Activision has officially revealed the multiplayer beta and early access schedule for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.
PlayStation gamers get first dibs on the beta and Early Access, and Sony fans should savor this moment. This is the last year that they get this preferential treatment under Sony’s outgoing contract for Call of Duty. While Microsoft and Activision have yet to share any details, it is unlikely that Sony will get the same treatment in the future.
Microsoft has been quite vocal about their intention to bring Call of Duty across multiple platforms on the same day. Microsoft is even going so far as to add more platforms with those arrangements, such as Nintendo and Nvidia.
As reported by Video Games Chronicle, Early Access is scheduled for PlayStation on October 6 to 7, 2023. Then comes the open beta, again for PlayStation, for October 8 to 10, 2023.
Early Access opens up for PC and Xbox players from October 12 to 13, 2023. For this period, PlayStation players will continue to have access. Finally, open beta opens up for all platforms from October 14 to 16, 2023.
There are also several different requirements depending on the platform. All PC players, whether on Steam or Battle.net, will need to register a phone number with their account to have access. Xbox gamers will need to have at least an Xbox Live Core subscription to play Early Access. Sony players don’t have to be subscribed to PlayStation Plus, unless you live in Germany. Germany happens to have unique laws that make this a requirement due to the game’s age rating.
As always, players have to pre-order the game to get into Early Access. This means PlayStation players who pre-ordered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III get the earliest access to the game prior to its full launch.
If that all sounds really complicated just to give Call of Duty gamers an incentive to buy on PlayStation, it is. We can all look forward to all these rules changing as soon as Microsoft finalizes their deal with Activision. Not only does Microsoft’s ownership change the situation completely, but all the contracts Microsoft signed, including one with Sony, and possibly the latest one with Ubisoft, will all go into effect immediately.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be released on November 10, 2023, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows via Steam or Battle.net.
