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Windows Central

Technology

Cole Martin

How to watch Call of Duty: Next 2024 and what to expect before the Black Ops 6 open beta

Call of Duty Next Activision Xbox Best Buy CDKeys Dell Lenovo Steam Treyarch Studios

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will highlight the Call of Duty: Next showcase on August 28, 2024.

The third annual Call of Duty: Next showcase is set for August 28 and 9 AM PT/12 PM ET. The showcase is a gathering of Call of Duty's top content creators, who all have the chance to go hands-on with the next premium title in the series while showing off gameplay to their communities alongside in-depth developer interviews. If you're looking forward to finding out more about what's to come with Black Ops 6's Zombies and Multiplayer, or changes coming to Call of Duty: Warzone when it merges with Black Ops 6 for Season 1, we've got you covered.

When is Call of Duty: Next?

COD Next will broadcast live from Washington DC on August 28. (Image credit: Activision, Xbox)

When can I watch Call of Duty: Next 2024?

The Call of Duty: Next showcase is scheduled for August 28 at 9 AM PT/12 PM ET.

How to watch Call of Duty: Next 2024

How do I watch Call of Duty: Next 2024?

Call of Duty: Next will broadcast live on the official Call of Duty Twitch and Call of Duty YouTube channels. You can also tune in to your favorite Call of Duty streamers' respective channels to watch their gameplay footage from the event.

An incomplete roster of participating content creators was shared by Call of Duty via social media.

It's going to be a star studded #CODNext this year with Creators and Streamers joining us LIVE to get their hands on Call of Duty #BlackOps6 Multiplayer, Zombies, Warzone, and more 🌟 pic.twitter.com/05bYjAR404August 22, 2024

Players who link their YouTube or Twitch accounts to their Activision account can earn in-game rewards for watching the broadcast.

30 minutes: “Mine” Emblem
60 minutes: “Earning Stripes” Calling Card
90 minutes: “Tri Harder” Charm
120 minutes: “The Redactor” Weapon Blueprint

To receive the rewards, follow these steps to link your accounts if you have not previously done so:

Create or sign in to your Activision account and make sure you’re linked to your Xbox, PlayStation, Battle.Net, or Steam account.
Link your YouTube or Twitch account with Call of Duty.
Tune in to Call of Duty: NEXT on your preferred platform while signed in with a linked account to earn rewards.

The longer you watch the Call of Duty: Next broadcast, the more rewards you earn in-game. (Image credit: Activision, Xbox)

What to expect from Call of Duty: Next 2024

Call of Duty is the largest first-person shooter franchise in the world, fresh off a year of celebrating its 20th anniversary. Looking toward the future of the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is scheduled for an October 25 release date. The game is the first Call of Duty title to launch day one into the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, following a tumultuous merger between publisher Activision and Xbox that faced considerable legal challenges from global regulators.

Treyarch Studios is serving as the lead development studio on Black Ops 6, with Raven Software leading the campaign's narrative development. Various Activision-owned studios—including Beenox, High Moon, Infinity Ward, and Sledgehammer Games—have all provided additional support on the continuing development of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone.

While some trailers of Zombies and Multiplayer have been released, the game has been hit by a plethora of leaks. The most egregious leak followed an update to prepare Call of Duty HQ for the open beta, which resulted in players with jailbroken PS4s accessing Black Ops 6 multiplayer.

Multiplayer

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a huge step forward for the franchise's movement system. Having undergone a complete rework with thousands of new animations, the new Omnimovement system makes dramatic changes to how players can move and interact with each other around the game world.

From supine prone to action-star dives in any direction and using opponents as human meat shields, there's plenty of multiplayer news to talk about on the Call of Duty: Next stage. Players can look forward to a deep dive in to Omnimovement, get a look at the new maps that will be available in the open beta, and learn about the new modes coming to Black Ops 6.

Zombies

Treyarch recently unveiled a deep dive in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's zombies map, Terminus. A recent trailer showed us our first look at Liberty Falls, the map set in an idyllic West Virginia town overrun by the undead. During Call of Duty: Next 2024 we'll see hands-on gameplay on Liberty Falls by content creators on the showcase floor along with deep dives from developers.

Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Next will take a deep dive into what's to come for Black Ops 6 multiplayer, zombies, and Warzone. (Image credit: Activision, Xbox)

Call of Duty social media accounts recently teased the reveal of Area 99, a brand-new map coming to Call of Duty: Warzone by Treyarch Studios. Very little is known about Area 99 at this time, and even leaks about the map have been scarce. Some prominent community leakers have stated it is a resurgence map, akin to Fortune's Keep and Rebirth Island, and that a larger battle royale map will not replace Urzikstan until the return of Verdansk in 2025. Area 99 is set to be revealed at COD Next, so we won't have to wait long to find out if the leakers are right this time around.

We can also expect to see the implementation of Omnimovement into Warzone with live gameplay.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile

It has been 5 years since the launch of Call of Duty: Mobile, so expect to see some of your favorite mobile COD creators during the Next showcase to celebrate the milestone. New features coming to Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile are also set to be announced during the event.

C.O.D.E. Bowl V

Following the Call of Duty: Next showcase, COD fans can stay tuned in to watch the broadcast of the C.O.D.E. Bowl V, presented by USAA. The Call of Duty Endowment Bowl's fifth anniversary celebration will feature 10 esports teams from the US, UK, and Canada's various military branches. The teams will compete for top billing in battle royale on Urzikstan in Call of Duty: Warzone. The following rewards can be earned and unlocked in-game by watching the C.O.D.E. Bowl V:

30 minutes: “Every Bit of Bravery” Animated Emblem
60 minutes: “Far Out Flexin’” Loading Screen
90 minutes: “Please Rewind” Weapon Charm
120 minutes: “Bowl Buzzkill” Weapon Camo

The future of Call of Duty

While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the first of the franchise to hit game pass and see a release following the merger between Activision and Xbox, the title's development was rushed and largely unaffected by Xbox's ownership. Black Ops 6's release will provide a litmus test for the future of the franchise. The title is the first to enjoy a 4-year development cycle, and benefits from an "all hands on deck" approach. However, the loss of Toys for Bob, which struck out as an independent studio following the merger with Xbox, does ultimately mean more work for the developers at other supporting studios.

It also remains to be seen how much, if at all, other Xbox-owned studios may be sucked into the Call of Duty machine. Or if the well-oiled franchise continues on with its annual release schedule in its own development bubble. The future of Call of Duty looks bright, but it is also muddied by potential. Call of Duty: Next will give us a good look at what is right around the corner, but it will only scratch the surface of what could be ahead.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is available to preorder now ahead of the October 25 release date. There are a couple editions to choose from, and our handy guide can help you choose the right Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 version for you.