Everything you need to know about Call of Duty: Vanguard
The next installment is going to back to World War II ... with a twist.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War may still feel fresh, but the fog of war thunders on with a new annual entry in the series due out in late 2021. The next installment is called Call of Duty: Vanguard. We’re still a couple weeks out from its release, but there’s quite a lot we do know about this year’s Call of Duty, especially following the explosive in-game Warzone reveal that kicked off on August 19, 2021. There’s a lot to look forward to this year, particularly if you’re a fan of Warzone. From its release date, trailer, gameplay features, setting, and pre-order information, here’s everything we know about Call of Duty: Vanguard.
When is the Call of Duty: Vanguard release date?
Vanguard will bring us back to WWII.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is scheduled for release on November 5, 2021 across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This information was leaked before its official reveal by numerous sources including Tom Henderson of DualShockers.
Activision confirmed the November 5 release date as part of the Vanguard reveal within Warzone. This November release date is on par with the rest of the series, as they almost always come out in either October or November every year.
Is there a Call of Duty: Vanguard trailer?
Yes, there are several! A Vanguard trailer was unveiled as part of the Warzone event that began on August 19. While it’s only a cinematic trailer that doesn’t feature any gameplay, it does give us a sense of its visuals and themes. This entry takes place during WWII and you can clearly see iconic historical moments in the trailer — such as aerial battles and trench warfare.
Likewise, a multiplayer trailer debuted, showcasing the new weapons, maps, and Operators for the online portion of Vanguard. The trailer is still cinematic but provides a good look at what to expect from the multiplayer suite.
Finally, a Zombies trailer was revealed, giving us a look at the new mode. It will be built similarly to past Zombies iterations, but with some new twists. The idea with this new Zombies mode is to appeal to newcomers, while still offering enough to keep veterans interested.
Call of Duty: Vanguard pre-orders
The Ultimate Edition has lots of goodies including 2XP tokens and Operators.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available to pre-order now. There are multiple versions with different goodies that will come out alongside the game on November 5. Here are the different Vanguard editions you can look forward to.
Standard Edition — $59.99
- Copy of Vanguard
- Night Raid Mastercraft Weapon Blueprint
- Early access to Open Beta on PlayStation
- Frontline Weapons Pack
Cross-Gen Bundle — $69.99
- Copy of Vanguard on last-gen and current-gen
- Night Raid Mastercraft Weapon Blueprint
- Early access to Open Beta on PlayStation
- Frontline Weapons Pack
- 5 hours of 2XP
Ultimate Edition — $99.99
- Copy of Vanguard on last-gen and current-gen
- Night Raid Mastercraft Weapon Blueprint
- Early access to Open Beta on PlayStation
- Frontline Weapons Pack
- 5 hours of 2XP
- 5 hours of player 2XP
- Task Force One Pack (3 Operator skins, 3 weapon blueprints)
- Battle pass bundle
Who is the Call of Duty: Vanguard developer?
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare by developer Sledgehammer Games.
Activision has confirmed that Sledgehammer Games is indeed developing Call of Duty: Vanguard. However, all of Activision’s studios including Toys for Bob, Treyarch, Raven, Beenox, and others are assisting with Vanguard’s development, as reported by VGC.
Sledgehammer Games is a veteran Call of Duty studio, having worked as a support team for a number of years before leading the charge as lead developer. Typically the Call of Duty series alternates between Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch, with a three-year production cycle. Most recently, Sledgehammer led development on Call of Duty: WWII, which launched in 2017.
This three-year cycle stayed somewhat consistent but was interrupted in 2019, as Treyarch reportedly took over for Raven and Sledgehammer to develop what would become Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. According to Kotaku, Raven and Sledgehammer were set to co-develop 2020’s entry, but due to an internal dispute, Activision instead opted to have Treyarch lead the charge.
Vanguard will be the first Call of Duty game developed by Sledgehammer primarily since WWII — which coincidently share the same setting.
What is the Call of Duty: Vanguard setting?
Leaked images of the game’s operators, weapon skins, and information about its open beta have begun circulating.
Prior to the game’s official announcement, reputable sources including VGC, Eurogamer, and Modern Warzone, all reported that Vanguard will take place during World War II. This was then confirmed by Activision just before the game’s Warzone event.
This isn’t the first time the series has visited the WWII setting and time period, though. The series has become known for fluctuating between WWII, to modern times, and even futuristic settings to keep things fresh. The game will allow players to relive many moments from the war, taking place in historical locations.
What are the Call of Duty: Vanguard features?
Vanguard will feature a single-player campaign, multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone integration.
Single-player
Vanguard will have a single-player campaign mode that features four playable characters, each with their own story and setting. It seems the campaign will be just as cinematic as you’d expect, with what will hopefully offer diverse perspectives across historical WWII countries.
Multiplayer
As expected, Vanguard will have its own multiplayer suite, with 20 maps available on day one (and more to come after launch). There will be 6v6 maps, as well as 2v2 modes that were introduced in 2019’s Modern Warfare. This mode will be heavily supported with free content that ties to Warzone.
Zombies
Typically, only the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty games feature Zombies, but this year’s entry will be an exception ... sort of. Vanguard will offer a four-player cooperative Zombies mode that serves as the “precursor” to the events of Cold War’s undead adventures. Though this mode is being entirely handled by Treyarch, allowing Sledgehammer to focus on other aspects of the game. The new Zombies mode will keep things fresh, while enticing veterans to play as well.
Warzone
As we’ve covered before, Vanguard will be fully integrated into Warzone. In fact, the integration will come with a new slate of weapons, a brand new map (not just a reskin of Verdansk), and most excitingly, a new PC anti-cheat system called Ricochet.
Activision notes that all of the past four Call of Duty games including Modern Warfare, Cold War, Vanguard, and Warzone will all share progression systems, meaning you can level up your battle pass in any of those games.
What are the Call of Duty: Vanguard platforms?
Vanguard will launch on most modern platforms.
Just as many of the reports confirmed, Call of Duty: Vanguard will be a cross-generational release, coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. You can pre-order the cross-gen bundle for $69.99, which gives you access to the last-gen and current-gen versions of the game.
Unfortunately (but as expected), Vanguard will not come out for Nintendo Switch.
What is the Call of Duty: Vanguard install size?
The install sizes for Call of Duty: Vanguard will be smaller than recent entries, though, not by much. Below are the sizes across various platforms:
- PS5: 64.13 GB Download (89.84 GB Required Space)
- PS4: 54.65 GB Download (93.12 GB Required Space)
- Xbox Series X|S: 61 GB Download (61 GB Required Space)
- Xbox One: 56.6 GB Download (56.6 GB Required Space)
- PC: Not available yet
Call of Duty: Vanguard launches on November 5, 2021.
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