Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout Mode Beta Now Live On PS4

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's private Blackout beta is now live for some players. The beta has officially kicked off on PS4 today, September 10, giving those who've pre-ordered the title their first chance to go hands-on with the new battle royale-inspired mode before Black Ops 4 launches next month.

As previously detailed, the beta supports up to 80 players and can be played either solo, in duos, or in four-player teams called quads. As in Fortnite and PUBG, players skydive onto a large island at the start of a match and compete to be the last one remaining, seeking out and collecting weapons and other gear, battling other players, and avoiding environmental hazards like zombies while the battlefield gradually shrinks in size.

In keeping with the spirit of Black Ops, Blackout features numerous callbacks and elements from previous installments in the series. The island, which developer Treyarch claims is 1,500 times larger than Nuketown, is made up of many areas inspired by previous Black Ops maps, and players can play as a number of returning Black Ops characters, such as Reznov, Mason, Woods, Ajax, and Seraph. Players will also be able to find and use many weapons and pieces of equipment taken from past Black Ops games.

The Blackout beta will be open exclusively to PS4 players until 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on September 14, at which time it will also open to Xbox One and PC players who've pre-ordered Black Ops 4. PC players who have a Battle.net account will be able to jump in to the beta beginning September 15. The beta concludes on all platforms at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on September 17. You can read more details about the Blackout beta here and watch us try it out in the video above.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. Among other new features, the game introduces signature weapons--cosmetic gun variants you'll be able to unlock by completing challenges. Activision is releasing the title in multiple editions; you can learn more about each in our Black Ops 4 pre-order guide.