Last week, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 debuted its explosive gameplay trailer showcasing new settings, characters, and the reveal of an open beta with early access for those who pre-order. In an apparent slip-up by Amazon, the retailer suggests that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s beta could start as soon as August.
Infinity Ward’s upcoming sequel to the Modern Warfare reboot has had an abundance of new details and trailers in recent weeks as the game marches towards launch. In standard Call of Duty fashion, Modern Warfare 2 will offer pre-order bonuses and a deluxe package dubbed the Vault Edition, featuring four Red Team 141 operators and the season 1 Battle Pass. Fans that pre-order either the standard or Vault Edition will receive early access to the open beta, which could be coming sooner rather than later.
According to an Amazon US listing, fans who pre-order Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for any platform before August 15 will receive early access to the Open Beta, with the codes being sent out on August 15 proper. All of this suggests that if Amazon’s listing is accurate, then the beta starts on August 15 for those who pre-order. At the time of this writing, Amazon has taken down its beta code blurb across every listing for Modern Warfare 2; however, screenshots of the leak still exist online.
Neither Infinity Ward nor Activision has commented on the official release date of the upcoming Modern Warfare 2 beta, instead only disclosing that PlayStation will get the beta “at least five days” before Xbox and PC. Historically, Call of Duty has favored PlayStation for early beta access but has also opened its testing grounds much closer to the full game’s release. Call of Duty Vanguard held its betas during the last two weekends in September, and Black Ops Cold War had its beta in October, making Modern Warfare 2’s alleged mid-August testing a bit of an anomaly.
Regarding beta testing and PlayStation exclusivity, this could be the last year that Sony’s hardware is the favored console for the Call of Duty franchise. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision and accompanying IPs is still pending, but if the deal passes, it could spell the end of PlayStation gamers getting to play Call of Duty before anyone else. How Microsoft and Call of Duty grow together will only be revealed through time. Still, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that Xbox Game Pass subscribers would become the preferred beta testers for future Call of Duty games.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launches on October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.