A new part of Call of Duty is coming out again this year: we collect all the info on CoD Vanguard.
The next Call of Duty will be released in November 2021, will be called “Vanguard” and will once again be closely linked to CoD Warzone. In the meantime, the developers have confirmed many rumours that have been circulating the net for a long time.
We collect for you all official information and credible leaks about release, setting, maps, weapons and the developer.
Table of Contents
This is what is known about Call of Duty 2021
Release: When will Call of Duty 2021 be released
Call of Duty Vanguard will be released on Friday, November 5, 2021 simultaneously for all platforms. All modes (Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies and Warzone) are playable from the start.
Reveal: When and how will the multiplayer be revealed?
The worldwide reveal of Vanguard’s multiplayer will take place on 7 September 2021, at 7pm German time. Apparently there’s a livestream this time instead of a reveal in Warzone. Probably, different game modes will be shown besides new maps and weapons.
The new Patrol mode will be playable in the open beta (read more about the confirmed modes in our beta FAQ), so it will probably also be presented at the Reveal.
Well-known CoD streamers and experts like CharlieIntel have received mysterious packages from the developers that can only be opened on September 7. Of course, it stands to reason that this has something to do with the upcoming multiplayer Reveal.
👀
This package just arrived from Call of Duty.
The box is locked till September 7… #Vanguard pic.twitter.com/97IMOeRyVg
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) September 3, 2021
A first glimpse of multiplayer was given at the tournament finale of CoD Champs 2021, with the alpha trailer showing gameplay scenes from the new Champion Hill tournament mode. It also shows how much destruction is possible on the maps.
The reveal of this year’s series installment was quite a long time coming. In the past, the reveal of a new CoD usually took place in May – Cold War, however, was also only announced in August 2020. Activision president Rob Kostich already hinted that this new rotation could also be due to the success of Warzone:
With the renewed reveal in mid-August, the new reveal period may have been proven for now.
Beta: Is there a test phase for CoD Vanguard?
The developers have announced how the alpha and beta phases of Vanguard will work. As with Cold War, PlayStation players will get access to the beta first – and even a fully platform-exclusive alpha.
– August 27-29, 2021: Alpha for PlayStation players (completed)
– 10 to 12 September 2021: Open Beta for PlayStation players
– September 16 to 17: Early Access Beta for pre-orderers on all platforms
– September 18 to 20, 2021: Open Beta for all on all platforms
– November 5, 2021: Final release on all platforms
You can get all info on the content of the alpha and beta phases as well as the new multiplayer mode Champion Hill here:
CoD Vanguard: All info on Alpha, Beta and Champion Hill Mode
Studio: Who is developing Call of Duty 2021?
Three developers are changing over at Call of Duty under publisher Activision’s mantle: Infinity Ward (Modern Warfare), Treyarch (Black Ops) and Sledgehammer Games (WW2). The studios are competing with each other, so to speak, to see who will get the next nod.
This time, the studio Sledgehammer Games has won the race and is developing CoD 2021, so known insiders were right with their leaks.
It would actually have been Sledgehammer’s turn in 2020, but then they helped with the development of Black Ops: Cold War under Treyarch. The last CoD from Sledgehammer was WW2, which came out in 2017. The studio was also responsible for Advanced Warfare.
Teamwork: The development teams of Raven Software (Cold War, Warzone) and Treyarch (Cold War, Zombies) are also helping out with Vanguard. Treyarch is said to be responsible for the zombie mode, Raven will continue to work primarily on Warzone.
Setting: Where and when is CoD 2021 set?
The next setting is officially known: We can expect a return to the Second World War, in which the last CoD from Sledgehammer was already set.
Days before the rebel, an official teaser obtained by British Youtuber Jon from the developers showed the Western Front of World War 2. Some fans suspect that it is specifically a reference to the Battle of Merville. There are now several such videos circulating, showing the Western Front, Eastern Front, Pacific and North Africa as locations.
Ummm… I just got sent this from @CallofDuty… 👀
"Western Front" pic.twitter.com/69eKmpMtQc
— Jon (@MrDalekJD) August 13, 2021
Platform: Where will Call of Duty Vanguard be released?
Call of Duty 2021 will be released via Battle.net for the PC, as well as on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S. Activision said in an investor call that the game is “built for next-gen,” but also announced that it will be released for Playstation 4 and Xbox One. On all platforms, the game is expected to run smoothly at 60 frames per second.
Campaign, multiplayer, co-op: What content does CoD 2021 have?
