How to pre-load Black Ops Cold War Beta on PS4, Xbox One, PC

Guide

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta is finally upon us, and we’ve got everything you need to know about how to pre-load and download it ahead of time on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Ahead of Black Ops Cold War’s highly-anticipated November 13 release, Call of Duty players are getting the chance to try out the game’s multiplayer in a massive Beta period during October.

While the Beta is going to be open to everyone on all platforms, those who pre-order the game get early access on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Furthermore, thanks to Sony’s exclusivity agreement with Activision, PlayStation 4 players got their hands on it before anyone else.

The details for how to pre-load the game on your console or PC can be found below, as well as the full schedule for all three platforms.

The Black Ops Cold War Beta will take place over the course of a two week period.

How to pre-download Black Ops Cold War Beta on PS4

The early access period on PS4 started on Thursday, October 8 before the Beta was opened to all PlayStation users on Saturday, October 10. If you pre-ordered the game digitally, you could actually download the Beta early by simply searching ‘Black Ops Cold War Beta’ in the PlayStation Store.

There will be an option to download and pre-load the file before you can actually play, and you will not need a code. Just simply click on it and, as long as you’ve pre-ordered digitally, the system will allow you to start downloading.

It’s also worth noting that the same file will be used for both weekends, so you don’t need to delete and redownload it between the first and second sessions. However, this is a different program than the Alpha, so that can be deleted as it’s no longer needed.

PS4 players who pre-ordered Black Ops Cold War digitally can start pre-loading the Beta file now.

How to pre-load Beta on Xbox One & PC

As mentioned above, the first week of the Beta was reserved exclusively for PS4 before also including Xbox One and PC this week. As with PlayStation, there will be an early access period on these other platforms as well, between October 15-16, after which the Beta becomes open to everyone on October 17.

The pre-loading period for Xbox One and PC started on Tuesday, October 13 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET. The process is pretty much the same: Xbox players who have pre-ordered a digital version of the game on Xbox One, Xbox Series S, or Xbox Series X can find the Beta in the console store, while the PC version will be listed under “Partner Games” in the Blizzard launcher.

Keep in mind that, unlike with PS4, those on Xbox must have an active Xbox Live Gold membership, and PC players will need to have a Battle.net account.

Xbox One and PC users won’t be able to play the first weekend of the Black Ops Cold War Beta.

Additional info

For changes between the Alpha and the Beta, Treyarch released a massive set of patch notes on October 7 detailing all of the adjustments and improvements they’ve made since the game’s previous build.

Here are a few details you should know before the Beta periods kicks off:

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  • Early access is only available for digital pre-orders. If you’ve pre-purchased a physical copy, you will not get early access.
  • If you’ve received a Beta code through Activision, Xfinity, or other promotions, you will receive an email with a download code
  • Digital pre-orders will not need a code to download the Beta, simply search your console store or Blizzard launcher for the game once the pre-load periods begin

When is the Black Ops Cold War Beta? Dates & schedule

Here’s a reminder of the full Beta schedule for BOCW; all periods begin and end at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on their respective dates.

The full schedule for the Black Ops Cold War Beta.
  • Weekend 1
    • October 8-9: PS4 early access
    • October 10-12: PS4 Open Beta
  • Weekend 2
    • October 15-16: PS4, Xbox One, PC early access
    • October 17-19: Open Beta for all platforms

For more information about what’s included in-game, make sure to check out our Black Ops Cold War Beta guide. Also, follow us on Twitter @DexertoINTEL for all the latest news, updates, leaks, guides, and more.

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