Activision clears the air: no Call of Duty Black Ops 7 early access despite rumors

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 isn't getting an early access launch, Activision has confirmed.

In normal circumstances, this wouldn't be news. Black Ops 7 launches November 14 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC, and neither Treyarch nor Activision has said anything about an early access period beyond the beta that ended last month. However, rumors began circulating about an early access release this past weekend when Forbes posted an article seemingly erroneously claiming the $100 Vault Edition of the game includes 72 hours of early access from November 11 to launch.

Forbes has since updated its article "following a conversation with representatives from Activision" in order to "ensure accuracy," and it no longer says anything about Black Ops 7 early access. Furthermore, Activision has confirmed with Charlie Intel that there's no Black Ops 7 early access and that the game launches at the same time on November 14 for everyone, no matter what edition they bought. I was also able to confirm this with an Activision spokesperson following the publication of this article.

Our resident Call of Duty head (and GR+ EIC) Josh West recently went hands-on with Black Ops 7 and broke down his 10 big takeaways, calling it a "true sequel" that "builds on the foundations of its predecessor, tempering pace of play while adding more mobility and tactical options than ever to create an online mode that feels truly different." Seems like a good enough reason to look forward to November 14, even if you have to wait in line with everyone else.

Treyarch admits Black Ops 7 "controller players are winning slightly more in close-range" thanks to aim assist, says it's reworking it while Raven eyes similar changes for Warzone