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Like many past Call of Duty games, this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has a multiplayer beta, giving fans a chance to try out the upcoming game. The beta’s first weekend began on August 30, while Weekend 2 kicks off on September 6. Read on for details on what to expect from the beta, how to get in, the included maps, and more.
Table of Contents [hide]How to get into the Black Ops 6 betaBlack Ops 6 Weekend 2 datesHow to downloadPC requirementsBlack Ops 6 beta rewardsBlack Ops 6 beta maps, modes, and gunsCore 6v6 mapsStrike mapsModesNo more PlayStation exclusivity
How to get into the Black Ops 6 beta
The Black Ops 6 beta is open to everyone across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC for Weekend 2. The first weekend, however, was available only to people who preordered, had Game Pass, or found another way in.
Black Ops 6 Weekend 2 dates
Black Ops 6’s Weekend 2 open beta begins on Friday, September 6, at the times listed below.
10 AM PT1 PM ET6 PM BST3 AM AET (September 7)
The beta concludes on Monday, September 9, at the same times.
How to download
Call of Duty’s store pages are a little confusing these days, so Activision provided a detailed rundown of how to download the Black Ops 6 multiplayer beta. Here’s what you need to know (from Activision):
“Players with Call of Duty and the Season 5.5 update installed will automatically receive the Beta as an update to their existing install.
“New or returning players without Call of Duty installed can jump into the Black Ops 6 Open Beta by downloading it from their platform storefront.”
Black Ops 6 beta preloading begins today, August 28.
Here are the Black Ops 6 beta file sizes, depending on your platform and setup:
PC requirements
The minimum and recommended specifications for the Black Ops 6 beta can be seen below.
Minimum Specifications:
OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update)CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core i5-6600RAM: 12 GBVideo Card: AMD Radeon RX 470 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or Intel Arc A750Video Memory: 3 GBStorage Space: SSD RequiredNetwork: Broadband Internet connectionSound Card: DirectX Compatible
Recommended Specifications:
Recommended specs to run at 60 FPS in most situations with all options set to high
OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update)CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X or Intel Core i7-6700KRAM: 16 GBVideo Card: AMD Radeon RX 6600XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060Video Memory: 8 GBStorage Space: SSD RequiredNetwork: Broadband Internet connectionSound Card: DirectX Compatible
Recommended Drivers for AMD/NVIDIA:
AMD: 24.8.1NVIDIA: 560.70INTEL: 32.0.101.5768
Black Ops 6 beta rewards
Players who take part in the Black Ops 6 beta can earn a series of awards, which you can see below. There are even more rewards for hitting certain levels in the beta.
Level 2: “Beta Tester” Animated Emblem Level 6: “Beta Tag” Spray Level 11: “No Bugs” Weapon Charm Level 15: “Quick Draw” EmoteLevel 20: “Squish” Westpoint Operator Skin (only unlockable during Weekend One) Level 20: “Squash” Westpoint Operator Skin (unlocked during either Weekend) Level 23: “The Truth Lies” Loading Screen Level 27: “Beta Expert” Animated Calling Card Level 30: “Bug Smasher” Weapon Blueprint
Black Ops 6 beta maps, modes, and guns
Activision has confirmed the maps and modes you’ll see in the Black Ops 6 beta, and it includes the following listed below. Click through the links below to read Activision’s guides for each map and mode.
Core 6v6 maps
Weekend 2: BabylonWeekend 1 & 2: DerelictWeekend 1 & 2: ScudWeekend 1 & 2: SkylineWeekend 1 & 2: Rewind
Strike maps
Weekend 1 & 2: PitWeekend 1 & 2: GalaWeekend 2: Stakeout
Modes
Weekend 1 & 2: Team Deathmatch Weekend 1 & 2: DominationWeekend 2: GunfightWeekend 1 & 2: HardpointWeekend 1 & 2: Kill Order Weekend 1 & 2: Face Off Team DeathmatchWeekend 1 & 2: Face Off Kill ConfirmedWeekend 2: Face Off Kill Order
A look at new maps is a key part of Black Ops 6’s multiplayer, given that last year’s Modern Warfare 3 was criticized for its lack of original maps at launch. Map voting will be available in lobbies during the beta.
At least 12 primary weapons will be included in the beta, with Mastercrafted versions available to those who have preordered the Vault edition. Three secondary weapons will also be in the beta, alongside the knife. Five Tacticals are included in addition to five Lethals and five Field Upgrades.
No more PlayStation exclusivity
In previous years, Activision gave PlayStation users first access to Call of Duty betas because Sony paid Activision for this. However, now that Microsoft owns Call of Duty, everyone across Xbox and PlayStation will get in at the same time. Xbox’s Phil Spencer promised “parity” for the Call of Duty series between Xbox and PlayStation, and this seems to be part of that. The executive also recently discussed how Microsoft wants to avoid “slimy” platform policies surrounding exclusive content for Call of Duty.
Xbox fans do have a bit of a special perk, though. The fact that Microsoft is offering early access to the open beta–along with the full game at launch–via Game Pass may encourage some people to play on Xbox instead of PlayStation. PlayStation remains the console leader, though, and analysts do not expect things to change now that Microsoft owns Call of Duty and is putting the game on Game Pass.
While Sony most recently paid Activision for exclusive Call of Duty content prior to Microsoft’s acquisition of the series, the Xbox company previously had a longstanding deal with Activision to keep Call of Duty content off PlayStation.
Black Ops 6 launches on October 25 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
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