When does the Vanguard Open Beta start on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation?

Sledgehammer Games' Call of Duty Vanguard Beta is back and we can't wait to jump into the chaotic multiplayer being built again. Here's everything you need to know about when the Open Beta is due to start on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC - via Battle.net.

HOURS AWAY - Latest news on the Vanguard Beta

If you're looking to jump into the Vanguard Beta today - or in a couple of days when the Open Beta starts on Xbox and PC - you might be wondering what's in it for you. We all know playing Call of Duty Vanguard is fun, but is there anything else on offer?

Yes. Yes, there is.

If you hit level 20 in the Vanguard Beta, you'll be able to unlock the following rewards:

• A Weapon Blueprint for Call of Duty Vanguard and Warzone, available in Vanguard following the game’s launch on November 5, and in Warzone when the new main map launches later this year.
• An Arthur Kingsley Operator in Call of Duty: Mobile, available shortly after the end of the Beta.

Sledgehammer Games has revealed that the Vanguard Weapon Blueprint is going to be the "Rat-a-tat" for the STG-44 - if you've played the Beta already, you'll know that this could easily become one of the main Assault Rifles in the game. It's a beast, so having a Weapon Blueprint early doors would be worth the time.

OPEN BETA START - When can you jump in?

The Vanguard Open Beta is due to start on September 18th at the following times:

• 10:00 PST
• 13:00 EST
• 18:00 BST

You should be able to start pre-loading the Vanguard Beta already in preparation for this, but unless you have Early Access you won't be able to actually play it on Xbox or PC until this time.

PlayStation players, though, can actually play the Vanguard Beta from September 16th - Early Access or not. You're not going to need PS Plus and Xbox players won't need Xbox Live Gold from September 18th - however, it's worth noting that you'll need Xbox Live Gold for the Early Access period of September 16th to September 18th.

If you pre-ordered Vanguard digitally on your Xbox or PC, you should have Early Access eligibility already. If you pre-ordered it from a retailer, you should have a code you can redeem here - callofduty.com/betaredeem.

COMBAT PACING - What you need to know

Have you ever wanted every Call of Duty game to feel like Shipment 24/7? Well, in Call of Duty Vanguard you might be able to do that with Combat Pacing. It might sound simple, but Combat Pacing essentially changes the lobby size of your Call of Duty Multiplayer experience. If you want to grind Weapon Camo Challenges or level up quickly, this is going to be very handy...

Here's what we know about the different levels of intensity so far...

• Tactical: These are the lobbies that franchise veterans know well. This is the experience that you're used to with classic Call of Duty combat timing. Tactical Combat Pacing is always 6v6.
• Assault: Balanced combat pacing that gives you enough room to breathe and a lot of targets to kill. In Beta Weekend 1, player counts will vary between 20-28 players.
• Blitz: High-action lobbies where the intensity is cranked up to frenetic levels. Prepare for plenty of combat when choosing to join a Blitz. In Beta Weekend 1, player counts will vary between 28-48 players.

We can imagine Tactical is going to still remain a popular choice, but it's hard to imagine a world where Assault and Blitz aren't popular. Could Sledgehammer Games really be about to change the landscape of Call of Duty's Multiplayer forever? Should Call of Duty leave the 6v6 lobbies to the dedicated Arena Shooters?

CONFIRMED - Vanguard Beta Weekend Dates

Following the confirmation of the Champion Hill Alpha, Sledgehammer Games has also confirmed when we should expect the Call of Duty Vanguard multiplayer-based Open Beta to start.

Next month, there's going to be two opportunities to play Call of Duty Vanguard and the dates below are what you need to be looking out for:

• Open Beta Weekend One
  • September 10th to September 13th
• Open Beta Weekend Two
  • September 18th to September 20th

Weekend One is going to be a PlayStation Exclusive Early Access Open Beta, which you can also access through pre-ordering Call of Duty Vanguard. Weekend Two is going to be the Crossplay Open Beta on all platforms, with pre-order Early Access starting a little earlier on September 16th.

How do you get access to it?

As the phrase "Open Beta" suggests, you shouldn't have to do anything to get access to the Open Beta. Due to Activision's partnership with PlayStation, the Call of Duty Vanguard Beta is going to be available on PlayStation first, though. This means we might see one weekend of "Open Beta" on PS4 and PS5 ahead of a weekend of "Open Beta" on all platforms.

In addition to this, Call of Duty games usually offers some sort of Early Access to a Beta for pre-ordering the game. As you can see in the table below, it looks like you'll get Early Access to the Open Beta if you pre-order any version of Call of Duty Vanguard.

We can confirm that the same information is stated for Call of Duty Vanguard on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via BattleNet.