Black Ops 7 beta start times, pre-load and everything else you need to know

Excitement is starting to build up for the Black Ops 7 beta. We’re closer than ever now to the big day, and there’s a lot to dig into about what to expect when it goes live.

Image credit:Activision, Treyarch.

It’s almost that time of year again: the time when Call of Duty regulars and anyone curious about the yearly entry into the shooter series gather up to check out the beta. Yes, the Black Ops 7 beta is nearly upon us, and it’s one that’s packed with content.

The beta is the public’s first opportunity to go hands-on with the upcoming game, which is part evolution of Black Ops 6 , and part sequel to Black Ops 2 . In this guide, we’re going to go over every detail we know about the content, how to get early access, when the beta will be going live and more.

Black Ops 7 beta schedule and start times

If you’ve played any Call of Duty beta from the last several years, you’re going to be very familiar with the structure of the Black Ops 7 beta. This year’s beta takes place over a single weekend , but that period is split into two sections .

The initial stage is Early Access only, which is not available to everyone. We’ll explain how you can get access further down the page. The beta goes fully open for the rest of its runtime, available for anyone to play. There’s thankfully no platform exclusivity to worry about with the Black Ops 7 beta.

The Black Ops 7 beta will be available from Thursday, October 2 until Wednesday, October 8 .

Black Ops 7 Early Access beta

The Early Access beta is a limited, three-day event that won’t be available for everyone. It kicks off Thursday, October 2 , and ends Sunday, October 5 . Here are the exact start times:

10am PT
1pm ET
6pm UK
7pm CEST

Black Ops 7 Open beta

The open portion of the Black Ops 7 beta goes live just as the closed portion is winding down. It’ll be available from Sunday, October 5 until the beta’s end on Wednesday, October 8 . Here are the exact start times:

10am PT
1pm ET
6pm UK
7pm CEST

Black Ops 7 Beta end times

The Black Ops 7 beta will end for everyone on Wednesday, October 8 . The beta will no longer be available to play beyond the times listed below, regardless of how you got access. Here’s when servers go offline:

10am PT
1pm ET
6pm UK
7pm CEST

Image credit:Treyarch, Raven Software, Activision.

How to play the Black Ops 7 beta early

In order to play the Black Ops 7 beta early, you’ll need to get access to the Early Access portion of the beta. There are a couple of ways to secure access, and some require a bit more luck than others.

The most guaranteed way of getting into to the Early Access portion of the beta is pre-ordering a copy of Black Ops 7 . If you did so digitally - on Steam, Battlenet, the PlayStation Store, or Microsoft Store, your account will automatically have access to the beta, and you’ll be able to play once the download becomes available.

Another way of getting into the Early Access portion of the beta is having an active Game Pass subscription . For PC, PC Game Pass will work. For Xbox, you’ll need either Game Pass Ultimate or Game Pass Standard (Console).

Outside of those options, your next best bet is winning a key from some giveaway . Major Call of Duty influencers and content creators often distribute batches of codes through their Twitter and other social media platforms, so keep an eye out for one.

Where to redeem your Black Ops 7 beta code

Regardless of where you got your code for the Early Access portion of the Black Ops 7 beta, the code itself needs to be redeemed first before you can get the actual beta token that you’ll be able to enter into your console/PC.

If you get a 13-character code that looks like this: XXXX-XXXXX-XXXX , that code needs to be entered on the beta code redemption page . Once there, log into your Activision Account, and enter the 13-character code you have. The website will then email you your beta token , which you can then use on your platform of choice.

In some cases, the website will display the beta code directly after you enter the 13-character code, so stick with it. We also recommend doing that as early as you can, because servers always get hammered in the early hours of the beta’s launch, and those emails may be delayed.

Black Ops 7 beta pre-load times

The Black Ops 7 beta pre-load goes live on Wednesday, October 1. Here’s when:

09am PT
12pm ET
5pm UK
6pm CEST

Black Ops 7 beta download size

We’re still waiting to get the final download sizes for the Black Ops 7 beta, but judging by last year’s Black Ops 6 beta, we expect it to be between 20 and 35GB , depending on your platform.

Image credit:Treyarch, Raven Software, Activision.

Black Ops 7 beta content

The Black Ops 7 beta is going to offer a healthy dose of maps and modes for players try out. Content is very likely to grow from one portion of the beta to the other, so don’t expect everything to be available immediately. Five modes, and six maps have been confirmed so far for the beta.

Outside of all the multiplayer content we’ll cover below, this is also the first time ever that a Call of Duty beta has included Zombies content . The Black Ops 7 beta will feature Zombies Survival, featuring a small section (Vandorn Family Farm) of the Ashes of the Damned Zombies map.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

Black Ops 7 beta modes

Team Deathmatch
Domination
Kill Confirmed
Hardpoint
Overload (new for Black Ops 7)

Black Ops 7 beta maps

All the maps below are for core, 6v6 multiplayer.

Blackheart
Cortex
Exposure
Imprint
The Forge
Toshin

Black Ops 7 beta weapons

Assault Rifles : M15 Mod 0, MXR-17, Peacekeeper Mk1
SMGs : Graz 45k, Dravec 45, Razor 9mm
Shotguns : M10 Breacher, Echo 12
LMGs : MK.78
Marksman Rifles : M8A1
Sniper Rifles : VS Recon, XR-3 Ion
Pistols : Jager 45, CODA 9
Launchers : A.R.C. M1
Melee Weapons : Flatline MK.II

Black Ops 7 beta tacticals, lethals and Field Upgrades

Lethals : Frag, Sticky Grenade, Cluster Grenade, Combat Axe, Point Turret, Needle Drone.
Tacticals : Stun Grenade, EMP Grenade, Flashbang, Stim Shot, Pinpoint Grenade, Psych Grenade.
Field Upgrades : Assault Pack, Drone Pod, Trophy System, Active Camo, Echo Unit, Squad Link.

