Black Ops Cold War Season 2 introduces new operators, new weapons, and the undead

Black Ops Cold War Season 2 is nearly here, and it's bringing a ton of new content to both Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops Cold War. The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season 2 gameplay trailer highlights a lot of it, but we cover everything you can expect below.

When does Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season Two go live?

Black Ops Cold War Season 2 goes live on Black Ops Cold War on Tuesday, February 23 between 9pm and 11pm PT / 12am and 2am ET / 5am and 8am BST. Call of Duty: Warzone will get the Season 2 update on Wednesday, February 24 between 9pm and 11pm PT / 12am and 2am ET / 5am and 8am BST.

Basically, keep an eye out during that three-hour window - or go to bed and have your device set for automatic updates.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season Two Operatives

Black Ops Cold War Operator - Rivas — (Image credit: Activision)

While Black Ops Cold War Season One got one new Operative in Stitch, this second season is bringing four new operators. Yup, you read that right. All four Operators will join both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone throughout the season as part of separate store bundles.

Here are the four new Operators joining the fight:

Naga - The villain of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season Two, Kapano "Naga" Vang is a former warlord who knows the Golden Triangle very well.
Maxis - For the first time ever, Samantha Maxis will be a playable Operator - not just in Zombies mode.
Wolf - The very cool dude from the helicopter in the Black Ops Cold War Season Two trailer, Wolf looks like a man you don't wanna eff with.
Rivas - Say hello to my new favorite, the Operator with the septum-piercing, Rivas. The Nicaraguan native has dedicated her life to ridding her country of the Cartel.

Black Ops Cold War Season Two weapons

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season Two is getting six new weapons to spice up multiplayer. You can get most of the weapons by either completing a related Challenge to get the base weapon for free, or buy a bundle with the Blueprint version when it pops up in the store. Two weapons will be available at different Battle Pass Tiers.

Here are the six new weapons shaking things up in Black Ops Cold War Season Two:

FARA 83 Assault Rifle - Get this fully automatic AR for at Tier 15 of the Season Two Battle Pass.
LC10 SMG - Snag the full-auto submachine gun at Tier 31 of the Season Two Battle Pass.
Machete - It's exactly what it sounds like.
E-Tool - This melee weapon is literally a military-style shovel, normally used to dig trenches. Ouch.
R1 Shadowhunter - A new, lighter crossbow that can accurately be shot from the hip.
ZRG 20mm - This new sniper has incredibly fast reload speeds, so may be the new weapon of choice for long-distance lovers.

Every Black Ops Cold War Season Two Outbreak

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Outbreak mode is dropping with Season Two on February 25, bringing with it a large-scale, open-world Zombies experience. According to the official Call of Duty blog, Outbreak is set in "massive play spaces throughout the Ural mountains" where players will have to find intel and complete objectives while mowing down zombies. Oh yeah, and there are vehicles and a new field upgrade: Frenzied Guard.

Black Ops Cold War Season Two maps

Four new multilayer maps will drop into the rotation when Black Ops Cold War Season Two starts next week. From jungle cartel bases to small Russian villages, there's a lot of diversity in the newer maps, and I'm excited to get boots on the ground on them. Here are all four new maps joining Black Ops Cold war:

Apocalypse (6v6) - This small-to-medium map is all about aggressive movement around a jungle cartel base in the Golden Triangle.
Golova (multi-team) - A Russian village nestled within the Ural Plans with a dark secret.
Mansion (2v2, 3v3) - Havana, ooh, la, la. Expect frantic firefights.
Miami Strike (6v6) - We're going back to Miami to engage in some smaller-sided fights.

Black Ops Cold War Season Two multiplayer modes

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone stay fresh thanks to a rotating cast of multiplayer modes that keep things interesting, and keeps players guessing. Season Two is no exception, bringing back a fan-favorite party mode and the biggest version of Hardpoint ever.

Gun Game (free-for-all) - The fan-favorite returns for all-out mayhem as you make your way through a pre-determined collection of 20 weapons.
Stockpile (6v6) - A mix of Kill Confirmed and Hardpoint, Stockpile is fast-paced and wild, as you're tasked with collections dog tags and depositing them at specific sites.
Hardpoint (multi-team) - It's the biggest version of Hardpoint ever, with 10 squads of four facing off.

Black Ops Cold War Season Two extras

I thought I saw a mini-gun in the original trailer - and I was right. A new scorestreak will be available when Season Two drops - the Death Machine, which first debuted in the original Black Ops game. There are also two new vehicles that will drop into Outbreak - an Easter European-style sedan that just screams Wes Anderson movie and a light truck that will mow a fair few zombies over.

There is so much more coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone next week. For the full details including season challenges and more, head to Call of Duty's official blog.

For our up-to-date list of the best weapons you can get your hands on in Black Ops Cold War's multiplayer portion, you can head over to our full Black Ops Cold War best guns guide for more.

PRODUCTS

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.