5 things you need to know about Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

5 things you need to know about Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Activision and developer Treyarch pulled the curtain back on Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 last night, giving frag fans a taste of what to expect when it arrives on 12 October. Here’s everything you need to know about the next installment in the almighty shoot ‘em up series.

1) Black Ops gets battle royale

It was heavily rumoured over the last few weeks, and now it’s official: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will follow that Fortnite and PUBG money and add a battle royale mode. Blackout mode, as it’s called here, takes place on a map 1500 times larger than any previous Call of Duty multiplayer locale, delivering a free-for-all battle to be the last player standing. You’ll fight across land, sea, and air, and the game will pack in memorable characters from across the entire Black Ops franchise. The terrain will also incorporate familiar areas from past multiplayer maps, which is a really neat twist.

2) There’s no campaign

In a first for the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 4 will scrap the cinematic campaign mode that has marked the series since its early days. Online multiplayer has long been considered the main hook of Call of Duty, but those glossy story modes have produced some truly excellent missions and moments across the years. Instead, we’ll get even more multiplayer stuff than before, and Treyarch head Mark Lamia suggests that they’re “weaving narrative into each of the modes.”

3) Multiplayer sees a shake-up

Black Ops 4 is scrapping the kind of futuristic movement seen in the last few pre-WWII entries – that means no jetpack and no wall-running, just boots-on-the-ground (and water if the trailer is anything to go by) blasting. It’ll also bring back the Pick 10 loadout system, as well as the Specialist classes from Black Ops III, letting you pick a uniquely-equipped character to help build the most complete squad in battle, plus you’ll need to pick up health packs to heal rather than just waiting to magically feel better whenever you take a break from getting shot.

4) Zombies, zombies, zombies

Black Ops 4 will have three full Zombie co-op mini-campaigns on day one. “IX” has your characters don gladiator gear and battle in an ancient arena, “Voyage of Despair” takes place on the RMS Titanic (yes, the boat!), and “Blood of the Dead” revives an older Zombies scenario with a fresh look. Activision also promised a tutorial to help newcomers learn the ropes, plus a new Zombie Rush mode will streamline and speed up the action. That’s the thing with zombies, they’re so damn persistent.

5) It’s on Battle.net on PC

We already knew that Black Ops 4 would launch on 12 October, but here’s something new: the PC version will arrive on Activision’s own Battle.net digital platform instead of Steam. Treyarch plans a bunch of PC-specific tweaks, including 4K and HDR support, an uncapped framerate, support for ultra-wide screens, and extensive customisation features. Of course, it’s also coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Expect a private beta test sometime before October, which you can gain access to by pre-ordering on your platform of choice.