CoD 2021 contains the usual modes, i.e. solo campaign, multiplayer and co-op mode (zombies). There will also be deep integration with CoD Warzone. The multiplayer mode is to be presented in detail on 7 September, as the developers announced on Twitter.
Mark your calendars for the #Vanguard Worldwide Multiplayer Reveal and BETA!
📅 Sept 7 ➡️ MP Reveal
📅 Sept 10-13 ➡️ Weekend One
📅 Sept 16-20 ➡️ Weekend Two pic.twitter.com/nhGxSUhe7M— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 22, 2021
Theoretically, the zombie mode Outbreak could make its way into the new CoD – at least developers had confirmed this possibility in the past. Editor Elena would probably be pleased.
As far as modes are concerned, Domination, Hardpoint and Headquarters are probably back in the game. A big new feature will be destructible level environments, which will set Vanguard apart from previous CoD parts. Zwaa this will not go quite as far as in Battlefield, but you will still be able to shoot your way through wooden barriers and certain walls.
What weapons could CoD Vanguard get?
Of course, since the WW2 setting has been confirmed, players can expect old World War II weapons. Fan favourites like the M1 Garand, Kar98K, the Thompson M1928A1 or the MP40 are very likely to be represented.
The well-known scene leaker TheMW2Ghost also claims to have seen early footage of CoD 2021. The person voices that an old shotgun was also among the weapons seen from Call of Duty WW2: Vanguard.
Saw some footage of CoD 2021 / Vanguard recently. Definitely WW2 uniformed soldiers.
Saw a Kar 98 (they were using MW19’s asset for it) some WW2 trench shotgun, Molotovs. The map they was playing on *looked* as if it was set in an African palace.
HUD looked like WaW’s.
— MW2 OG (@TheMW2Ghost) June 12, 2021
Weapon Handling and Gunsmith: Some features familiar from Modern Warfare 2019 return in Vanguard, including mounting. That is, resting the weapon on walls or other surfaces. This time it will even be possible to fire blindly from cover. And the weapon smith is also being expanded. Apparently we can even choose different types of ammunition.
Which maps will CoD Vanguard get?
There are 20 different maps to choose from at release, 16 of them for classic 6vs6 and four for 2vs2 (Gunfight). They cover all four theatres of war (Eastern and Western Front, Pacific, North Africa). All maps and modes can be started with different numbers of players: “Tactical” for very small teams, “Standard” for 6vs6 groups and “Blitz” for large and chaotic mass battles.
Warzone is also getting the long-awaited new map, which will be themed to World War II and will presumably be composed of multiplayer maps.
How does CoD 2021 tie in with Warzone?
New WW2 map, anti-cheat and lots of tweaks to make for a better gaming experience: Vanguard blows a fresh wind through Warzone. And could save the Battle Royale from itself.
boats, rides and planes? Leaker Tom Henderson also claims that new vehicles as well as planes and boats are making their way into Warzone. This would be a big innovation, as players have so far only been able to travel on foot and in land vehicles or helicopters. There is no official info on this yet.
The dataminer Nanikos has also found clues to important Warzone locations, which are said to be:
– Airfield
– Airstrip
– Arsenal
– Beach Head
– Caldera
– Capital
– Docks
– Farms
– Lagoon
– Mines
– Radio Station
– Subpen
– Villages
It is also certain that Warzone will continue to be the big driving force of Call of Duty in the future. According to official Activision figuresWarzone has massively fuelled revenues and also given the flagging Cold War a decent sales boost. The extremely successful Battle Royale will definitely continue in the long term, regardless of the annual release cycle: Season 5 is currently running in Warzone.
Payment model: What about DLCs, Battle Pass and Seasons?
Official info on these details is not yet available. So far, however, there are also no signs that Activision might deviate from the new monetisation policy.
With 2019’s CoD: Modern Warfare, the publisher switched to a strategy around free add-on content such as new maps and weapons. Additionally, regular new seasons with Battle Pass for cosmetic items found their way into the franchise.
If Activision sticks to this model, players can expect the familiar flow from CoD: MW and Cold War, which revolves around game-relevant free content and extra cosmetic paid content. This is supported by the fact that the publisher has already assured investors that “the new Call of Duty will have strong support for a long time after release”.
Are you looking forward to the new Call of Duty 2021? Maybe you’re still fully satisfied with Cold War – or are you only interested in Warzone anyway? Or maybe Modern Warfare?
