How to play the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 open beta

It's CoD beta season, baby.

CoD Black Ops 6 operators flopping all over the place while fighting
Let's get back to it. Image via Activision

Bullets will fly in Call of Duty again, and to get a sneak peek at what to expect for the full release of the latest title, a Black Ops 6 beta beckons for early testing.

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Another year, another Call of Duty. Four years after Black Ops Cold War, Treyarch is back again with Black Ops 6. Promising political power struggles and the return of round-based Zombies, the latest entry in the Black Ops series should be huge, as is usually the case for the long-running FPS franchise.

If all this excitement wasn’t enough, you can play Black Ops 6 early courtesy of a closed and open beta, and we have all the details you’re after below.

How to play the Black Ops 6 beta

call of duty black ops 6 art
Time to lock and reload. Image via Activision

To gain access to the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 early access beta, you need to pre-order any digital edition of the game or subscribe to select Xbox Game Pass plans. To play the open beta, you only need to download it from the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, or Battle.net store when it goes live.

The beta is also free for subscribers of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. If you subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate, you should find the beta downloadable for you immediately once it becomes available.

Additionally, you can get free access to the early beta by being a member of Comcast’s Xfinity Rewards program. To learn how to get a code through Xfinity Rewards, check out our guide here.

How long is the Black Ops 6 beta?

Operators in Black Ops 6 with weapons in their hands
Squad up. Image via Activision

The early access pre-order beta for Black Ops 6 begins on Aug. 30 and ends on Sept. 4, and the open beta begins on Sept. 6 and finished on Sept. 9, so if you don’t get early access, you can wait until the following week to play the beta when it’s free for everyone.

If you are to pre-order, it doesn’t matter which edition you opt for. If you pre-order the game digitally, you can guarantee access to the open beta. We know Black Ops 6 is a first for the franchise as it is included with Game Pass from day one.

Given the Microsoft and Activision merger, this should come as no surprise. It could well be a business decision made with each subsequent Call of Duty game in the future, as Microsoft has the power to do so.

Check out more news about the Black Ops 6 release, including news of the old Prestige system returning and the first-time addition of multidirectional diving.

Author
Image of Andrew Highton
Andrew Highton
Andy is a Game Guides Writer at Dot Esports with a host of experience working at Dexerto, Twinfinite, Keengamer, and more. He's about as passionate a gamer as you're likely to find and spreads that love across a ton of different titles, but will also talk everything football, golf, and wrestling! Be sure to follow his thoughts and ramblings over at @AndyHighton8 on Twitter.
Author
Image of Scott Duwe
Scott Duwe
Senior Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of all things Marvel, Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to corgis Yogi and Mickey, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.