Everything to know about Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season 1

If you've yet to start grinding away in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, now's the time. This month in December, the first season of Black Ops Cold War will begin a new era for the Call of Duty games.

Not only that, but the new season will feature deep connectivity with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone, allowing you to progress in the Battle Pass no matter what game you play.

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming Season 1 of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War — and how to prepare.

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When is the Black Ops Cold War Season 1 start date and time?

Season 1 of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War begins December 16. No start time for Season 1 has been confirmed, although new seasons usually launch at or around 2 a.m. Eastern.

Originally slated to begin December 10, Activision announced a week-long delay on December 4. To keep players engaged during the extra-long wait, Activision announced a Double XP and Double Weapon XP weekend for Black Ops Cold War, beginning at 1 p.m. ET on December 12 until Season 1 officially begins on December 16.

Two free bundles of weapons and gear will also be available to players — just log in between 1 p.m. ET on December 8 through 2 a.m. ET on December 16 to claim them

The arrival of the season marks a new era for Call of Duty. For the first time, progression will connect across three games: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone, and the new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. This enables players to play whatever Call of Duty game they want while still unlocking items for Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.

We previously unpacked how this will change Modern Warfare back in late November.

Is there a Black Ops Cold War Season 1 trailer?

Yes, Activision debuted a trailer for the upcoming season of Black Ops Cold War during the 2020 Game Awards on December 10. Watch the full video below:

How much will the Black Ops Cold War Season 1 battle pass cost?

It isn't confirmed how much the Black Ops Cold War Season 1 Battle Pass will cost. However, based on how much battle passes cost in Modern Warfare, the price will probably be in the neighborhood of 900 CP (COD Points), or the equivalent of $10 US.

Each battle pass contains up to 100 tiers of exclusive rewards, including weapon blueprints, Operator skins, and challenges. Specific Season 1 rewards have yet to be revealed, but whatever is earned during Season 1 will carry over into Warzone as well.

What will happen to Warzone Season 7?

Infinity Ward is currently keeping quiet on what exactly will happen for the "next season" of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone. As far as players can tell, Modern Warfare will no longer have new seasons — making its current Season 6 the last in the game — as the game ties into Black Ops Cold War Season 1.

Based on current appearances, Black Ops Cold War Season 1 is taking over from what would have been Modern Warfare Season 7. The good news is that continuing to play Modern Warfare will still allow players to progress in the Black Ops Cold War Battle Pass, given they have the game and purchased the Battle Pass on the same account they play Modern Warfare. That means players can still unlock the new stuff in Black Ops Cold War while playing all the Modern Warfare they want.

What are the new guns and unlockables in Black Ops Cold War Season 1?

Not a lot of the new goods of Black Ops Cold War Season 1 are confirmed. However, data miners have uncovered a number of cosmetics and weapons. Gfinity Esports has collected a number of data leaks for Black Ops Cold War, which include new Operator skins, weapon charms, watches, emblems, and calling cards.

Some new guns coming to players' loadouts are an assault rifle called the "Groza" and a MAC-11 machine pistol. Twitter user and known Call of Duty leaker @TheGhostofMW2 tweeted on November 10 the arrival of several new guns, some of which are familiar to players of other Call of Duty games. These guns include the Scorpion, the CZ75, the Dragunov, the FAL, the Galil, the Striker, and the OTS-14.

When Activision announced the delay of Season 1 to December 16, it also announced two free bundles players can download for free. The bundles contain the following:

"Field Research" Bundle

• 1 Epic Operator Skin (Park)
• 1 Epic SMG Weapon Blueprint
• 1 Epic Reticle
• 1 Epic Calling Card
• 1 Rare Weapon Charm

"Certified" Bundle

• 1 Epic Operator Skin (Garcia)
• 1 Rare Assault Rifle Weapon Blueprint
• 1 Epic Reticle
• 1 Epic Weapon Charm

What are the new maps in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season 1?

On November 10, Twitter user @CODColdWarNewz tweeted the names of three new maps, none of which have any existing screenshots or image leaks: Dune, Mail, and Apocalypse. Later, on November 21, @CODColdWarNewz screenshots of a bug that loaded players into a multiplayer match that revealed a new map based on a level from the game's campaign mode.

How will Black Ops Cold War Season 1 influence Warzone?

New to Call of Duty in 2020 is cross-title integration. That means Warzone will be the common denominator across Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and whatever new titles spring up in the future.

While each game will have content limited only to the multiplayer of those games, the popular battle royale mode Warzone will allow players access to all the content including unlocked Operator skins, weapons, perks, and more.

Even now, players in Warzone can see other players use Operators from Black Ops Cold War fighting with, or alongside, Operators from Modern Warfare. That sort of crossover is set to be more pronounced with the start of Season 1, and future seasons of Black Ops Cold War.

Who knows what the future battlefield of Warzone will look like when the next Call of Duty game comes in 2021?

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War begins December 16.