How to access the Black Ops 7 beta

Playing the Black Ops 7 beta in Early Access simply requires a pre-order of the game, though the process is slightly different between digital or physical orders. If you're subscribed to one of the main tiers of Game Pass then you also have Early Access secured already, which means you can be one of the first to jump in to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 when the servers go live.

If none of that applies to you then don't worry, as everyone can access the Black Ops 7 Open Beta period that follows directly afterwards, meaning you can try out the multiplayer component without making any sort of commitment to buying the full game first. For the full lowdown on all of the available options, here's how to access the Black Ops 7 beta.

How to play the Black Ops 7 beta

While there will be an Open Beta period that is available to everyone, to play the Black Ops 7 Early Access beta you need to do one of the following:

• Pre-order Black Ops 7 digitally through the Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, Battle.net, or Steam
• Pre-order Black Ops 7 physically via a participating retailer
• Subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, or Game Pass Console

If you pre-order digitally then you will qualify for Early Access to the Black Ops 7 beta on that platform, and you don't need to take any further action as you'll be automatically registered to play during the Black Ops 7 beta times.

For those who pre-order physically, you should receive an Early Access beta code either printed on the retail receipt or emailed to you with your online receipt. This will be a 13-character code in the format XXXX-XXXXX-XXXX, and we've got details on how to redeem this below. If you don't receive this code, then contact the retailer you purchased from for assistance.

Finally, if you have an active subscription to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, or Game Pass Console then you will be automatically registered for the Early Access beta, so again no action is needed to access it.

How to redeem a Black Ops 7 Early Access code

To redeem a Black Ops 7 Early Access code from a physical pre-order, you need to register it on callofduty.com/betaredeem. During this redemption process on your Call of Duty account you'll need to select which platform you want to use to participate in the beta, so make sure you choose this carefully as it can't be changed once the code has been redeemed.

Don't forget that you only need to redeem an Early Access code if you pre-ordered a physical edition of the game from select retailers, as digital pre-orders and Game Pass are automatically enrolled in the Black Ops 7 Early Access beta.

How to preload the Black Ops 7 beta

According to the official FAQ, "more information about pre-loading [the Black Ops 7 beta] will be available soon" so we currently don't know when it will be available, and if it will be included as part of the Call of Duty HQ hub or available as a standalone. It's likely that a preload option will be available several days before the Early Access beta is due to launch, to give players enough time to download and install it ready for when the servers come online.

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