Black Ops 7 beta perks

Perk Slot 1 : Gung Ho (Enforcer), Dexterity (Enforcer), Lightweight (Enforcer), Cold-Blooded (Recon), Ghost (Recon), Ninja (Recon), Tech Mask (Strategist), Flak Jacket (Strategist), Shadow (Strategist).
Perk Slot 2 : Scavenger (Enforcer), Assassin (Enforcer), Close Shave (Enforcer), Hunter’s Instinct (Enforcer), Vigilance (Recon), Blast Link (Recon), Engineer (Recon), Fast Hands (Strategist), Gearhead (Strategist).
Perk Slot 3 : Tac Sprinter (Enforcer), Bankroll (Enforcer), Bruiser (Enforcer), Looper (Enforcer), Vendetta (Recon), Tracker (Recon), Quartermaster (Strategist), Charge Link (Strategist), Guardian (Strategist).

Black Ops 7 beta Wildcards

Gunfighter
Overkill
Perk Greed

Black Ops 7 beta operators

Eight operators will be available to choose from during the beta, split between the game’s two factions JSOC, and The Guild.

50/50
Falkner
Jurado
Kagan
Mason
Vermaak
Wei Lin
Zaver

Beyond that, you’ll also have access to the Training Course , which is an area designed to teach you the basics, as well as the new movement mechanics (including wall jumps) in Black Ops 7.

Of course, you can also look forward to the new loadout system. The new Overclock feature , which lets you modify the effects and properties of Field Upgrades, Scorestreaks, lethals and tacticals will also be available to try on all the above mentioned gear.

Image credit:Activision.

Black Ops 7 beta rewards

Yes, indeed, you can look forward to earning a few rewards in the beta that you’ll find waiting for you in the launch version of Black Ops 7. There are nine rewards in total, and each requires reaching a specific character level to earn them. Here they are:

Level 2: Beta Player Animated Emblem.
Level 6: Gun Flex Emote.
Level 11: Beta Neon Sticker.
Level 15: Beta Beasts” Weapon Charm.
Level 20: Beta Maverick JSOC Faction Operator Skin.
Level 20: Beta Leader Guild Faction Operator Skin.
Level 23: Beta Survivor Loading Screen.
Level 27: Beta Conqueror Calling Card.
Level 30: Beta Legend Weapon Blueprint – M15 Mod 0.

Black Ops 7 beta PC specs

Activision has unveiled two sets of PC specs you should have a look at to make sure your PC is in the clear. The beta requires updated GPU drivers, too. That’s 25.5.1 for AMD , 580.97 for Nvidia , and 32.0.101.6790 for Intel .

You’ll also need to make sure you have TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled on your PC BIOS/UEFI as well as Windows. For players with Intel ARC GPUs, you’ll need to enable Resizable Bar .

Minimum

OS : Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update).
CPU : AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core i5-6600.
RAM : 8GB.
GPU : AMD Radeon RX 470 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / 1060 or Intel Arc A580. VRAM : 3GB. Storage : SSD with 60 GB available space.

Watch Call of Duty: Next here for the big Black Ops 7 multiplayer and Zombies reveal

Image credit:Treyarch, Raven Software, Activision.

Though this continues to look like it may not be another year of total Call of Duty domination, there’s definitely a lot of excitement for Black Ops 7 . This year’s game is bringing a lot to the table, even if you can clearly tell the 2025 shooter mindshare belongs to Battlefield 6 .

If you’re a diehard Call of Duty player, however, few occasions command the same level of anticipation as Call of Duty: Next , the big everything-will-be-revealed event Activision hosts almost every year.

Call of Duty: Next returns this month to deliver the one-two punch of finally revealing Black Ops 7’s multiplayer , as well as its Zombies mode . Both modes are changing this year, which is all the more reason to tune in and see how Treyarch and Raven will be able to sell us on the upcoming game.

What is Call of Duty: Next and what to expect?

As with every CoD: Next, the event will feature dozens of content creators who will all be livestreaming their Black Ops 7 gameplay to the world. This goes for multiplayer, as well as Zombies. Before content creators get to run around the maps and play with the new movement and weapons of Black Ops 7, however, the developers will walk us through what’s on offer, and go deeper into this year’s game than any of the previous reveals .

How to watch Call of Duty: Next

On Tuesday, September 30 , all of us will be swimming in several hours of Black Ops 7 content. If you don’t tune in to your favourite YouTube or Twitch streamer, you’re probably going to have the main broadcast on.

Like last year, tonight’s event will kick off at 9am PT, 12pm ET, 5pm BST . This is the usual time slot for major Call of Duty reveals, so that’s not surprising.

As for where you’ll be able to catch it live, you can do so on Call of Duty’s official YouTube and Twitch channels - and we’ve embedded both below.

What comes after Call of Duty: Next

Once CoD: Next wraps up, the next major event to look forward to is, of course, the Black Ops 7 beta . The beta’s Early Access portion kicks off October 2, just two days afterwards. A lot - if not all of - the beta content will be part of Next, so we’re going to get a much better idea of what we can expect when the beta goes live during Next.

While Activision hasn’t said whether tuning in to Next will offer players a chance to get an Early Access beta key, it’s worth keeping the livestream on in the background, as you may even earn some in-game rewards, if not a beta key.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

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Black Ops 7 Beta Start Times, Pre

Black Ops 7 beta start times, pre-load and everything else you need to know