Call of Duty: Vanguard images leak through Black Ops Cold War update

COD ww2
(Image credit: Activision)

Call of Duty: Vanguard images appear to have leaked through in-game Black Ops Cold War files.

Earlier today on August 12, images started doing the rounds pertaining to the rumored Call of Duty: Vanguard. Charlie Intel chronicled all the images together in one post, but at the current time, it appears nearly all the images have been taken offline by copyright claims from publisher Activision.

However, a select few images are still online. In one image we've seen, early access to the open beta period for Call of Duty: Vanguard is revealed, as well as three brand new Operators: Lucas, Polina, and Wade, each kitted out with a special assault rifle, marksman rifle, and SMG respectively.

From the general aesthetic of the leaked images floating around, it looks like reports earlier this year of Vanguard returning to the Second World War are accurate. You might recall that while one claim surrounding the game stated it would be taking place in an alternate timeline where the war never ended, Eurogamer then reported that it was merely your typical game set within World War 2.

It appears these images have been unearthed from the update that hit Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War yesterday on August 11. This update was meant to introduce the new Season 5 content to Treyarch's shooter, but the launch of said season has since been delayed by 24 hours at the last minute.

In fact, even before this update let the images accidentally slip, Black Ops Cold War has been teasing the rumored Vanguard. In a new image for the season, which debuted online earlier this week, the text "Vanguard is coming" could be seen written in Japanese. The official reveal of Call of Duty: Vanguard, after months of rumors and speculation, could be right around the corner.

For everything you need to know about the new seasonal event in Warzone, you can head over to our complete Warzone Season 5 guide for more.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.