then open up to everyone else who has a Battle.net account 24 hours later, regardless of whether or not they've reserved the title. Activision hasn't shared many details as to what players could expect from the Blackout beta, but the publisher confirmed there will be three different options to play it: solos, duos, and four-player groups called quads. Activision also provided a very a brief glimpse at Blackout in Black Ops 4's latest trailer, which to date remains the only footage it has shown off of the mode. Blackout is Call of Duty's rendition of the increasingly popular battle royale genre. Developer Treyarch first announced the mode at E3 this past June. According to the studio, Blackout features the largest map it has ever created and draws heavily from previous Black Ops games. Players will also be able to commandeer ground, air, and sea vehicles in the mode, although it remains unclear exactly how many players Blackout will support. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. Beyond Blackout, the game will launch with several new and returning multiplayer modes, as well as an expanded Zombies experience. However, this year's installment won't feature a traditional single-player campaign, but rather a series of solo missions that focus on each of the game's Specialist characters.<doc-sep>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 Black Ops 4 fans are eagerly awaiting the release of the Blackout Battle Royale beta on Xbox One and PC. The Call of Duty Blackout beta made its PS4 debut for pre-order customers on September 10. But Xbox One and PC users face an extended wait for the beta, which isn't available until later this week. Here's when the Blackout beta launches on Xbox One and PC, and how you can get a code.<doc-sep>
The new Blackout Beta for Bo4 is live on PS4 The brand new Bo4 Battle Royale mode is now available to test on PS4, and will be going live later this week on Xbox One and PC. For the majority of Call of Duty fans who want to test out the new Battle Royale, you will need to pre-order Black Ops 4 on one of the platforms mentioned above. However, some fans will get a chance at trying out the new Blackout Beta for free. So far, only PS4 gamers have access to the new COD gameplay mode, but will be joined by Xbox One owners on September 14, at around 6pm, BST. The PC, early access beta, will also be going live on this date, and will be followed by something fans may find interesting. That’s because Battle.net is hosting a free open Blackout beta later this week. It won’t run for as long, but it will include all the stuff everyone else is currently testing out. The PC Open Beta begins on September 15 at 6pm in the UK, and will end with all the other platforms on September 17. The new Black Ops 4 battle royale map is big So while not everyone can get a free code to play Black Ops 4 Blackout this week, PC players do have the option. Beta access codes are only required for pre-orders through a participating retailer, so if you pre-ordered through the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, or Battle.net, you are automatically validated to participate in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout Beta. Anybody with a code for the previous Black Ops 4 closed beta will be automatically entered in the Blackout beta. And anyone with the previous Black Ops 4 multiplayer beta installed won't need to pre-load the Blackout beta. However, a day-one patch is required to access the Battle Royale mode. There’s also another way for some players in the United States to get a beta code this week. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 won’t hit stores until October 12, but for Xfinity Internet customers, there’s a special offer to join the Private Beta. Xfinity customers can request an access code right now to secure their spot in the Blackout Private Beta, apparently on any platform. COD: Black Ops 4 - Blackout Battle Royale trailer The official COD Twitter account released the first detailed image of the Battle Royale map, which includes 13 named locations. Treyarch recently released news on some of the big new locations that will be available to explore in Blackout Mode. A rundown can be found below: Nuketown Island – based on the legendary map, this is more like a ghost town, as players will explore the remnants of this former nuclear testing site, which features boarded-up homes, an abandoned bunker and more. Firing Range – a true icon of Black Ops, this area is a classified military training base tucked away in the woods. Close-range encounters are common in this combat arena. Rivertown – a countryside peninsula town rife with small houses, diners, farms and even a GMO grainery. River Town is full of places to gear up and engage in close-to-mid-range firefights. Array – consisting of warehouses in the shadow of three giant satellites, this area is rife with high vantage points and plenty of opportunities to find gear. Call of Duty Black Ops 4 PS4 beta maps, specialists and weapons Wed, August 1, 2018 CALL of Duty Black Ops 4 developer Treyarch is holding a series of closed betas for pre-order customers. Play slideshow 1 of 27