Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta test is set for October

(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to launch on November 14, and ahead of that we're getting a public beta that's set to run on October 2 for anyone who either preorders the game or subscribes to "select Game Pass plans," and October 5 for everyone else.

The beta date comes by way of an early Xbox Store listing, noticed by the sharp eyes of Wario64 on Bluesky, which also notes that preordering will get you a handful of skins for Black Ops 6 and Warzone.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 open beta - early access begins Oct 2. To all players on Oct 5 www.xbox.com/en-us/games/...
— @wario64.bsky.social (@wario64.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-08-19T18:21:40.071Z

We've also got a little bit more on what players can expect from Black Ops 7 multiplayer: "Multiplayer explodes out of the gate with 16 electrifying 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps at launch. From futuristic Tokyo vistas to the frozen, unforgiving wilds of Alaska, every environment is brimming with danger and opportunity. Master a cutting-edge arsenal and outmaneuver your enemies with an evolved Omnimovement system."

Call of Duty public beta weekends are a reliable tradition at this point, but this year's will be more interesting than most for one big reason: There's a big new Battlefield on the scene, and it made a very solid impression during its own recently-concluded beta tests. As PC Gamer's Morgan Park wrote earlier this month, "Battlefield 6 is making an excellent case to skip Call of Duty this year," and while I certainly wouldn't position Black Ops 7 as the underdog in this fight—Battlefield has a long way to go before it catches up to the CoD behemoth—the simple fact is that it's under more pressure than its recent predecessors to put on a good pre-release show.

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As revealed during today's Opening Night Live showcase, which ran shortly after the beta dates were revealed, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 us set to launch on November 14.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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