Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War trailer shows what could've gone wrong in 1981

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War
(Image credit: Activision)

The first trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War dropped during today’s Call of Duty reveal event, and man, is it a wild ride through alternative world history: it’s got digital Ronald Reagan, a USSR agent named Perseus who’s giving the US trouble overseas and CCR’s Run Through the Jungle.

Oh, and it’s also got a release date for the game: November 13 2020.

It’s a lot to take in for a trailer, but the basic gist of it is that there’s a USSR agent codenamed Perseus who’s emerged from hiding and could wreak havoc on American interests overseas. Digital Reagan then authorizes the use of whatever means necessary and puts CIA operatives Alex Mason, Frank Woods, and Jason Hudson on the case.

What ensues are car chases, explosions and “advanced negotiation techniques” – all of which look great in the PS5-captured gameplay. 

More to come on September 9  

The last bit of the trailer has two more important details: that open beta is coming first to PS4 and can be accessed by preordering the game, and there’s a worldwide multiplayer reveal happening September 9.

While we don’t know a ton about it yet, a post on the PlayStation Blog says that the free-to-play Warzone will share content with Black Ops Cold War including shared progression features and inventory items that can be used in both titles.

The PlayStation Blog also says that Cold War is a cross-generation and cross-platform title, and will allow players to party up with friends on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and other platforms. 

When you switch from a PS4 to PS5 you’ll take your progress with you, and an FAQ on Activision’s website says that PlayStation 4 owners will have an option to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version of the game through the PlayStation Store. Unfortunately, however, the Xbox One upgrade to Xbox Series X through the Microsoft Store is currently being evaluated and remains to be seen.

Nick Pino

Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar's sister site, Tom's Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He's also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he's not using if anyone wants it.