Skip to main content

PS4 gets first dibs on Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 multiplayer beta in August

black ops 3 multiplayer beta august bo3 header
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Activision announced recently that a multiplayer beta version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will launch for the PlayStation 4 next month. Xbox One owners and PC players will get their shot at the global pre-release a week later.

The beta will run for five days on each available platform. Access is limited to players who have pre-ordered Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 at select retailers.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will be the first entry in the long-running first-person shooter series to offer a worldwide multiplayer beta since 2008’s Call of Duty: World at War. The upcoming beta will feature a small selection of maps and modes included with the full version of the game launching in November.

“During the beta,” developer Treyarch notes, “fans will have an opportunity to try the new momentum-based, chained movement system, find the perfect Specialist to fit their play style, get a feel for the new multiplayer maps, and more.”

Sony announced at this year’s E3 that all Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 content will be available first on PlayStation platforms, ending the series’ long-standing Xbox exclusivity agreement. The past few entries in the Call of Duty series have featured DLC that launched first on Xbox platforms, with equivalent PlayStation and PC releases arriving a month later.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3‘s multiplayer beta will kick off for PlayStation 4 owners on August 19, and will continue through August 23. Xbox One and PC players can join the action from August 26 through August 30.

Players can secure access to the upcoming beta by pre-ordering Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 at Amazon, Best Buy, or GameStop. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 premieres on November 6 for the PlayStation 4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC platforms.

Danny Cowan
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
Hogwarts Legacy beats out Call of Duty to become 2023’s bestselling game
A student waving a wand in Hogwarts Legacy.

Circana's Mat Piscatella has released video game market highlights for 2023, and WB Games' Hogwarts Legacy ended up being the bestselling game of 2023, beating out the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

"Hogwarts Legacy finished as 2023’s bestselling video game in the U.S. market in dollar sales. It is the first year since 2008 that a non-Call of Duty or Rockstar-developed title ranked 1st (Rock Band)," Piscatella explained on X. "Hogwarts Legacy was the bestselling game of the year on PlayStation platforms, ranked 2nd on Xbox platforms, and placed 5th on Nintendo platforms."

Read more
The best weapons in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
A soldier standing in an armory.

To the layman, every gun in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 probably seems the same. They all shoot bullets, right? In reality, that couldn't be further from the truth. Even when you take player skill out of the equation, each gun has vastly different stats and applications that make some, even within their own category, just plain better choices for everyone. Each gun is broken down into various stats, including recoil, ADS speed, damage, and much more, which makes it hard to easily compare them. When you factor in just how many guns are available as you level up and keep unlocking more, the prospect of picking the best ones becomes overwhelming. If you're trying to build the ideal loadout to dominate the current meta, these are the best weapons in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for each weapon type.

We will detail the top picks per each class, and then list the rest in terms of how they rank.
Best assault rifles in MW3

Read more
The best Call of Duty games, ranked
Soldier holding weapon in Modern Warfare II.

Few video game series are as influential and popular as Call of Duty. The annualized franchise throws players into fast-paced battles across various historical time periods -- along with fictional eras, as well. Call of Duty has taken us to World War II, the Cold War, a modern setting, and even to the future.

Although it's one of the most successful video game franchises out there, Call of Duty's quality varies significantly, with some fantastic entries in the series, but many mediocre ones as well. But which Call of Duty games are worth your time and which ones should you skip? To answer that question, we've ranked all the mainline entries in the series, with details about why you should or shouldn't play that particular game.

Read more