Something to look forward to: Call of Duty promotions have favorited PlayStation over the last several years – an arrangement that would inevitably change following Xbox owner Microsoft’s acquisition of the franchise with publisher Activision Blizzard. The open beta for Black Ops 6 is the first significant sign of the shift.
The early access beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 starts on August 30. As usual, the open beta begins a week later on September 6, but Xbox and PC users no longer have to wait that long.
Pre-release betas for Call of Duty games have traditionally begun with a PlayStation-exclusive early-access period for customers who pre-order the game, followed by a free open beta on all platforms. This year’s early access phase, running from August 30 to September 4 at 1 PM ET, is available with a pre-order for any version. The open beta lasts from September 6 to September 9 at 1 PM ET.
The move is part of Microsoft’s promise to maintain parity with future Call of Duty releases since acquiring the franchise’s publisher, Activision Blizzard, for $69 billion last year. Sony unsuccessfully tried to halt the purchase by raising fears that Microsoft would stop releasing the top-selling series on PlayStation.
The only perk for Microsoft customers is that Game Pass subscribers can also join the early access beta. Black Ops 6 will be arguably the most high-profile title to debut on the service upon its launch later this year, but its addition may have helped trigger a significant change in the available subscription plans.
Amid a price hike for all tiers, Microsoft recently removed the middle-priced plan for console users and plans to replace it with one that no longer includes launch-day access for the company’s in-house games. Subscribers to the new “Standard” tier will have to wait until likely next year to play upcoming titles like Avowed, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Black Ops 6.
Standard subscribers also miss out on the beta, which is open to Game Pass PC and Ultimate. Users still subscribed to the old Console tier can keep it for the foreseeable future and join early access.
Further details like participation rewards and PC system requirements are forthcoming. The PC specs will likely resemble last year’s Modern Warfare III.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches October 25 for $69.99 on Steam, Battle.net, the Microsoft Store, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles.
