Call of Duty: Vanguard reveal, release date, beta and other details leaked

Never have we waited this long for a new Call of Duty to be revealed. Activision typically starts teasing the newest installment in spring, but here we are, middle of August, and 2021’s version of Call of Duty remains a mystery — but hopefully for not much longer.

In a now deleted tweet from reliable leaker Tom Henderson, the new Call of Duty will be revealed on Thursday, August 19. But it didn’t take much longer for the flood gates to open.

Since Henderson’s initial tweet, fans have discovered files in the Season 5 update for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War that point to the new game, which is reportedly titled Call of Duty: Vanguard. While Activision has issued copyright take down notices for the images, the details are already out there.

It appears Call of Duty: Vanguard will have three editions: a Standard Edition, Cross-Gen Bundle, and Ultimate Edition. Presumably, there will be no free upgrade from last-gen to current-gen,  so if you plan on hopping from the PS4 or Xbox One version to the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S, you’ll need this one.

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This should come as no surprise, but an Open Beta will be coming with the leaked image seemingly confirming that the Ultimate Edition will provide early access along with the usual assortment of cosmetics, such as Operator skins, bonus weapons and more. Additionally, artwork for all three editions confirmed a World War II setting.

Modern Warzone added some additional key dates for fans to look forward to. The site also confirms the August 19th reveal, but ads that an Alpha will be playable from August 27-29. A PlayStation-exclusive beta will be hosted from September 10-12, followed by a beta for all platforms that runs from September 16-20.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is rumored to release on November 5, with Season 1 kicking off later in the month on November 23.

None of this has officially been announced by Activision, but the publisher seemingly confirmed the legitimacy with a series of cinematic tweets that are reportedly taken from the upcoming reveal trailer.

And then there was this one.

Listen, we all know leaks suck for publishers and developers but I have to admire how Activision is handling this one. Rather than simply deny, deny, deny, they are running with it and using it to build hype.