Only three more sleeps, then the alpha of Call of Duty: Vanguard starts. Are you already excited? Well, maybe not so much that you can’t sleep at night – you’re not five years old and Santa Claus is coming tomorrow. But anticipation is not out of place, especially with all the knowledge we already have about the test phase.

For PlayStation players only:

Not everyone can be an Alpha! At least not when it comes to the test phase of Call of Duty: Vanguard. For now, only PlayStation players are allowed to participate, and only for a limited time. You can participate with PS4 or PS5.

Three days to wait, three days to play:

If you have a suitable console at home, you only have to wait until Friday, August 27, 2021. At 19:00 German time, the gates to the alpha will open. Unfortunately, they will close again on August 29, 2021 at the same time. So you only have three game days left.

In a trailer for the first test phase you can get a first impression of the action:

That’s how you’re in:

To be one of the alpha testers, you have to install either Call of Duty: Warzone or Black Ops Cold War. After that, you will be shown the alpha, which you can download right away. A preload is already something great.

To download the alpha version without any problems, you should keep about 22 GB free on your hard disk. The preload has already started in our time zone (CEST).

Explore the new Battle Royale mode:

During this time, you won’t be able to explore the entire game, but will be limited to the new mode called Champion Hill. This offers a mix of the old Gunfight mode and the Battle Royale genre and has therefore already been compared to the new Arena mode from Apex Legends.

In Champion Hill, you fight in pairs or threes against eight other teams of the same constellation, one after the other. The encounters all take place simultaneously and on the same map. The winner is the first to wipe out the lives of the other teams. Multiple maps make the mode more varied.

Between rounds, players can exchange currency earned in matches through certain actions for equipment. For this purpose, developer Sledgehammer has already included some weapons and attachments.

Fun Fact: Did you know that there is a Battle of Champion Hill really existed? It occurred during the American Civil War in May 1863. The Tenessee Army was victorious in a campaign over the Army of Mississippi. Learned something new again.

In September we will continue with the Beta:

On September 10, 2021, the beta phase will start. Until September 13, 2021, PlayStation pre-orderers will be allowed to take an exclusive look at the full game. The following weekend is reserved for all PlayStation users. Only on September 16, 2021, will all other pre-orderers be able to play Vanguard. On September 18, 2021, the beta will be open to everyone.

On November 5, 2021, Call of Duty: Vanguard will finally be released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S.