Here’s How to Access The PlayStation Call Of Duty Vanguard Alpha


A Call of Duty Vanguard Alpha is on its way to PlayStation players this weekend, showcasing the game’s new Champion Hill mode.

Call of Duty Vanguard doesn’t launch until November 5th. However, it seems PlayStation players won’t need to wait that long as the WW2 shooter launches its Alpha this weekend.

The Call of Duty Vanguard alpha will allow teams of two and three to face off in the mini-battle royale mode Champion Hill. Eight Teams will enter, but only one can win.

Wondering how to get into this PlayStation exclusive alpha? We’ve got you covered.

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WHEN IS THE VANGUARD ALPHA?

Vanguard’s alpha will launch on August 27th at 10AM PT. That means for us UK players, we can get our first glimpse of Vanguard at 6PM BST. The alpha will then continue on through until August 29th, where it will conclude at the same time of 6PM.

If you want to make the most of the beta, pre-loads are available now on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and come in around 20GB.

Do I Need To Preorder The Game to get into the alpha?

While preordering Call of Duty Vanguard will secure you early access to the beta, the alpha doesn’t require a preorder. All PlayStation players will have access to the alpha. You won’t even need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play, as an internet connection will do.

How Does Champion Hill Work?

Champion Hill is the latest evolution of the Battle Royale, bringing it to the small scale. Fans of Gunfight from both Modern Warfare and Cold War may recognise similar features in this mode.

Teams of two or three will fight against eight other enemy teams, across four arenas. However, each team has a certain number of lives and losing out on all lives will leave players to spectate from the Buy Station Area. The alpha will feature all four maps, which are made up of Airstrip, Trainyard, Market and Courtyard.

Similar to Counter-Strike or Apex Legends’ Arenas mode, players will earn cash to upgrade in-between stages by killing other players. All players will start with the same loadouts but can use that cash to upgrade and personalise their gear.

While this mode takes after Battle Royale, it is clearly focused on small-scale, intense bursts of action. These kinds of experiences seem to be at the heart of Vanguard, which will feature 16 small and tight maps on launch.

Our First Glimpse At Gameplay

Call of Duty Vanguard will feature an updated version of the Modern Warfare engine, meaning the series is moving away from the arcade-like gameplay of Cold War. To add to the impressive physics and graphics, PlayStation 5 users will get to experience 3D audio and haptic feedback.

We also got a brief look at some of the destruction which will be making its way to Vanguard in the alpha trailer. Activision encouraged players to experiment with the next system which will allow maps to be destroyed across a match.

The Call of Duty Vanguard alpha will be free-to-play for all PlayStation players this weekend betweeen August 27th and 29th. If you aren’t on PlayStation or will miss this alpha, Vanguard will launch a couple of months later, on November 5th, with a early-acess beta coming before then.

If you want to know more about Call of Duty Vanguard, you can check out everything we know here!

Will you be checking out the alpha when it launches this weekend? Let us know over on our social channels!

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Feature Image Credit: Activision